Gangneung galbijjim restaurant with abalone and octopus: Ojukheon

I found a real bargain gem for braised short ribs in Gangneung! I've been to Gangneung so many times, and I stumbled on this place by chance: a braised short rib dish with a huge portion and loads of ingredients! The ribs are tender too, so here's Ojukheon Sogalbijjim, a filling lunch spot.

Ojukheon Sogalbijjim location, hours and parking

Ojukheon Sogalbijjim is open from 9 AM to 9 PM with no break time. It has its own parking lot, so you can park there.

• Hours: 9 AM – 9 PM
• Break time: none
• Parking: available in the private lot

Ojukheon Sogalbijjim is a ground-floor shop near Gangmun Beach! The private parking lot is nice and roomy, so no parking worries, which is so convenient! Gangneung is a pain when you can't park, T_T. And since it's on the ground floor, it was easy to get into too.

Seating at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim: good for older relatives and kids?

The inside of Ojukheon Sogalbijjim is really spacious, and above all the chairs were comfy! They're soft and easy for older people to sit in! The tables are spaced far apart, so you barely hear the conversation next to you, and the warm atmosphere lets you relax and focus on your food!

High chairs and aprons are available, and since I booked through Naver, the side dishes were already set on the table when we arrived! It was a window seat, so it didn't feel stuffy, and they gave us a good spot.

Ojukheon Sogalbijjim menu, prices and what we ordered

The braised short rib 2-person set (sogalbijjim) at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim is ₩80,000, and with spicy soft tofu stew and octopus added, the total came to ₩104,000.

• Braised short rib 2-person set ₩80,000 (braised short ribs + 2 abalone + 2 young ginseng roots + glass noodles + Chodang tofu stew in a stone pot + 2 bowls of white rice)
• Spicy soft tofu stew ₩12,000
• Octopus add-on ₩10,000
• Cider (soda) ₩2,000
• Total ₩104,000

Ginseng and honey come as side dishes

The basic side dishes at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim include ginseng and honey, plus seasoned radish strips, pickled chili peppers, wood ear mushrooms, napa cabbage kimchi and tofu! Ginseng as a side, wow. They say what's bitter in the mouth is good for the body. Dipped in honey, though, it's a pretty tasty bittersweet bite!

Set tofu stew: Chodang or spicy, which is better?

The short rib set comes with a soft tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae) by default. I picked the Chodang soft tofu (a mild version) as the default and ordered the spicy one as an extra! Since it's a set, I assumed a mini portion would come out, but the owner must have a big heart, because it arrived in a giant stone pot! Both have their own charm, but if I had to choose one, the spicy one was tastier!

How big is the 2-person set at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim?

The 2-person set at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim is big enough for four people. When the braised short ribs for two finally arrived, I was like, wow, is this really for two? The portion is crazy big! We added octopus separately for ₩10,000.

You get 4 rib bones, but the number isn't the point: the bones are really big and loaded with meat! Enoki mushrooms, 2 abalone, shiitake, bok choy, green onion, rice cakes, kabocha squash, glass noodles... wow, it's packed with ingredients, and the portion and value are so good you'd lose out by skipping it!

Even from above it's crammed full. Does the owner even make a profit? Meat, mushrooms, abalone, vegetables... wow, I've never seen braised short ribs packed this full. There's not just one or two green onions but a whole bunch underneath, which gives the broth a deep flavor!

The owner prepares the meat for you

At Ojukheon Sogalbijjim, the owner handles the rib prep, so all we had to do was eat. No matter how much they cut, there was so much meat that they kept on cutting, haha. Thanks to that, we could eat the warm braised ribs right away without picking meat off the bones the whole time.

We added octopus too, which gave a deeper seafood aroma, and the octopus was the mini size!

Two whole abalone: remove the teeth before eating

The 2-person set at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim includes 2 pricey abalone. They're whole abalone, so please remove the teeth (the hard mouthpart) yourself before eating! There was no fishy smell at all, and simmered in the braising sauce they tasted even better! Abalone can be tough, but these chewed up tender. I think older folks would enjoy them too.

How tender are the ribs at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim?

The ribs at Ojukheon Sogalbijjim are tender enough that even people who have trouble chewing can eat them well. Even the bones we'd already stripped still had so much meat that we picked them up and gnawed on them! The amount of meat surprised me as I ate. And they were so soft I wondered if the meat was cooked in a pressure cooker. Braised short ribs are meant to be melt-in-your-mouth, but here they're even softer, so the seasoning soaks in well, and I think people who find chewing hard could eat them fine! If you love ribs, head to Ojukheon Sogalbijjim, the Gangmun Beach favorite!

The meat itself is so big that they cut it into chunky pieces, and each bite was full of juice with a soft texture, easy to eat without feeling heavy!

Eating octopus, meat and enoki mushrooms in one bite boosts the savory flavor even more: chewy octopus, tender meat and the textured enoki all blend together, making a meal that leaves your mouth and stomach full!

Free chilled acorn jelly noodle bowl for a Naver review

What I liked about Ojukheon Sogalbijjim

Tender braised short ribs in a big portion

• The ribs are big and have really lots of meat!
• Generous ingredients like mushrooms and abalone!
• They prepare the meat for you, so it's easy to eat!
• The price isn't a burden for such a generous portion!