Cheongju pot rice dinner near MMCA: abalone butter, Sorori Sotbap

Today I visited Sorori, a favorite food spot at the Culture Factory! Here comes my honest review.

Where is Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch, and what are its hours?

Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch (소로리솥밥 문화제조창직영점) is right next to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju, on the first floor of the Culture Factory main building, in the row of restaurants. It is open daily 11:00-20:30 (last order 20:00), with a break time of 15:00-17:00.

The Seongan-gil Sorori is the main branch! The Culture Factory branch is the next directly run branch they opened. On days I see an exhibition at the museum, I often have lunch at the Culture Factory, and I've visited Sorori a lot.

Every menu item can be taken out, and although it opens at 11:00, you can apparently go in from 10:50. The Cheongju City Hall temporary building is nearby, so I imagine it gets very crowded at weekday lunchtime.

Sorori Sotbap interior and seating at the Culture Factory

The inside is much bigger than it looks from outside. I think there were about twenty four-person tables.

You can see the lawn outside, so a window seat would be lovely. They often hold events there too, so you could watch while eating lunch!

What's on the Sorori Sotbap pot rice menu?

I came thinking "let's try the mackerel pot rice today!" but it was sold out, which was such a shame T_T I'd heard the mackerel pot rice is good too... My personal favorite, the short rib pot rice, has a flavor anyone of any age would like, so I recommend it. The crab pot rice also comes with the innards, so it seems like it would taste like crab-shell bibimbap (rice mixed in the crab shell). I'm going to try that next time!

There's abalone pot rice mixed with abalone innards, and hanwoo (Korean beef) intestine pot rice topped with seasoned intestines, onion, wasabi and more! This one is also truly, really delicious. The freshwater eel pot rice is good when you want to restore your strength! The pollock roe pot rice and cockle pot rice, easy to eat lightly, seem like good choices too.

And of course there's buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll)! My favorite is the salmon buckwheat gimbap. It tastes so much better with salmon in it.

They even have draft beer and non-alcoholic beer..!!!! Such a thoughtful touch, haha. I wanted a beer, but I'd brought my car so I held back T_T I love a drink, and driving always does this to me..

What we ordered for two, with prices

The two of us ordered the following at Sorori Sotbap today!

• Abalone butter pot rice ₩16,000
• Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap ₩13,000
• Coca-Cola Zero ₩2,000

The side dishes came out first,

and for the anchovy broth and extra side dishes, you use the self-serve bar!

I really like that Sorori doesn't take long to bring the food out. Here's our spread, which came out quickly~!

How to eat Sorori's abalone butter pot rice

Sorori's abalone butter pot rice comes with 3 abalone, rich gaeu sauce (abalone innards), butter and crispy tempura crumbs on top. The abalone is nicely prepared, and you cut it into pieces with the scissors they provide, then mix everything together.

What a lovely color.. haha. It feels like eating abalone porridge as pot rice?

First bite! The richness of the abalone innards and the chewy texture of the abalone filled my mouth. This one even shook my loyalty, since I always insisted on the short rib pot rice.. haha. It really tasted like abalone porridge eaten as pot rice! The nutty richness is the same, but the rice grains are a bit more alive, and there's also nurungji (scorched rice), so it was much tastier.

Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap with pickled ginger and wasabi soy sauce

With the salmon buckwheat gimbap that came alongside, you absolutely must put a piece of pickled ginger on each bite!! It tastes so much better that way! It's also surprisingly filling, and you get full really fast..!!

Takeout is available too, and maybe because I visited in the evening, a lot of people were taking away just the buckwheat gimbap. It seems like a really healthy and nice dinner.

Put soy sauce into the wasabi they give you and dip the gimbap in the wasabi soy sauce! It's really delicious, haha.

Abalone butter pot rice with furikake: is it better?

I sprinkled a little furikake (rice seasoning) on the abalone butter pot rice, and it became much nuttier and tastier! I'm fairly sure it didn't go with the short rib pot rice.. so I guess it depends on the type of pot rice whether it works or not. I highly recommend sprinkling furikake on the abalone pot rice!!

Why Sorori Sotbap is a good meal near MMCA Cheongju

Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch is close to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju, so it's a good stop as part of a Cheongju trip or museum outing. The restaurant is spacious and the food came out faster than I expected, so we could eat comfortably without waiting.

Pot rice is filling yet delicious, so I think everyone from grandparents to kids would like it, and on days you want something lighter, you can choose the salmon buckwheat gimbap, which could suit people on a diet too. It's good for a date and an easy family meal, so if you come to Cheongju and stop by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, this is a place I'd recommend for a meal! Especially if you want to enjoy delicious pot rice in a neat way, give Sorori a visit 🤎