Uiwang Korean restaurant for barley corvina: Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

I visited the newly opened Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Baegun Lake Branch, a great restaurant by Baegun Lake in Uiwang, with my mom 👍 With all the side dishes, steaming pot rice, and wood-fired fish, my mom was absolutely delighted too.

A hanok restaurant and parking by Baegun Lake

It is tucked inside the Baegun Lake area of Uiwang, right between Jeongwon Makguksu and Maepsi Nakji, so it was easy enough to find 😉

The traditional tiled hanok building made it feel extra upscale—a place parents would love for dining out ^^ There is plenty of parking in front, and an attendant guides you, so just go without worrying 👏

Inside, with high chairs and group seating

The space keeps the elegant hanok feel and was cozy and comfortable for a meal. Since the menu is great for eating with children, they have high chairs too, making it perfect for family dining 🤤

There are private group tables like this, so it looked like they could easily accommodate gatherings or big families 👍 The window seats seemed especially lovely for a meal, with a wide-open view of all the greenery. Even though it was a weekday lunch, most seats were taken, so we settled in front of the self-service bar ^^

At the self-service bar by the kitchen, there were so many side dishes beyond the six basic ones served at the table—japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), muk (acorn jelly), kimchi pancakes, and more than I could even count. Help yourself 😉

They even had tteokbokki, which I love.. and it was sweet and seriously delicious, haha. I had already finished a bowl right at the start. Every side dish was seasoned just right too; honestly, I could have polished off a whole bowl of rice with those alone 🤤

From wood-fired fish to restorative set meals

The wood-fired fish menu includes mackerel, atka mackerel, Spanish mackerel, gulbi (dried salted yellow croaker), and barley corvina. There was also wood-fired spicy pork, braised mackerel, spicy fish roe stew, and marinated crab—such a happy dilemma 😍

Their popular restorative set lets you try sea eel, mackerel, and braised oilfish all at once, so it seemed like a great-value set 👍

If you want more fish during your meal, you can add individual portions right away, so let's eat generously ^^ For preschoolers, there is a grilled mackerel set and handmade wood-fired tteokgalbi (Korean grilled beef patty). From first grade onward, they need to order a set meal, so keep that in mind ^^

Barley corvina pot rice and West Coast marinated crab

We ordered the barley corvina pot-rice set and the West Coast spicy marinated-crab pot-rice set.

After ordering, they first set out soybean-paste soup and the basic side dishes ^^ Then we brought back only the other sides we wanted~~

Wow.. the barley corvina was bigger than an adult palm 🤤 Barley corvina is dried in a jar packed with barley, giving it an amazing firm, chewy texture. That is why it has even more umami than regular gulbi 👍

And what about the pot rice that came with it!! Can you see that shine on the rice? 😉 It had a sweetness even on its own, and with the fish it was unbelievably nutty and delicious.

Barley corvina has barely any fishiness, but putting a piece over rice soaked in green tea water removes any lingering fishiness and makes it even tastier 👍 It was packed with plump flesh, and even for an adult the portion was substantial.

Because it was grilled in the wood-fired oven, the fish flesh was firmer and springier, with an incredible chewy texture. On a spoonful of white rice, it was truly delicious—I was moved 😍

Now, soak the rice in green tea water and eat it with the salty barley corvina; whoever discovered this combination deserves an award, haha. It leaves your mouth refreshed, and it is a flavor everyone, young or old, would enjoy, so I highly recommend trying the barley corvina 👍

West Coast spicy marinated crab

Ooh~~~~ the West Coast spicy marinated crab looked absolutely wild 👏👏 Is this really the amount for one person? Hahahaha

Marinated crab only tastes good when the crab itself is fresh, no matter how good the sauce is. Just seeing how full it was of meat, I could tell they paid attention to every ingredient, not only the grilled fish 👍 The crab itself was so tender that it was not at all difficult to chew—an excellent order, haha.

The sweet-spicy sauce was so good that mixing it with rice really got my appetite going. I even dipped the kimchi bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) in it, seriously haha.

The perfect finish for pot rice is, of course, nurungji (toasted rice crust) 😍 One reason I seek out places with pot rice is because I want this, haha. Why is that savory nurungji at the end so delicious? Hahaha. We finished every remaining side with it, and it was the best hearty meal 👍

A family meal after a Baegun Lake walk

How about a delicious family meal at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo after a walk around Baegun Lake to enjoy the autumn weather? 😉 With mild fish grilled in a wood-fired oven, it is a place that people of all ages can enjoy.