Hanam Korean restaurant for spicy sauce rice: Appa Jjim

I went grocery shopping at Costco Hanam, then restored my energy with spicy braised pollock and blanched cuttlefish :) With the weather getting a little cooler lately, I’ve been especially drawn to bold, appetite-waking flavors. Between looking after the kids and doing housework every day, I often end up just grabbing whatever for myself, but today I wanted a properly delicious meal—so we went to Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch (아빠찜 하남본점), near Pungsan Station in Hanam.

It’s not far from Costco Hanam and Starfield, and parking was super easy too. (I’m the type who won’t go somewhere again no matter how good the food is if parking is difficult haha.)

A spread that included a menu for the kids

We asked for the small, two-person siraegi codari-jorim (braised semi-dried pollock with dried radish greens) spicy, then ordered blanched cuttlefish as a refreshing side, crispy pork loin cutlet for our youngest, and freshly cooked hyangmi sotbap (aromatic rice cooked in a pot). When you eat out with kids, the menu naturally tends to revolve around them, so even when I’m craving something spicy, I usually can’t have it. I loved that there were dishes the children could eat too :)

• Siraegi codari-jorim, small (2 people): ₩35,000
• Blanched cuttlefish: ₩15,000
• Pork loin cutlet: ₩8,000
• Hyangmi sotbap, 2: ₩5,000

Not long after we ordered, neat banchan (Korean side dishes), chilled seaweed soup, and bean sprouts arrived. It had been a while since I’d had stir-fried fish cake, and it was so tasty that I kept reaching for it haha.

Blanched cuttlefish that wasn’t tough

The tender, pleasantly chewy blanched cuttlefish came out first. It was a side dish, but honestly, such an excellent choice ♡ The cuttlefish, sliced neatly and beautifully white, was thick and chewy yet soft the more I chewed it—so, so good. I especially hate anything tough, but this cuttlefish wasn’t tough at all and was really delicious.

It was delicious dipped in the sweet-and-tangy cho-gochujang (vinegared red chili paste), and eating it with the prettily julienned cucumber and carrot felt like it refreshed my spice-warmed mouth.

Siraegi braised pollock ordered spicy

Finally, the siraegi braised pollock arrived. They removed the pollock bones right in front of us, making it easy to eat. As someone who used to avoid braised pollock because deboning it felt like a chore, I absolutely loved that!!

True to its name, it came generously packed with savory siraegi, and the pollock flesh was incredibly tender. It was on another level from any braised pollock I’d had before.

Since we ordered it spicy, the sauce was perfectly fiery and peppery—an absolute work of art ♡ It wasn’t that artificial capsaicin kind of heat; it was a rich, deep, umami-filled sauce, and seriously delicious. I could have eaten two bowls of rice just mixed with the sauce alone haha. So addictive—I just kept reaching for it!!!

The pollock was so thick and springy that even with a light touch of the chopsticks, a chunky piece of flesh came right away, filling my mouth with such a satisfying bite. The best braised pollock I’ve ever had!

The siraegi wasn’t tough at all either; it was cooked soft and tender. Wrapping the soft greens around a thick piece of pollock and popping it into one bite was amazing—the nutty and spicy flavors came together so beautifully.

Mixing even the sauce into hyangmi sotbap

The moment I opened the lid of the freshly cooked hyangmi sotbap, its savory rice fragrance drifted out. Mixing spicy pollock and sauce into the warm, glossy rice was the ultimate rice thief—nothing in the world could have made me envy anyone else! We scooped the rice into bowls, poured water over the scorched rice, then finished the meal with sungnyung (toasted-rice tea). My stomach felt refreshed and full :)

Pork cutlet for kids who find spicy food difficult

The pork loin cutlet we ordered for our youngest was also just as crispy as one from a specialty shop, with tender meat, so we enjoyed it very much. I think it would be the perfect side order for anyone who doesn’t handle spicy food well, or when visiting with young children :) Our kid loved it so much that not a single bite was left haha.

Be sure to eat the radish that has soaked up all that sauce too. Mixed into rice, it was such a rice thief there was no other word for it!!!

After finishing our Costco shopping, my husband and I had a proper lunch near Pungsan Station in Hanam, and I felt so happy all day. The portions were truly generous—we left feeling like we might burst! The ingredients were wonderfully fresh, and above all, the sauce had such a deep, clean flavor that I’m planning to come back soon when I’m craving something spicy :3 If you’re looking for a family dining spot around Hanam, or craving a properly spicy seafood meal, make sure to stop by Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch. You’ll have a satisfying meal you can count on!