Grilled fish set with mackerel and hairtail in Gwangmyeong: Todam

I went back to Todam Hwadok Saengseongui, a place I visit whenever I'm craving grilled fish in Gwangmyeong. This was already my fourth visit. The fish comes out of the wood-fired oven nice and moist, and you get pot rice with it too, so it's a spot I keep returning to whenever grilled fish comes to mind in Gwangmyeong.

Location and parking for Todam Hwadok Saengseongui in Cheolsan

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui is at 459 Anyangcheon-ro, 3rd floor, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea.

There's a parking lot in front of the building, and every time I've visited there's been plenty of space. Valet parking is available too, and you can pay with Gwangmyeong Pay.

We arrived around 8:10 p.m. and got seated right away with no wait that day.

Inside Todam Hwadok Saengseongui

The restaurant is pretty spacious. Toward the back there's group seating and a separate room, plus baby chairs on hand.

When I was there, plenty of families were eating together, and there were quite a few customers with kids too. I could see why so many people come here for family meals or gatherings.

What's on the menu and how much does it cost

The grilled fish sets come with pot rice.

• Spanish mackerel set ₩17,000
• Mackerel set ₩17,000
• Atka mackerel set ₩17,000
• Dried yellow corvina set ₩17,000
• Hairtail set ₩20,000

We ordered the mackerel set for ₩17,000 and the hairtail set for ₩20,000.

Beyond grilled fish, there's also a dried yellow corvina set, braised pollock set, iron-plate short rib set, and charcoal pork set. There are lunch specials and à la carte dishes too, so there's quite a variety beyond grilled fish. It's mostly known as a grilled fish spot, but the side dishes are neat and there are enough special menu items that it'd be a fine choice whenever you're just craving Korean food in general. Side dishes like steamed egg with pollock roe, buckwheat crepe, and seasoned skate are also on offer.

Banchan and the self-serve corner

The basic banchan (side dishes) include seasoned bellflower root and mung bean jelly, and you can grab more from the self-serve corner if you run out.

I stuck to just the basic banchan, but from the self-serve corner I grabbed pumpkin porridge and roasted sweet potato from the oven.

The pumpkin porridge was good too, but honestly the sweet potato was even better, haha. Roasted in the wood-fired oven, it came out crisp on the outside and moist and sweet inside. I grabbed a piece while waiting for the grilled fish, and it was so good I kept going back for more, haha.

Wood-fired mackerel and hairtail sets

At Todam Hwadok Saengseongui, the fish is grilled directly in a wood-fired oven right inside the restaurant. Watching it come straight off the oven got me looking forward to the fish even before it arrived, haha.

The mackerel and hairtail came out together on one plate. Both were pretty large with thick, hearty flesh. Since the fish was so big, the bones came off easily too, which made it easy to eat.

How was the grilled mackerel?

The mackerel's skin was golden and grilled nice and crisp, while the flesh inside stayed moist. It had a savory flavor too, and eating it with the pot rice, a whole bowl of rice disappeared fast, haha.

How was the grilled hairtail?

The hairtail was also thick and moist. When hairtail flesh is thin there's not much to eat, but this one had plenty of meat on it, so it was easy to enjoy. Ordering one of each meant we got to switch back and forth, which was fun too.

Pot rice and cheonggukjang

Each set comes with pot rice. You scoop the rice out first, then pour water into the leftover pot to make sungnyung (scorched rice tea).

Cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) also comes as a basic side dish. We skipped the sungnyung that day and instead mixed the leftover rice with the cheonggukjang, haha.

Finishing off the grilled fish with cheonggukjang at the end left us walking out well and truly full.

Overall thoughts on Todam Hwadok Saengseongui in Cheolsan

This is the place I keep going back to whenever I'm craving grilled fish in Cheolsan. This time again, both the mackerel and hairtail were delicious, thick and moist, and went well with the pot rice. There's group seating, a private room, and a baby chair on hand, so it works fine for family meals or gatherings with friends. I'm sure I'll be back the next time grilled fish comes to mind, haha.

Quick summary

• Location: 459 Anyangcheon-ro, 3rd floor, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Parking: available / first 1.5 hours free / valet available
• Signature dishes: wood-fired grilled fish sets including mackerel and hairtail
• Prices: mackerel set ₩17,000 / hairtail set ₩20,000
• Atmosphere: family meals, kid-friendly, gatherings with friends / group seating and private room available
• Taste verdict: both mackerel and hairtail had thick, moist flesh
• Payment: Gwangmyeong Pay accepted
• Would return: yes