Seongnam Korean restaurant with seafood sotbap: Morang Haemul

I had a meal with my parents at Morang Haemul Sotbap Jungja Station branch (모랑해물솥밥 정자역점) in Jeongja-dong. We ordered one abalone sotbap, one octopus-and-scallop sotbap, and one seafood sotbap to share. The restaurant was spacious and parking was convenient, making it comfortable for a family meal. Of the three, I liked the basic seafood sotbap best.

How do you get there from Jeongja Station, and what about parking?

The restaurant is on the second floor of Prugeo City 2, about a three-minute walk from Exit 5 of Jeongja Station. It was easy to spot as soon as I came up in the elevator.

There was a menu board at the entrance, so I could check the menu before going in.

I drove there and used the building’s underground parking lot.

When I paid after the meal, I registered my vehicle number and received three hours of free parking. It was convenient to have plenty of parking time while eating with my parents.

How do the weekday and weekend hours differ?

The hours listed in the original article are 11:00–21:30 on weekdays, 11:30–21:30 on Saturday, and 11:30–15:00 on Sunday. Sunday closing time was earlier than on the other days.

Was the seating comfortable for a meal with parents?

There were waiting seats by the entrance, and the interior was more spacious and comfortable than I expected.

There was plenty of space between the tables. There were also many seats farther inside that felt a little more private, so it was comfortable eating with my parents.

The ceiling was high, and there were quite a few group tables, so I felt it would also suit company dinners or gatherings. The original article says full-venue rentals and group events are available.

What were the prices and wait time for the three sotbap dishes?

The menu had a wide variety of sotbap set meals. With my parents, I chose the three sotbap dishes marked as best sellers.

• The abalone sotbap was ₩23,000.
• The octopus-and-scallop sotbap was ₩16,000.
• The seafood sotbap was ₩15,000.
• The three dishes together cost ₩54,000.

Because each dish is cooked after ordering, it took a little time for the food to arrive. We ordered around 17:06, and the first sotbap arrived around 17:24, so we waited about 18 minutes that day.

When I visited, the restaurant indicated that Seongnam Sarang gift certificates could also be used for payment.

How did the abalone, octopus-and-scallop, and seafood sotbap differ?

How were the rice and accompaniments with the abalone sotbap?

The first abalone sotbap included not only abalone but also several other kinds of seafood.

The rice was nicely fluffy, and the nurungji (crispy scorched rice) at the bottom had a pleasant nutty flavor.

A variety of side dishes came with it. I placed seafood on the rice and ate it with the side dishes one at a time.

What was the texture of the octopus-and-scallop sotbap?

The second dish was the octopus-and-scallop sotbap, which contained a generous amount of octopus and scallop.

It was seasoned to a certain degree, so it was fine to eat without any extra sauce. Of the three dishes, this had the clearest chewy seafood texture.

The combination of the octopus-and-scallop sotbap with crisp kimchi worked well.

Why did I like the seafood sotbap best?

The last dish was the seafood sotbap, which contained oysters, cuttlefish, scallops, and other seafood. After trying all three, I was most satisfied with the basic seafood sotbap because I could taste a variety of seafood in one dish.

Adding the onion soy sauce that came with it made the rice easier to mix.

After adding the onion soy sauce, it was also easier to scrape up the nurungji at the bottom. I finished the fluffy rice and nurungji, and if I visit again, I think I would choose the seafood sotbap again.