Seafood braise and fried rice in Sinseong-dong, Daejeon: Seommaeul

Seommaeul is a seafood braise specialist on the first floor of 1163 Yuseongdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. It's open 11:00 - 21:30, closed Sundays.

It's getting noticeably cooler in the mornings and evenings, and I've been craving warm food. Personally, I love braised dishes like haemuljjim (seafood braise) and agujjim (monkfish braise) — I've tried them all over the place. Let me share a review of Seommaeul, the seafood braise spot I've been visiting lately whenever I get that craving.

Parking at Seommaeul: a dedicated lot down the alley

This is Seommaeul's dedicated parking lot. There's also parking right in front of the restaurant, but it gets pretty crowded around lunchtime. If you go down the alley, there's a dedicated lot, so I'd recommend parking safely there before heading in to eat.

What Seommaeul looks like from the street

This is Seommaeul's exterior. They use the entire building, so you can also park right out front.

Inside Seommaeul: two dining rooms with tables for 4 and 8

The interior is really spacious. It's split into two halls from the entrance, so they can seat a lot of guests.

This place draws a mix of diners for lunch, including staff from nearby Chungnam National University, so there's a good spread of 4-person and 8-person tables.

Seommaeul menu and prices

There's a big lineup of spice-adjustable dishes: agujjim, agu-octopus braise, haemuljjim, abalone-octopus braise, nakji-bokkeum, abalone galbitang, and bone soup.

The 6 side dishes that come with every meal

After ordering, they bring out the basic banchan. You get steamed egg, stir-fried potato, and nicely fermented kkakdugi.

That's not all — gim-jaban, salad, and fish cake stir-fry come too, six side dishes total.

They set out cool dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) and wasabi soy sauce for each person at the table.

Small haemuljjim at Seommaeul: abalone, shrimp, blue crab, octopus and roe

While you're snacking on the banchan, the haemuljjim comes out piled high on the plate. The spice level is adjustable by default, so if you like it spicy, be sure to ask. We didn't say anything, so ours came out at the standard flavor.

They cut the big chunks of octopus into easy-to-eat pieces.

For the small size, there's a generous chunk of abalone, in-season shrimp that's grown even bigger, plus plump crab and octopus — it's fun picking through everything.

On top of that, there's monkfish roe, fish roe, and crunchy bean sprouts packed in — dipped in the wasabi soy sauce, it's seriously, seriously good. The seafood itself is fresh, and they don't skimp on ingredients, so eating it feels like being treated to something special.

Why the fried rice is a must: stirred right in the plate, crispy bits and all

While enjoying the beautifully made haemuljjim, you absolutely have to order the fried rice. They take the plate as-is and carefully fry the rice in it — genuinely delicious.

They top it with sesame oil and gim (seaweed flakes) for extra aroma, and there's the added fun of scraping up the crispy rice bits stuck to the plate — a really satisfying finish.

Homemade sikhye to finish

After the meal, be sure to try the homemade, mom's-recipe sikhye (sweet rice punch) set out near the entrance. It's not artificially sweet — one cup isn't enough, it's that good. After eating something spicy, the sweet sikhye really settles your stomach, so don't forget to have some.

Review discounts at Seommaeul

On this visit, they were running a receipt review event. Writing a photo review on Naver gets you ₩2,000 off. And on Danggeun Market, following them as a regular and leaving a review also gets you ₩2,000 off — don't forget to leave a review.

Final verdict on Seommaeul

Seommaeul is a great seafood braise spot in Sinseong-dong to visit when the cold wind picks up and you're craving something spicy and warm. The spice level is adjustable, so you can enjoy anything from mild to very spicy depending on your taste. Order the haemuljjim and they pile the plate high with fresh seafood and vegetables, making it fun to pick through. Add the fried rice and you've got a solid, filling meal.

After the meal, the homemade sikhye soothes your fiery stomach, and leaving a Naver receipt review or Danggeun Market review gets you a discount too — Seommaeul is well worth a visit.