Magok Korean restaurant open on Chuseok day, free egg roll: Mikodam

Mikodam in Magok: a Korean set-menu restaurant to pair with Seoul Botanic Park

Last weekend's Seoul trip took us to Magok. It's close to Seoul Botanic Park and the Mercure Seoul Magok, so it's a good place to pair with a day out.

Mikodam's name means "a bowl holding seaweed soup and cockles" — and true to that, it's a Korean set-menu restaurant known for its seaweed soup and cockles.

There's private room space too, so it looks great for reserving a family gathering or small get-together. It opened this April, so it's clean, has a nice atmosphere, and really feels like going out to eat.

What comes with the 46,000 won Mikodam set for two?

There are à la carte items too, but we ordered the Korean set for two.

Seaweed soup, cockle bibim, grilled Norwegian mackerel, and various sides came out — a generous spread. ₩46,000 for two people is a decent price. That's ₩23,000 per person, which is really good value.

The beef jeon (pan-fried beef) that comes with it tastes great too.

Wando seaweed soup, ordered with flounder

Mikodam says it uses seaweed from Wando, described as "holding the sea sunlight." Seaweed from the three regions of Geumil-eup, Geumdang-myeon, and Saengil-myeon is said to have the most distinctive, deep flavor, and they only use seaweed grown and harvested at designated farms in those three regions through the Wando Cheotmaeul Cooperative. You can also pick the protein that goes in — we chose flounder. It wasn't fishy at all and was quite good.

Cockle bibim made with Beolgyo and Yeosu cockles

The cockles apparently come from the clean mudflats spanning Beolgyo and Yeosu, known as "real mudflats." The meat was plump and delicious. Mikodam sources them through a year-round contract and selects only cockles under two years old, giving them tender texture and deep flavor.

Grilled Norwegian mackerel with Sindongjin rice

The Norwegian mackerel served alongside was thick, meaty, and not fishy at all — really good. Mikodam's rice is also delicious. It's called Sindongjin rice, with plump, large grains and a glossy shine. The sides that come with it — pork stir-fry, japchae, jellyfish salad, vegetables — were all tasty too, so the rice disappeared fast.

The free egg roll from Mikodam's receipt review event

They were running a receipt review event, so we took part. We got an egg roll as our reward.

The egg roll comes out generously sized. Definitely worth taking part to try it.

Dessert at Mikodam: sikhye, plum tea and rice-cooker popped corn

After the meal there's sikhye (sweet rice drink), plum tea, and popped corn that you can help yourself to for dessert.

The popped corn is kept warm in a rice cooker, so maybe that's why it tasted savory and sweet like it was just freshly popped. We were already stuffed from the full Korean meal, but the popped corn kept going into our mouths anyway — we ate it enthusiastically.

We ate until we were stuffed, then ate some more, and apparently our stomachs still hadn't settled by that evening.

Parking at Mikodam is free when you eat there

Before heading to Mikodam, we couldn't find parking in Apgujeong and drove around for over an hour. We had originally planned to go to Eulji Darak Dosan branch, but the parking lot recommended right in front of it charged ₩12,000 an hour, which was so annoying we just left. At Mikodam, though, the parking lot is free if you eat there — ugh, in the best way. It's right in the building, spacious, and really convenient.

Birthday visits get a large beef jeon free

On your birthday, if you reserve in advance for 4 or more people and order a menu for 4 or more, they'll give you a large-size beef jeon for free. It's valid within a week before or after your birthday, so it seems like a great spot for a birthday gathering. Just make sure to bring your ID!

Open as usual on Chuseok: an easy family meal with parents

Next time, I want to try the galbi restaurant right next door. Given how well-presented the Korean food here was, the galbi place is probably good too. I really should take my parents there sometime. I heard Mikodam is operating normally during this Chuseok holiday. If you're out with your parents or grandparents and looking for a good restaurant nearby, I'd recommend giving Mikodam in Magok a try.

Address: 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (Deungchon-dong 672) Hours: 11:00–22:00