Mullae, Seoul seafood shabu restaurant with a chuhai cocktail: Palmi

Today's place is Palmi Jogae Kalguksu (팔미 조개칼국수), a shabu kalguksu spot in Mullae. I really love shabu-shabu, but I've only ever had the meat-broth kind and never once tried clam shabu (shockingly true..). A new shabu place opened in Mullae and I was curious what seafood shabu would be like, so I went straight away.

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu location, hours and parking

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu is at 1 Dorim-ro 147-gil, 1st floor, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 10:30 to 22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 16:30. There's no parking, so I'd recommend a public parking lot nearby.

I ordered the clam shabu kalguksu dinner for 2 at ₩37,800.

Getting there from Mullae Station and the atmosphere

The restaurant is about a 10-minute walk from Exit 1 of Mullae Station.

The interior has a traditional feel and a calm mood. There are also private rooms, so it looks great for group or family gatherings.

Menu and happy hour discount

If you visit during happy hour, you get 10% off. The menu also explains how to eat the clam kalguksu best, so just follow along!

Here's the basic table setting.

Welcome drink: blue pine chuhai cocktail

The welcome cocktail was made with a blue pine chuhai (a soju-based highball) base. The color is pretty and it's sweet, which was perfect for whetting the appetite before the meal.

What comes in the clam shabu kalguksu dinner for 2?

Our order arrived.

The clam shabu kalguksu is Palmi's signature: seasonal clams from all over the country, vegetables and meat on one platter. They bring out a generous spread like this. Does the owner even make a profit..?

The vegetables are water dropwort, bean sprouts and bok choy, and everything looked fresh. They say the clams are gathered by hand at low tide in the West and South Seas, so you can eat them with peace of mind.

The best order for eating clam shabu kalguksu

Once the broth starts boiling, follow the menu and add the mussels and bok choy first to bring out a clean, cool-tasting broth.

Then add the bean sprouts and mushrooms right away, and once they steep, the broth is more or less done.

Beef brisket and pork neck go with the soy sauce

Now it's time for the meat: flash-frozen, fresh beef brisket and pork neck. If you pull it out as soon as it's barely cooked, it stays more tender.

I dipped mine in the soy sauce. Compared to the chili sauce, soy seems to bring out the natural flavor of the meat better.

Clams when they open, abalone while still alive

Add the clams too! They open as they boil, and that's the best moment to eat them.

The clams were perfectly purged of grit. There was no unpleasant crunch at all. And above all, the clam meat is insane... fresh goes without saying, chewy yet tender, and it's no exaggeration to say it melted the second it hit my mouth.

When I picked up the abalone with tongs to put it in, it was alive. (I can't even imagine how fresh that is.) The abalone was super fresh too 👍 The longer the broth boils, the richer it gets, and the flavor is crazy..

Kalguksu in clam broth and the dinner-only abalone innards porridge

The noodles are chewy, and eaten in the clam broth they were better than most seafood kalguksu places 😊

The abalone innards porridge is only included when you order the dinner set.

Pour in the ingredients, stir gently and keep boiling until it turns into porridge. After a while it thickens and the porridge is done. Even with the innards in it, it wasn't fishy at all, just nutty with a salty savoriness. I recommend ordering the shabu kalguksu as the dinner set and finishing with the porridge!

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu in a nutshell

• Shabu kalguksu with a cool broth, thanks to fresh clams
• A generous spread, so it's good for group gatherings too
• You can get 10% off during happy hour

It felt like enjoying a seafood course at a fancy restaurant. It seems like an easy, comfortable choice for dates and group meals. I paid for this meal myself... actually, no, see the note below, but I plan to come back. If you're looking for a good shabu kalguksu place in Mullae, I recommend Palmi Jogae Kalguksu~