Bongdam bori-gulbi set with namul side bar in late pregnancy: Hwadamga

Why Hwadamga for a late-pregnancy meal out?

🐟 Trying to eat a healthy meal now that I'm in late pregnancy..!

Now that I'm in the last stretch of pregnancy, digestion has honestly been rough ㅠㅠ I don't even crave meat that much, but whenever I eat it, I feel bloated and it takes forever to digest. So that day I really wanted to properly eat some banchan (side dishes) and fish.

That's how I ended up at Hwadamga, known as a grilled fish spot in Bongdam! I could get grilled fish plus a variety of banchan, which seemed like a solid choice for a pregnancy meal out haha.

Sunday evening wait and parking at Hwadamga

We visited around 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and even at that hour the place was nearly full?! Being the weekend, there were quite a lot of guests, and apparently there can be a wait during peak times.

Still, parking was plentiful, so it was fine to drive there! If you're looking for a Bongdam grilled fish spot, I'd suggest visiting a little earlier rather than weekend evenings. Luckily, we got seated right away haha.

What we ordered at Hwadamga and what it cost

💰 What we ordered

• Bori-gulbi (dried yellow croaker) set ₩27,000
• Wood-fired pork set ₩16,000
• Suhyangmi hotpot rice add-on ₩2,000

That's what we ordered!

When you order a set meal, all the side dishes are self-serve. There were more varieties than I expected, so it was actually kind of fun picking them out one by one haha.

What's on the self-serve namul side dish bar

The banchan on offer included radish salad, seasoned bean sprouts, stir-fried seaweed stem, stir-fried eggplant, spicy anchovies with chili, seasoned bellflower root, yeolmu kimchi, and more. There were also lettuce wraps, salted seafood, and cheongyang chili peppers, which went really well with either the fish or the pork.

There was also japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and seaweed soup, so the whole spread felt quite generous! Lately eating a lot at once has been rough on my digestion, so being able to eat small portions of mostly banchan actually worked out well for me 💕

When I look for a Bongdam grilled fish spot, I tend to prefer places with a varied side dish lineup over ones that just plop down a plate of fish, and Hwadamga delivered on that front.

The 27,000 won bori-gulbi set: size and texture

The main dish, bori-gulbi, arrived bigger than expected! Visually, it was clearly the kind of fish that could polish off a bowl of rice haha. The texture was a bit different from what you'd expect from typical soft fish flesh.

Instead of moist and soft, it was more chewy and firm, like dried fish jerky. Personally I felt that texture is bori-gulbi's signature charm. I tend to prefer fish that's a bit fattier and softer, so next time I want to try the mackerel!

Eating it together with the suhyangmi hotpot rice was a really good combo. Put some bori-gulbi flesh on top of the rice with a side dish, and it's the kind of thing you can't stop reaching for haha.

Add the 2,000 won suhyangmi hotpot rice

Honestly, the best thing I ate that day was the suhyangmi hotpot rice! I paid the extra ₩2,000 for it, and the rice itself was sweet and delicious.

You know how, after eating hotpot rice, there's scorched rice left at the bottom? That nurungji (scorched rice) paired really well with the bori-gulbi too. The bori-gulbi plus suhyangmi rice combo is clearly famous for a reason haha. If you want to eat well, rice and all, at a Bongdam grilled fish spot, adding the hotpot rice is worth it!

The 16,000 won flame-grilled pork set

Since fish alone felt like it wasn't enough, I also ordered the wood-fired pork set. The stir-fried pork was softer and better seasoned than I expected. It wasn't too tough or dry, and the seasoning went well with rice, so it was also great wrapped in lettuce!

Came for grilled fish, ended up thoroughly enjoying pork too, pregnant lady style haha. Still, that day I was definitely more drawn to the fish and banchan than the meat.

Final verdict on Hwadamga

Overall, the variety of side dishes and the combination of fish and hotpot rice made it a filling, satisfying meal. In particular, the size of the bori-gulbi and the tasty suhyangmi rice stood out.

That said, it gets pretty crowded on weekend evenings, so if you want to eat at a relaxed pace, I'd recommend a weekday visit. If you're looking for a Bongdam grilled fish spot with a wide variety of banchan, Hwadamga is worth a visit.

Next time I'd like to try the grilled mackerel instead of the bori-gulbi! You really can't beat grilled fish with hotpot rice haha 🐟🍚 Choosing what to eat out has been kind of a struggle in late pregnancy, but that day I got a satisfyingly filling and healthy meal 💕