Weekday dinner near Iseongsanseong, Hanam: Jigueseo On Jjukkumi

Ugh, why am I craving something spicy so much lately?? There was a stretch where I ate Buldak Bokkeum Tang ramyeon for three days straight. I'm losing it, seriously.

And in the middle of that spiral I found Jigueseo On Jjukkumi. I happened to be heading to Hanam anyway, so I swung by on the way in. I usually only ever go to Misa or Pungsan, so coming out near Iseongsanseong fortress felt like a whole different vibe. I had no idea a place like this existed here.

The parking lot and garden vibe

The parking lot is seriously huge?!! Maybe because it was around 6pm on a Monday, there was hardly anyone there yet. I bet it gets packed on weekends. The atmosphere is so nice.

Isn't "Jigueseo On Jjukkumi" (translation: "Jjukkumi From Earth") such a cute name lol? It's such a different vibe from this gorgeous interior.

The garden is so beautifully done — if I'd brought my mom she would've already taken like 100 photos.

The little decor pieces are all so cutely arranged and there's even a photo zone, but it was ruined because my dad was there lol.

Free coffee and ice cream, plus a receipt review perk

Wait, they even have coffee and ice cream set up?!!! All free in this economy?! The owner's got real style.

If you leave a receipt review they also give you Hangang ramyeon. A little disappointed it's not Jinsoonyi or Anseong Tangmyeon though. Please give us Yeol Ramyeon Jinmae plz.

Seeing all the regulars' coupons stuck up on the wall, this place must be a genuine local favorite. And no wonder — spacious parking, great atmosphere, and a roomy interior make it perfect for a family dinner or a work gathering.

Toss Pay / FacePay works here too~

Inside the restaurant: baby chairs and aprons

Is it even allowed for a jjukkumi place to be this elegant? It's got that Western restaurant vibe — like somewhere that sells pasta, pizza, steak. Clean and just so nice...

The tables are wide and the chairs are super plush~ Chairs comfy enough to seat six people including a baby.

There are aprons and baby chairs too!

The owner here really has an eye for interior design...

Menu and prices

Take a quick look at the menu. Wait, aren't the prices pretty reasonable?!!! Since it's out toward the edge of the city, I expected it to be really expensive.

We ordered the perilla-oil jjukkumi set for two?!! And the jjukkumi takeout is only ₩10,000, which is genuinely such a steal. They also sell braised anglerfish.

Fresh cod clear soup, fresh cod stew, anglerfish clear soup, anglerfish stew, seafood pancake, even gorgonzola pizza! So much fun choosing what to eat. Everything comes out so neatly presented that it all just looks delicious.

Check out the alcohol and drinks menu too while you're at it.

From side dishes to a bowl of rice

I love it when the spoons and chopsticks are already set out like this... it makes me feel taken care of before the food even arrives?!!

The side dishes were so, so good... the seaweed soup especially is unreal. Jellyfish salad, kimchi salad, japchae, and even myeongran (salted pollock roe);;; I could've finished a whole bowl of rice on the side dishes alone.

Perilla-oil jjukkumi set, all smoky flavor and nutritious hot-stone rice

Whoa, just look at that jjukkumi;;;; Full of smoky char and outrageously spicy.

And why is the jjukkumi so huge?? I thought it was octopus at first. And the sauce is genuinely unreal... the kind of sauce you want to mix into rice or twirl noodles in over and over.

The rice comes in a hot stone bowl too — nutritious hot-stone rice loaded with jujube and sweet pumpkin! Steam rising off it... you know it's going to be delicious.

They immediately scoop the rice into a bowl and pour in hot water... I can't even imagine how good this is going to be. I just love this whole hot-stone rice experience.

They spoon the jjukkumi on top of the rice. Just look at how plump and firm the flesh is.

Drizzle on the perilla oil they give you... and it's paradise. I ate like I was possessed lol. That perilla oil is unreal — how does it taste like this? Kind of like the limited-edition soju-bottle perilla oil grandma pressed herself at the mill. You know what I mean?

So... good... I nearly asked for a refill of the sauce and rice.

I scraped the bowl clean. For someone as hardcore into side dishes and drinking snacks as me, a day when I scrape my rice bowl clean doesn't come often.

Finishing with nurungji and myeongran

This scorched-rice water, nurungji, whatever you want to call it — you've gotta eat this too. It's tasty plain, but topped with jjukkumi it's just... so good.

I also topped it with myeongran, like ochazuke. Ah, if this place were near my house I'd probably come all the time. I even ordered a seafood pancake right then and cracked open some makgeolli~~~

Can you see how thoroughly I scraped the bowl clean. Even the water here has that barley tea or heotgae tea vibe, which I love.

On the way out I noticed the perilla oil on display. Is it for sale? I genuinely wanted to buy some.

Group seating and restrooms

Turns out there's more space behind the restrooms too? It's ridiculously spacious... there's group seating there as well.

The restrooms are spotless too!

On the way out they treated us to coffee and ice cream too. Truly such generous value... is the owner even making a profit?

We took a loop around the garden too~ once the lights come on and it gets dark, the atmosphere really goes up.

Wrapped up the day looking at the (blurry) Hangang view~ Iseongsanseong fortress is nearby too, so it seems like a nice spot for a walk if you come during the day? I ate so much rice that out of conscience I went for a run afterward lol. I'll definitely have to bring my mom next time — it was so, so good.