Spring and winter table sets for dinner with mom: Bapeul Jitda

It had been a while since I had a relaxed dinner with my mom, and we went to Bapeul Jitda Gyeongsan Main Branch, a Gyeongsan spot known for its Korean set meals. They have everything from a light meal to a full spread perfect for special occasions.

What impressed me most was that instead of leaning on strong seasoning, the cooking methods brought out the natural flavor, aroma, and texture of good ingredients. It's approachable Korean food, but the neat presentation made us feel genuinely well taken care of. Let me introduce the dinner set my mom and I enjoyed together.

• Spring table set (per person) ₩25,000
• Winter table set (per person) ₩29,000

Location and parking at Bapeul Jitda Gyeongsan Main Branch

Bapeul Jitda Gyeongsan Main Branch sits on Samseonghyeon-ro, the road connecting Daegu to Gyeongsan.

It's about a 10-minute drive from Bangokji, a popular weekend spot, and only about 400m from Daegu Haany University. It's also about a 3-minute drive from Hyundai CC, making it convenient to stop by while out and about in the area.

Since it's a standalone building on the main road, it's easy to spot as you pass by, and the large private parking lot made parking hassle-free. Less worry about parking makes it a good pick when you're looking for a place for a family gathering, birthday, or a meal with parents in Gyeongsan where several people need to drive over.

A restaurant with a private room too

A modern interior mixed strangely well with a hanok (traditional Korean house) mood — unique and upscale at once.

When I think of a Korean set-meal restaurant, I usually picture a traditional hanok interior, but this place felt more casual, bright, and youthful — a great first impression.

Even though it's on the main road, traffic wasn't heavy, so it felt calm, and light pouring in through the large windows plus the open layout added to the pleasant atmosphere.

The hall itself is spacious with generous spacing between tables, and there are also areas lightly separated by partitions, good for a quiet meal,

and private rooms are available too, which looked great for a more private family gathering or a parent's birthday meal in Gyeongsan.

We sat at a table further inside, moderately separated from the rest, which made it easy to chat comfortably with my mom over the meal.

The restroom is located inside the restaurant, so it was convenient to use even during the meal.

On one side there's a dessert corner with cookies, coffee, and tea, so we could enjoy a light dessert after the meal too.

Menu range and what we chose

The menu covers table set courses, lunch specials, à la carte dishes, a kids' menu, and even baby rice, so it's set up for the whole family to enjoy together. Centered on abalone mulhoe (cold raw abalone soup), steamed abalone, abalone porridge, and hijiki bibimbap, they offer table sets named after the four seasons — spring, summer, fall, and winter.

My mom and I ordered one of the most basic option, the spring table set, and one winter table set, which adds steamed abalone. Watching each dish arrive one by one, the menu turned out to be much more varied than expected, and it genuinely felt like being treated to a proper spread.

Tasting the table set, dish by dish

First came a seasonal salad, fried eggplant, chilled boiled pork, and beef brisket mushroom hot pot.

Starting with a seasonal salad topped with cheese, egg, and bacon plus fresh vegetables, the fried eggplant with a spicy-tangy sauce reminded me of the Chinese dish yuxiang eggplant.

The chilled boiled pork stood out the most — Korean pork shoulder cooked sous vide, moist and very tender. Paired with garlic sauce and dressed garlic chives, the mild meat gained an extra layer of savory depth.

Wrapping gopchang gim (thick seaweed) around ggosiraegi (brown seaweed noodles) and dipping it in vinegar-chili sauce added a tangy kick that really woke up the appetite.

The beef brisket mushroom hot pot, reminiscent of sukiyaki, had us scooping out vegetables and meat together to dip in the sauce — a familiar, slightly sweet flavor close to bulgogi, easy to enjoy without any fuss.

Next came deodeok (bellflower root) skewers, made with deodeok from Hoengseong, Gangwon-do, grilled with a gochujang-based sauce. A subtle smoky note added to it, and the deeper you chewed, the more its distinct aroma and flavor came through.

Steamed abalone and barley rice with gejang-style sauce in the winter set

Then came the steamed abalone and barley rice with gejang-style abalone innards sauce included in the winter set. A large Wando abalone arrived alongside barley rice mixed with abalone innards sauce — the rich savory depth of the sauce combined with a creamy, risotto-like texture and the popping bite of barley rice made for quite an appealing combination.

After finishing off the potato cheese croquette we snagged as a review event freebie, I was already stuffed before the hijiki bibimbap even arrived, haha.

Finishing with hijiki bibimbap and doenjang stew

The final course was hijiki bibimbap and doenjang (soybean paste) stew — a lightly seasoned bibimbap with hijiki, young greens, and shredded egg that let the ingredients' natural flavor shine.

It's good enjoyed plain and light, or if you want more seasoning, you can add the paprika gochujang on the side.

The sauce itself wasn't strongly seasoned either, so even after my mom and I added all of it, mixed everything together, and had it with doenjang stew, it never tasted too salty.

If anything, it let us enjoy the range of flavors and textures from the hijiki and vegetables all at once, and it suited our taste even more. A genuinely healthy bowl we enjoyed easily right to the last bite.

Final thoughts

It had been a while since I had such an unhurried dinner with my mom at Bapeul Jitda Gyeongsan Main Branch. It was fun to sample so many different dishes one by one, but what I especially liked was the neat, unfussy flavor built from good ingredients.

With a comfortable atmosphere and a clean, well-put-together table, this is a Gyeongsan Korean restaurant I'd want to come back to whenever I want a good meal with my parents.