Doan-dong Korean restaurant, mild braised pollock and grilled mackerel

A Doan-dong restaurant in Daejeon, Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho, with spicy braised pollock and seed hotteok nurungji

What is Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch in the Doan-dong food alley?

On days when I want a hearty Korean meal in Daejeon, I always end up craving something that goes well with rice.

Especially something spicy enough to mix into rice — that kind of dish makes me finish a whole bowl even when I don't have much of an appetite. This time I visited Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho's main branch in Daejeon!

It's located in the Doan-dong food alley, so it wasn't hard to find, and it was a good spot to visit when I wanted a clean, satisfying Korean meal.

Spicy braised pollock is the main dish at Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho

As the name suggests, Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho is centered on braised pollock (myeongtae jorim), also selling pork belly braised pollock and freshwater shrimp pollock stew (dongtae-tang) served in a large bowl!

Above all, one menu item caught my eye — the seed hotteok nurungji!! Apparently they researched braised pollock restaurants across the country to develop the sauce, and this seed hotteok nurungji is a signature dish they were the first in Korea to create.

Pairing braised pollock with crispy rice cake seemed unusual at first, but once I tried it I understood why they recommend eating them together. (At first I mistook it for the sweet hotteok pancake, haha.)

What we ordered at Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho

• Spicy braised pollock, small
• Seed hotteok nurungji
• Grilled mackerel

That's what I ordered. I felt like trying several dishes together instead of just the braised pollock alone would let me appreciate each dish's own charm...

They serve a variety of thoughtfully made basic side dishes; roasted laver and dried radish greens are given if you ask, while the rest are neatly set up at the self-serve bar. My little one absolutely loved that stir-fried potato dish!!

Spicy braised pollock, small size, mild spice level

First up was the main dish, spicy braised pollock! Even in the small size, the portion was bigger than expected, with generous sauce over large chunks of pollock — perfect with rice.

I ordered it at medium spicy, and the sauce wasn't just hot — it had a rich, savory depth along with the spice.

Picking apart the pollock flesh and eating it with the sauce, I understood exactly what people mean when they say it's a rice thief.

Braised pollock in particular tastes richer when eaten with sides like bean sprouts or laver rather than just the fish alone. Placing pollock flesh on laver, adding a bit more sauce, and topping it with bean sprouts gave great texture, and the spicy sauce paired nicely with the plain pollock.

Seed hotteok nurungji: better than expected

And personally, the dish I was most curious about on this visit — the seed hotteok nurungji!! This thing is seriously something... total game-changer!!!

At first I wondered how braised pollock and crispy hotteok rice cake could possibly go together, but once I tried it, it was genuinely amazing. Nutty, crispy nurungji with spicy sauce added on top — seriously~~~

The nurungji itself is nutty and crispy, and eating it with the spicy braised pollock seemed to soften the heat a bit. Especially with a little pollock flesh and sauce on top, the salty-spicy flavor combined with the nurungji's nuttiness made it taste totally different from eating nurungji plain! There was someone nearby who ordered two, and I totally got it... They make it fresh when you order, so the crispiness is on point.

There were seeds mixed in, so you get a nutty crunch here and there too. If you like braised pollock, I really recommend trying this combination at least once!!!! A dish I keep thinking about!

Grilled mackerel, the plain and easy option

One more thing I ordered was grilled mackerel, which I picked thinking it would be good for my kid too.

While eating the spicy braised pollock, I thought it'd be nice to have something plain like grilled fish alongside, and as expected, the combination worked great! Good for the kid, good for us too! It came out really large...

The mackerel was grilled to a nice golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender inside, going well with rice. Having a bite of grilled mackerel between bites of the strongly seasoned braised pollock felt like a palate reset.

So I thought that if visiting as a family, ordering the spicy braised pollock along with a plain grilled fish to share would work really well!

A Doan-dong Korean restaurant for a clean, filling meal

After trying it this time, I understood why Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch has so many regulars! I especially thought it's a great fit when you're looking for a Korean meal that goes well with rice, rather than food that's just intensely spicy.

Since you can choose the spice level for the braised pollock, it also seems like a good option to visit with someone who can't handle spicy food, adjusting to everyone's taste. If you're looking for a place to eat near the Doan-dong food alley, it's a comfortable spot to drop by for either lunch or dinner.

Especially on a day when you're craving a Korean dish that pairs well with rice, or when spicy braised pollock is calling your name, this place is worth a visit. This time I tried the braised pollock, seed hotteok nurungji, and grilled mackerel together, and among them, the combination of braised pollock with seed hotteok nurungji stuck with me the most. I went in just thinking about the regular braised pollock, but getting to try the signature dish too made it even more fun. 👍👍

If you're in Doan-dong or Gasuwon-dong wondering what to eat today, Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho is worth considering as a Doan-dong restaurant in Daejeon. I had a hearty meal with spicy braised pollock, nutty seed hotteok nurungji, and plain grilled mackerel :)

📍 Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch, Daejeon / Address: 51-5 Doanjeong-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea, 1st floor