Spicy pork set and stone-pot rice tea for baby in Jecheon: Deulbabae

When we stayed at Forest Resom in Jecheon, the thing I worried about most was meals. Traveling with a child, even driving far is a burden, but Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch (들밥애 포레스트리솜점) is inside the resort, so getting there was easy. Neat Korean set meals, warm stone-pot rice and lots of side dishes made it a great fit for a family meal. If you need a hearty meal after the water park, this is a Jecheon Forest Resom restaurant that parents and kids can both enjoy.

Why Deulbabae for a meal with a child at Forest Resom?

Deulbabae is inside Forest Resom, so you just take the elevator, and since it's Korean food, kids and adults can eat together. After the water park, kids and adults get hungry fast, and when you're traveling with a child, a restaurant right in the resort is far easier than driving somewhere far.

It suited us when we wanted a filling, neat meal rather than something heavily seasoned. With warm stone-pot rice and a spread of side dishes, it felt like a proper meal on a trip. It's a good Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant in Jecheon for families with kids, families traveling with parents, and anyone looking for a meal after the spa.

What kind of Korean restaurant is Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch?

Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch is a Korean restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Forest Club inside Forest Resom. Because it's in the resort, it's easy for hotel guests and spa visitors to reach, and we could go without stress even when the weather was bad or our child was tired.

Its biggest strength is the Korean set table. Along with the main dish you get plenty of neatly arranged side dishes and warm stone-pot rice. When eating out on a trip, there are often heavily seasoned dishes, or Western and Japanese food that's pricey but disappointing in quality. Deulbabae felt like a neat, full spread, which I liked.

Atmosphere and child-friendly facilities

The inside was spacious and clean, and high chairs and children's tableware were available, which made it convenient with a small child. Many of the guests were families, and plenty of tables had kids at them.

I could see why families with parents or children on trips come here so often. The atmosphere suits anyone who wants a hearty meal.

Three features of Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch

The biggest feature is being able to eat Korean food comfortably inside Forest Resom. Travel time is short, and it's easy to go back to your room or the spa afterwards.

The second is the variety of side dishes. Because it comes as a full set, you can eat a little of each, and kids and adults can each pick what suits them.

The third is the stone-pot rice. You eat the warm rice and finish with nurungji (scorched rice tea), which made the meal end satisfyingly. Eating it hungry after the water park made it feel even more filling.

Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch: location, parking and hours

• Location: 365 Geumbong-ro, Baegun-myeon, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea (Forest Resom Forest Club, 3rd floor)
• Navigation: search "들밥애 포레스트리솜점"
• Parking: use the Forest Resom hotel parking
• Hours: 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 20:00
• Open without a break on weekends and public holidays

How was the seasoned spicy pork set?

I ordered the seasoned spicy pork set (yangnyeom jeyuk bapsang) at Deulbabae. It came with the main dish, a variety of side dishes and stone-pot rice, and was plenty filling as a meal. The side dishes were overall not heavily seasoned and felt neat and clean.

On a trip, a menu the child can eat too matters, and with so many Korean side dishes there were plenty of options for both adults and kids. The stone-pot rice came out warm, so the rice itself was very satisfying. You scoop the rice out, pour in water and finish with nurungji, so it stays filling to the very end.

Cheonggukjang spice level and soy vs. seasoned pork

A heads-up: Deulbabae's cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) is on the spicy side, so it may be slightly hot for a baby who can't eat spicy food. The pork comes in two versions, soy and seasoned, and if mostly adults are eating, the seasoned one is much better than the soy.

A tip for feeding a baby with stone-pot rice nurungji

At Deulbabae I recommend scooping the stone-pot rice out first, then pouring in water to make nurungji. It forms naturally while you eat, so it's nice and warm for finishing the meal.

And if you have one baby like our family, feed the rice separately, and when the baby gets tired of it, switch to the warmed nurungji. That was a good trick for getting the baby to eat well.

• Eating the side dishes a little at a time with the main dish gave a nice balance of flavors.
• Since many side dishes come out, it's better to taste a bit of everything than to eat a lot of just one.
• If you come with a child, set aside the side dishes and rice the child can eat first, and the meal is much easier.
• After the water park, warm rice and the soup-like nurungji may feel even more satisfying.

Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch menu

The menu centers on Korean set meals, with Korean dishes like soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang), barley-fed dried yellow corvina (boriguleobi), grilled mackerel and stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum) listed, so you can choose to suit each family member's taste. On a trip, a complicated menu can be tiring, but with a Korean-focused menu it was easy to think about both parents and the child.

Pros and cons

Pros of Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch

• It's inside Forest Resom, so getting there was easy.
• A Korean set table suits a family meal.
• Many side dishes come together, so you can eat a bit of everything.
• You get stone-pot rice and nurungji, which was filling.
• High chairs and children's tableware made it easy to visit with a child.

Cons

On weekends or in peak season, there are many guests, so waits can be long and the food may take a little while too. As a restaurant inside a resort, the prices may feel a bit higher than outside restaurants.

But considering the convenience, being able to eat right inside the resort and the child-friendly atmosphere, and given that there's no other place within 10 minutes that guarantees this quality and taste, I thought that once you count time and transport costs, the difference wouldn't be big.

Who I recommend it to

• Anyone looking for a good restaurant at Jecheon Forest Resom
• Guests staying at Forest Resom looking for a place to eat
• Anyone looking for a Korean restaurant good to visit with a child
• Anyone traveling in Jecheon with parents
• Anyone who wants a hearty meal inside the resort after the water park
• Anyone looking for a Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant in Jecheon
• Anyone who likes stone-pot rice and nurungji

Overall verdict on Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch

If you're staying at Forest Resom or using the spa, Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch is an easy, comfortable restaurant to use. It's inside the resort so there's little travel burden, and it was easy with a child. With a Korean set with many side dishes, warm stone-pot rice and nurungji at the end, it was a tasty, filling and satisfying meal.

The prices may feel a little higher than outside restaurants, but considering the access in the resort and the convenience for a family meal, I felt the prices were quite comparable. If you're looking for a restaurant at Jecheon Forest Resom or a Jecheon Korean set-meal place, Deulbabae Forest Resom Branch is worth a visit.