Korean restaurant for four at Jincheon Mat Town, Daegu: Geumdeungeo

Today I brought my parents and family to Geumdeungeo, a hanjeongsik (Korean full-course set meal) restaurant in Dalseo, Daegu. A senior friend of mine told me it's really delicious and private, and that I had to try it — so I did. Spoiler: totally satisfied!!

Where is Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch, and is there parking?

Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch is on the 3rd floor of Jincheon Meokgeori Town. The parking lot was spacious, and there's another lot in the back too, so it's easy whether you walk or drive.

Four people, no reservation: private tables with blinds

The interior had so many tables. We got table 8, and there were four of us in total. The place is big enough for large groups — you can reserve ahead, but the seating is spacious enough that walking in without a reservation, like I did, works out fine too.

Each table is set up as its own private space with blinds installed. If you need a spot for an important gathering or a family meal, try Geumdeungeo, a Korean restaurant in Dalseo, Daegu. They have other branches besides Dalseo too, so I'm planning to visit those next time, haha.

They set the table according to the number of people at each seat, and the staff were so kind — I really loved that about this place. And above all, Geumdeungeo is hygienic and neatly organized, a clean restaurant! It's my top pick to revisit for hanjeongsik.

How do you order — kiosk or staff?

The kiosk at Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch only handles simple side menus, calling staff, and drink orders — for your initial main order you have to call a staff member and tell them directly. Also, Geumdeungeo was selling grilled mackerel gift sets for this Chuseok holiday. I actually considered getting the Geumdeungeo grilled mackerel gift set for family and friends this Chuseok, haha.

The self-serve banchan bar is included with every set

From here it's the self-serve bar. Gopchang gim (seasoned laver), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), pickles, doraji muchim (bellflower root salad), nakji jeotgal (fermented octopus), kimchi, miyeok muchim (seaweed salad), dressing and lettuce salad — you can see all kinds of delicious-looking dishes at the self-serve bar. These all come as part of the base menu, so just help yourself if you want them. I thought they weren't included at first, haha, and dove straight for the japchae — turns out it was all included in the base menu. Definitely keep that in mind when you go, haha.

Ta-da, this is the table set with all the included banchan (side dishes). There are two plates of japchae because I'd already scooped one for myself beforehand. The lettuce salad was really fresh and delicious. The combo of the dressing and tomatoes on top was amazing. The cucumber salad, kimchi and doraji were all tasty too, and it was full of fresh ingredients that older folks would love — my mom and dad really enjoyed it.

This soup also comes as a base item — I think it's geunde-guk (Swiss chard soup). It has shrimp and vegetables in it, so it was fresh and the broth was refreshing, easy to sip. So many things were prepared that by the end, everyone was waving their hands full, haha.

Hanwoo bulgogi set for two and mackerel set for two: how much?

Now let me introduce the menu. We ordered the hanwoo bulgogi set for two (with beef jeon) and the mackerel set for two. Prices range from the high ₩10,000s to the high ₩20,000s per person, so you can order according to your taste. Since there were four of us, we each ordered two portions — note that the hanwoo bulgogi set can only be ordered starting from two people.

They prepare the hanwoo bulgogi (marinated beef) with vegetables, glass noodles and mushrooms on top and simmer it for you. The staff kept a close eye and warned us the pot was hot — I really appreciated that. Thanks to Geumdeungeo's kind and attentive staff, we had a truly delicious meal. The food quality and taste were great, but above all, the kind staff made the meal feel like a treat.^^

The mackerel set: grilled mackerel dipped in nuruk salt

The second dish is the Geumdeungeo set. Pot rice comes with all of this, so you don't have to worry about going hungry. Geumdeungeo mackerel is grilled until glistening with fat, and dipping it in the accompanying nuruk salt (malt-fermented salt) gave it wonderful umami. The salt wasn't very salty at all — I wondered if it was even salt. I've really come to love grilled mackerel lately; can someone who never used to eat seafood really change their taste this much, haha?

Visually it looked like a shiny gold nugget. It was grilled just the right amount, and surprisingly there were almost no small bones inside — after removing just a few large bones, it was easy to eat without having to debone it carefully, so I could really focus on the meal, haha.

Beef jeon, the pan-fried beef that comes with the set

And this is the beef jeon (pan-fried beef) we added to the hanwoo bulgogi menu. It's beef jeon, and the set menu lets you add it for an extra charge; it's also available separately, for reference. My dad cut it up so each bite had the juicy, savory, tender beef ready to eat in one go. My caring, dependable dad — who feels smaller these days now. T_T

My dad and sibling ordered the bulgogi, and I had a bite too — it wasn't bland, and it wasn't too salty either. It was the kind of dish where I wanted to add more meat next time. If we hadn't been so full, mixing rice into that broth would have been amazing, but with so many dishes coming out, we filled up fast. T_T

My sibling asked me to film this video. Trying some sibling marketing here — not sure if this'll work, haha, my filming skills are terrible ^^. Anyway, my sibling always eats well, but seeing them eat even more heartily than usual today was cute. They're moving to another region for work soon, and while we bicker when we see each other every day, we fight less when we only meet occasionally. Still, they've been like a vitamin — a fun presence in my life — and it's a little sad to think I won't see them as often. I hope they put making money first in the new place, but health first above all.

Pot rice and the sungnyung made from the crust

Ta-da, and here's the pot rice. It was chapssal (glutinous rice), with a few beans mixed in. I guess I'm getting older, haha, but the nurungji (scorched rice) made by pouring in sungnyung (roasted rice water) was so nutty and delicious. That's why I also love dishes like ochazuke. The nutty aroma from the pot rice and the steam rising off it, haha — you can't get that at home!! Definitely try it at Geumdeungeo.

Once you scoop out the rice and pour in the nutty sungnyung, you get nurungji — and I drank every last drop of that broth. My taste really has changed; I've come to love Korean food so much now. I used to be strictly a dessert-and-snacks person, but now I'm... getting old, haha.

Baekseolgi rice cake for dessert and meal kits to take home

And finally — not sure if it was complimentary, but here's the baekseolgi (steamed white rice cake) they gave us for dessert. This was genuinely delicious!! Sweet and nutty — I like baekseolgi with those little sweetish bean bits studded in it, and this one was packed with colorful ones. I wanted more but figured it might be a courtesy item, so I didn't ask for extra. Turns out it's sold outside the restaurant?? It was ₩5,000, haha.

This place is named Geumdeungeo by combining 'geum' (gold) from nuruk salt and mackerel. They also sell meal kits and banchan products. Overall, nothing was lacking in food quality, taste, or portion size, and the kindness and service were fully satisfying too. On top of that the seating was great, and it's rare to find a Korean restaurant that sells such a variety of products — I feel like I found a gem. I'll definitely be back.

One last bit of fun: the ppeongtwigi puffed-rice draw

7.00 seconds — draw champion! At the end there was a fun little game involving a ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack) draw, and my sibling won this by pulling it off, haha. They carried it around all day, which was both funny and adorable, haha.