Songjeong-dong seafood stew with roe and milt: Badaga Nae Sonagwi

A Songjeong-dong favorite in Gwangju, Gyeonggi — the seafood and monkfish stew specialist 'Badaga Nae Sonagwi'

Why we picked a Songjeong-dong seafood stew house over another meat dinner

Badaga Nae Sonagwi is a monkfish and seafood stew restaurant at 7 Suha-gil, 1st floor, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Lately we've been eating a lot of meat for dinner — barely a day or two without it — so tonight I was craving something spicy and seafood-based instead. That's how we ended up at this monkfish and seafood stew specialist in Songjeong-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi: 'Badaga Nae Sonagwi.'

• Address: 7 Suha-gil, 1st floor, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:30
• Parking: Private lot beside the building

We arrived at the Songjeong-dong branch of Badaga Nae Sonagwi. Right beside the building there's a private parking space with a barrier gate.

Stepping inside, the restaurant is quite humble and compact — a small place with about five or six tables.

What's on the menu at Badaga Nae Sonagwi?

On the wall at Badaga Nae Sonagwi, only the main set menus are listed, while a separate menu book shows the à la carte, add-on, and side dishes in more detail. The wall menu.

The separate menu book shows more detailed options like single dishes, add-ons, and sides. Our original plan was to order the monkfish stew set, but once we got there we were craving the roe and milt stew (algoni-jjim) more, so that's what we went with!

The basic table setting and the self-serve side dish bar

A modest spread of basic side dishes — cabbage salad, white kimchi, and dongchimi radish water kimchi. The seaweed, soy sauce, and wasabi come individually packaged, which felt nice and hygienic.

Any side dishes you run low on can be freely refilled at the self-serve bar! That light green basket in the top left holds seaweed.

How spicy is level 1 on the small roe and milt stew?

Finally, our order arrives — the small roe and milt stew (algoni-jjim)! You can choose your spice level from 1, 2, or 3. Since it was our first visit and we couldn't really gauge how spicy level 2 or higher would be, we went with the mildest, level 1.

Oh — such a generous portion of algoni-jjim! Even though we ordered the small size, the amount was much bigger than expected. And unlike some seafood stew places where you have to dig through your chopsticks just to find any seafood buried under a mountain of bean sprouts, this place is different. The roe and milt were piled in generously, through and through!

Naturally, with food like this in front of us, we couldn't not order soju. Cheers to another round of Chamisul. Alright, husband — let's get started!

Steamed whelk and egg custard in an earthenware pot

Next up, the steamed whelk arrived, along with —

— egg custard, one of my favorites! Neatly diced carrots and green onions were sprinkled on top, making it look absolutely delicious.

And here's our dinner table, fully loaded.

The bean sprouts had a great crunchy texture, and —

— the milt and roe both tasted fresh. My husband prefers the milt while I prefer the roe, so this roe-and-milt stew was perfect for sharing without any fighting over who gets what! Haha.

The egg custard came piping hot in a stone pot, and it paired wonderfully with the spicy stew. Having tried level 1 tonight, I feel like next time we could take on level 2.

The real kicker: ₩3,000 fried rice with seaweed

At Badaga Nae Sonagwi, rice from the rice cooker is provided for free. But...

— isn't fried rice basically the whole point after a stew like this? We happily skipped the free rice and ordered the ₩3,000 fried rice instead, and it turned out to be the real highlight of the meal.

The kitchen presses and cooks the fried rice themselves before bringing it to the table, so all we had to do was enjoy it.

Remember that seaweed from the table setting earlier? Wrap this fried rice in it and... it becomes absolutely incredible!!! Once we discovered this magic combination, we went back to the refill corner and grabbed three more packs of seaweed. Haha. No one can deny it — the true dessert of Korean cuisine is fried rice after a spicy stew.

Free ice cream for dessert, and the verdict on Badaga Nae Sonagwi

Since this is a place serving spicy food, they thoughtfully set up an ice cream freezer. Write a review or add their channel and you get one for free. Finishing off the meal with ice cream made today's dinner absolutely perfect!

The Songjeong-dong branch of Badaga Nae Sonagwi is on the smaller side, but it has that warm, familiar feel of a humble neighborhood favorite. On top of that, the owner was incredibly kind, which made for a really pleasant meal. I'd definitely recommend this monkfish and seafood stew spot to anyone living near Songjeong-dong.