Seongsan, Jeju restaurant with sea urchin seaweed soup: Jejurowoon

One dish I absolutely wanted to eat on this Jeju trip was braised hairtail (galchi-jorim). You can't come all the way to Jeju and skip fresh hairtail, right?

After a lot of searching, I found Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon. Cutting to the chase, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying meals of our whole Jeju trip. If you're looking for a Seongsan restaurant famous for braised hairtail, I really want to recommend this place, so let me go into detail.

What comes in the ₩24,000 A set at Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon?

We ordered the A set (₩24,000 per person, minimum order of 2). It comes packed with braised hairtail, grilled tilefish, glutinous stone pot rice, soy crab, and your choice of seafood stew or sea urchin seaweed soup. We visited with our 4-year-old, Kongkong, so we chose the sea urchin seaweed soup — and that choice turned out to be a stroke of genius.

The sea urchin seaweed soup a 4-year-old poured over rice

What stuck with me most that day at Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon was the sea urchin seaweed soup. Kongkong hadn't been feeling well that day — she hadn't eaten anything all day, and as parents we were really worried. But the moment we walked into the restaurant and she caught the smell of the food, she suddenly said,

Pour the soup over my rice!

I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear that...

Watching her eat the sea urchin seaweed soup and rice so happily, I got a little choked up. Seeing my niece sick during the trip had been upsetting, so watching her eat this well made me really glad we'd come to this restaurant. For that moment, at least, we could forget our worries.

Every side dish at Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon, one by one

As soon as the food arrived, the table was packed full. Soy crab, kimchi, seaweed stem, stir-fried fish cake, corn salad, pickles — a wide variety of basic side dishes came out. Best of all, none of them felt like an afterthought! They weren't just salty; the seasoning was just right for eating with rice, so I kept reaching for more. Even though my family doesn't have a big appetite,

I'm so full...

we kept saying, while our chopsticks kept moving. Everyone saying they were full while still eating was so funny, we laughed about it for a while, haha. I guess that's proof of how good the food was.

Why the braised hairtail (galchi-jorim) is the signature dish

Finally, the braised hairtail I'd been waiting for. One bite and I immediately understood why it's famous as the Seongsan restaurant for galchi-jorim. The hairtail was so moist it flaked apart with just a light touch of the chopsticks, and it had this melt-in-your-mouth texture that was wonderful. There was no fishy taste at all — the clean, natural flavor of the fish was fully intact. The sauce was really impressive too.

It wasn't just spicy — the umami and depth of flavor blended together perfectly and soaked right into the fish. It was delicious mixed into rice, and delicious with a piece of hairtail on top — I nodded along, understanding exactly why Jeju's braised hairtail is so famous. And just as impressive as the fish itself was the radish. After soaking up the sauce for so long, it cut apart with just a light press of the chopsticks, and the seasoning had soaked all the way through — I honestly thought it might have been even tastier than the hairtail.

The sweetness of the radish and the spicy, savory sauce were a fantastic combination, so I savored it until the very end. If you're looking for a Seongsan restaurant famous for braised hairtail, I think this dish alone is reason enough to visit.

The surprise star: soy crab, ₩40,000 per container

The soy crab that came with the set exceeded expectations too. It wasn't fishy and wasn't too salty — a perfect example of the 'rice thief' reputation soy crab has. As we ate, the conversation naturally turned to,

Should we order more?

haha. But with so many side dishes already and a generous portion of braised hairtail, we ended up giving up on that. I noticed the restaurant sells a whole container of soy crab for ₩40,000. If the weather had been a little less hot, I would have bought one to bring home — such a shame. Luckily, they also do delivery orders, so I'm considering ordering some once we're back home. That's how memorable the flavor was.

Why Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon works for a meal in Seongsan with kids

There were dishes a child could eat, a wide variety of side dishes, and the braised hairtail wasn't too intense in flavor, making this a restaurant the whole family could enjoy. Above all, thanks to Kongkong — who had been sick during the trip — polishing off a whole bowl of rice, this restaurant became an especially memorable one for our family. If you're looking for delicious braised hairtail on your Jeju trip, Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon seems like a choice you won't regret. Delicious braised hairtail, plentiful side dishes, and warm sea urchin seaweed soup — everything about this meal was satisfying. Next time we're in Seongsan, we won't hesitate to come back.

Final verdict on Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon in Seongsan

• Parking available in front and behind the restaurant (front lot recommended)
• Satisfying A set composition and value for money
• The hairtail is genuinely tender with deeply infused seasoning
• Even the radish in the braised hairtail is delicious
• Every single side dish was good quality
• The soy crab was good enough to want to buy separately
• The sea urchin seaweed soup is great to share with a child
• A good Seongsan restaurant to visit with kids