Weekday barley rice with my brother in Sintanjin: Baengnyeon Boribap

Today I want to recommend a Korean restaurant in Sintanjin. I went with my younger brother for barley rice, a Korean dish the whole family loves. It was a healthy meal with plenty of side dishes too, so here is my review of Baengnyeon Boribap (백년보리밥) in Sintanjin.

What is the atmosphere like at Baengnyeon Boribap in Sintanjin?

Baengnyeon Boribap is a barley rice restaurant at 358 Sintanjin-ro, 1st floor, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, with a spacious interior of table and sofa seats. The banner outside advertises the unlimited self-bar, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) barley rice, grilled mackerel and spicy stir-fried pork.

You can spot Baengnyeon Boribap from far away. The banner lists the unlimited self-bar, cheonggukjang barley rice, grilled mackerel and spicy pork, so my expectations were high.

There are waiting seats just inside the entrance. Customers kept coming in even on a weekday, so I imagine it gets much busier on weekends.

Inside there are both table and sofa seats, and the place feels clean and roomy. With so many seats, it seemed like a great family restaurant in Sintanjin, good for family meals or bringing your parents.

One wall displays the restaurant's operating philosophy. The staff were all friendly too, so the whole visit, from ordering to finishing the meal, was pleasant.

How to order at Baengnyeon Boribap, and what I picked with my brother

You order and pay in one go at a kiosk. I ordered one aged-kimchi cheonggukjang barley rice with mackerel set and one aged-kimchi cheonggukjang barley rice with spicy pork set. I wanted to share the mackerel and the pork with my brother, so I chose this way.

What side dishes are at the Baengnyeon Boribap self-bar?

The self-bar had dallae sprouts (wild vine shoots), seasoned soybean sprouts, stir-fried zucchini, seasoned radish, young radish kimchi, jangjorim (soy-braised beef), stir-fried mushrooms, stir-fried eggplant, acorn jelly, salad and ssam vegetables. You can also help yourself to more white rice and barley rice.

One of the biggest strengths of Baengnyeon Boribap, a well-known Sintanjin family restaurant, is the self-bar. When I went over, the side dishes that go well mixed into barley rice were neatly laid out.

Dallae sprouts and seasoned soybean sprouts

Stir-fried zucchini and seasoned radish

Young radish kimchi and jangjorim

Stir-fried mushrooms and stir-fried eggplant

Acorn jelly, salad and ssam vegetables

I liked that there is a wide variety, so you can pick whatever suits your taste. White rice and barley rice are on the self-bar too, so if you run short you can freely grab more. You can take only as much as you will eat, and you don't have to worry about the staff watching, so the meal felt more relaxed.

How do the aged-kimchi cheonggukjang barley rice and mackerel and spicy pork sets taste?

The basic barley rice comes topped with an egg, and cheonggukjang is served according to the number of people. The grilled mackerel was mild with just the right amount of oil drained off, and the spicy pork had a subtle char flavor.

Even the basic barley rice looks really appetizing. It comes with an egg on top, and cheonggukjang is served according to the number of people.

I loaded up on side dishes from the self-bar to mix in, and the various namul (seasoned vegetables) went really well with the barley rice.

The grilled mackerel and spicy pork I ordered came out together. From the first bite, the mackerel was mild, with just the right amount of oil drained off. It wasn't salty and tasted clean, so it went well with barley rice. The spicy pork had a subtle char flavor and the seasoning had soaked in nicely, perfect with rice. Eating it with barley rice made it even better.

Mixing bibim barley rice with gochujang and sesame oil

Every table has gochujang and sesame oil, so you can mix to your own taste. I piled in the side dishes, added gochujang and sesame oil, and as I mixed it all together, a nutty aroma started to spread.

I had a spoonful of the mixed barley rice, then added spicy pork, then wrapped it in ssam vegetables, then ate it with mackerel. Being able to enjoy so many combinations made it even more satisfying.

The combination of mild mackerel and barley rice in particular is a healthy flavor I think parents would really like.

What dessert does Baengnyeon Boribap offer?

After the meal, Baengnyeon Boribap offers coffee, misutgaru and snacks as dessert.

Baengnyeon Boribap even has dessert ready after the meal. There was coffee and misutgaru, plus some snacks for a light treat. I took my dessert to the car and finished the meal in a relaxed way there.

Overall verdict on Baengnyeon Boribap in Sintanjin

Baengnyeon Boribap in Sintanjin is a place to enjoy a generous, healthy Korean meal. You can freely take a variety of namul from the self-bar, and with grilled mackerel and spicy pork added to cheonggukjang barley rice, it made a hearty meal. With its roomy interior, comfortable seating and friendly service, I recommend it as a Korean restaurant in Sintanjin for family meals and for visiting with your parents. If you are looking for a barley rice or Korean restaurant in Sintanjin, give Baengnyeon Boribap a visit :)