Kkachiul Korean set meal, 12 namul & fried eggplant: Gim Myeongju

I love food so much that I'll eat pretty much anything, but I like healthy food even more! Lately I'd been eating a lot of heavily seasoned stuff, and I started craving a country-style table like my grandma's or mom's cooking. So I went for lunch at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch (김명주뜰안채밥상 부천본점), a well-known spot in Jakdong near Kkachiul.

Where is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch, and is there parking?

The restaurant is at 59 Gilju-ro 560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, in the Jakdong and Kkachiul area. There's parking on the building's 1st floor and a hugely wide lot right in front. It's close to central Bucheon, yet you get to enjoy real natural scenery. Staff were there to manage the parking too. The photo only shows part of the lot; in person it was much bigger and more convenient.

It's open daily 10:30–21:00, with no break time.

Is there a wait for weekday lunch?

I arrived around 11:30 on a weekday. Since it opens early, plenty of people were already eating. By the time we finished and were leaving, there was a wait.

Still, the place is huge with lots of tables, so seats opened up quickly. It's Korean hanjeongsik (full-course set meal) with unlimited banchan (side dish) refills and a country-table lineup of namul (seasoned greens), cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) and stone pot rice, so there were tons of group gatherings, people bringing their parents, and health-food lovers!!

How do you order at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang?

You can order a set meal by menu, or pick a basic table setting (by number of people) plus à la carte dishes. I liked that you can choose depending on whether you want to eat lots of one main dish or try a variety.

What can you refill at the self-serve bar?

The banchan that come with the basic table setting can be freely topped up at the self-serve bar. You can also ask for a refill of cheonggukjang, and we could add more rice from the rice cooker too.

Basic table setting for 2 + 1 grilled mackerel: which side dishes come with it?

We got the basic setting for 2 and added one grilled mackerel. Twelve basic banchan, including various namul, came out neat and tidy. It's a feast, no other way to put it!!!

• Kimchi
• Pickled perilla leaves (kkaennip-ji)
• Braised potatoes
• Pickled garlic stems (maneuljjong jangajji)
• Seasoned bellflower root (doraji)
• Dried radish greens namul (siraegi)
• Lettuce
• Fried eggplant, and more

My mom told me the names of all the namul, but I can't remember, haha.

How do the stone pot rice and cheonggukjang taste?

The freshly cooked stone pot rice is supposed to take 15 minutes after ordering, but they seem to keep making it nonstop for the lunch crowd. Ours came out right away, not long after we ordered.

The rich, nutty cheonggukjang was really good!! It doesn't have much of that funky smell, so don't worry about trying it, haha. It tasted deeper and richer than doenjang (soybean paste) stew, honestly delicious. You can get a refill if you want.

How was the grilled mackerel?

The grilled mackerel comes out as one big whole fish. The seasoning is just right and soaked in well, so it's tasty on its own! I loved the oily, nutty richness only mackerel has, and with freshly cooked rice it tasted really sweet!!

Why the 12 namul side dishes sat easy even after overeating

There were lots of soft namul dishes and they were really good. They're not salty, so I think they'd be great mixed into the rice too!! After eating this kind of healthy food for the first time in a while, I'd overeaten but my stomach definitely felt fine and digested well, so I was very happy!!

The standout side dish: fried eggplant

The fried eggplant is a real treat, I'm telling you!!! The crunch and sauce were like tangsuyuk (Korean sweet and sour pork) or guobaorou. The eggplant was soft and fluffy inside while the outside was super crispy, so good!!

Who is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch best for?

It's not far from the city center but you can still feel nature, the food is neat and delicious, and refills are unlimited. Overall it was a lunch I was very happy with. I highly recommend it for group gatherings, company dinners, family get-togethers and meals with your parents!!