Gangneung Korean restaurant for mulhoe: Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap

A relaxed Gangneung Korean restaurant in Pungho Village

Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap, in the quiet Pungho Village rather than Gangneung's busy, wait-heavy tourist center, welcomes you with its homey interior as soon as you walk in. The space itself is roomy, so tourists and group diners alike can come in comfortably for a meal. More than anything, what made me feel this really was a great Gangneung restaurant was seeing village elders gathered for a meal. Another group of guests arrived soon after, too.

It has also been featured as a Jeongdongjin restaurant on KBS and SBS broadcasts, which made me look forward to the food even more.

Complimentary lotus leaf tea before the meal

Complimentary lotus leaf tea is served, and I heard lotus leaves are said to have various benefits, including dementia prevention, antioxidant effects, breaking down body fat, relieving constipation and hangovers, and improving circulation.

The body-fat-breaking-down benefit especially appealed to me, so I enjoyed a warm cup before the meal.

Cockle bibimbap and assorted mulhoe set

We ordered the 4-person cockle bibimbap and assorted mulhoe set. It comes with a large cockle bibimbap (mixed rice) and mulhoe (chilled raw fish soup) for two.

The large cockle bibimbap comes with plenty of cockles. For reference, even people who can't handle spicy food (me...) can enjoy it, so there's no need to worry.

A spoonful of the cockle bibimbap was savory and delicious. I heard it is made with a special secret sauce, and it was the kind of flavor that made me so curious about what that secret might be.

And wrapped in the seaweed or perilla leaf served alongside it, it was a combination that needed no further words.

Side dishes made with ingredients they grow themselves

By this point, you may be wondering about the side dishes. I heard they are handmade with ingredients the restaurant grows itself. The owner, who holds both Korean and Western cooking certifications, prepares the food as though it were for their own family, and different seasonal side dishes are served regularly. Maybe because so much care goes into them, even the side dishes were delicious.

Refreshing mulhoe filled with a variety of seafood

The mulhoe contains an even mix of different kinds of sashimi, including flounder, mullet, sea squirt, abalone, and seasonal fish. The broth was refreshing, and the seafood was fresh, too.

There was such a varied and generous amount of seafood that I wondered, “Will they even make a profit??” It made the mulhoe worthwhile right through to the last bite.

Add the somyeon (thin wheat noodles), and the mulhoe alone is filling. And the broth is the key to mulhoe, isn't it? It was tangy and refreshing, so it went down so easily. My grandmother, who usually has a small appetite, had three bowls of broth. I officially recognize this as a great Gangneung mulhoe spot!!

Disposable aprons are available separately, since mulhoe can splash onto your clothes while you're eating.

An easy stop after the Jeongdongjin Rail Bike

Maybe because I tend to seek out quieter trips, this meal at Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap—with no wait and ample parking—felt a little special. We enjoyed both the cockle bibimbap and assorted mulhoe so much that I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone looking for a local-favorite cockle bibimbap restaurant in Gangneung. We came here after riding the Jeongdongjin Rail Bike, and at 15 minutes from Jeongdongjin, it was the perfect route.

• 13 minutes from Gangneung Station
• 11 minutes from Gangneung Jungang Market
• 5 minutes from Maple Beach

Hot spots are great too, but I recommend driving through a quiet Gangneung village and enjoying an unhurried, delicious meal at Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap.