Wrapping spicy pollock in Wando laver at Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho

I went with my husband in the evening to Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch, a Korean restaurant in Dosan-dong that we love for its braised pollock. I'd been once before, so I walked in feeling right at home — I'd been craving that spicy braised pollock with rice again after a while.

It's easy to find, tucked among a cluster of restaurants behind the Gasuwon CGV in Dosan-dong.

Parking right next door

We drove, and there's a dedicated lot right beside the restaurant, so we parked immediately.

If the lot is full, you can use LNS Parking instead — each table gets one hour free for one vehicle.

A familiar sign came into view

The exterior of Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch has a clean white sign.

Inside, it's done in white and wood tones,

with plants adding to the cozy atmosphere. There were plenty of tables and the seating spacing was reasonable.

There's also a group seating area that isn't a private room but feels set apart.

Aprons and baby chairs are on hand,

and there's a restroom inside the restaurant, handy during the meal.

Time to pick a menu

Looking at the menu, there was spicy braised pollock, pork belly braised pollock, seed hotteok (sweet pancake) nurungji, freshwater shrimp pollock stew, grilled mackerel, pork cutlet, and more.

On weekday lunches, there's a lunch special: spicy braised pollock for ₩12,000 per person.

I was also curious about the seed hotteok nurungji — apparently launched nationwide for the first time in July 2024 — but I decided to save that for next time. We ordered the spicy braised pollock in a small size. You can also adjust the spice level to your liking.

The table filled up fast

We didn't wait long after ordering. The tasty side dishes came out one by one, and the braised pollock followed quickly, so the table filled up in no time.

Seaweed, stir-fried potatoes, sireogi,

Wando laver, diced radish kimchi, soy-marinated cheongyang chili,

and even soybean sprout soup — a whole spread of side dishes to go with the braised pollock.

I started with the pollock meat

The spicy braised pollock looked deeply coated in sauce, so I pulled off a piece of pollock meat first.

Eating it plain, without anything else, I could tell the seasoning wasn't just on the surface — it had soaked all the way into the pollock.

A spoonful of rice alongside it confirmed the combination worked perfectly.

You have to wrap it in the rock laver

That Wando dolgim (rock laver) from Jeollanam-do was a magic ingredient.

I laid pollock meat on the laver,

dipped a bit of soybean sprouts or sireogi lightly in the sauce and added them on top, then finished with a cheongyang chili before wrapping it all up.

One bite in, the spicy sauce of the braised pollock mixed with the sireogi and cheongyang chili, plus the aroma of the laver, and I just kept going back to that combination.

I also tried adding the cheongyang chili and seaweed that had been braised together with the pollock — those were a nice treat too.

I loved the combination of laver, braised pollock and rice so much that I kept reaching for more laver.

When it gets spicy, a spoonful of soybean sprout soup

Piling spicy braised pollock with sireogi and cheongyang chili onto rice and eating fast can make your mouth burn. When that happened, I cooled down with the soybean sprout soup.

If you run low on side dishes, you can grab more from the self-serve bar,

and the nurungji (scorched rice) is also self-serve. The laver and sireogi, though, aren't at the self-serve bar — staff bring them if you ask.

When I'm looking for a Korean restaurant in Dosan-dong, I tend to like dishes that pair well with rice, and this time, with the braised pollock and laver together, I just kept eating rice. We finished the meal deciding to try the seed hotteok nurungji I'd been curious about next time.

Visit info for this Dosan-dong Korean restaurant

• Name: Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch
• Address: 1732 Dosan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Closed: Every Thursday
• Event: There's currently a receipt review event running, and also one gifting seed hotteok nurungji to pregnant customers — worth noting if that applies to you.
• Parking: Dedicated lot right next to the restaurant; at LNS Parking, 1 hour free per table with one vehicle

Recommended for

• Anyone looking for a Korean restaurant in Dosan-dong, Daejeon
• Anyone who loves wrapping spicy braised pollock in rock laver
• Anyone who wants Korean food with a variety of side dishes