Haeundae Korean restaurant with same-day milled rice: Songjeongok

Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch, which I visited with my parents during the holiday, and I recently came back.

I liked how neatly the full table setting (hansang) was laid out, and with everything from abalone pot rice to hinoki-steam and a variety of banchan (side dishes), it was a great spot to eat with my parents. That satisfying memory brought me back to Songjeongok. This time I ordered the abalone pot rice seafood hinoki-steam set for two. Let me introduce Songjeongok — a great restaurant in Songjeong to bring your parents to, where I had a hearty and healthy meal.

Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch: hours, break time and parking

Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch is located at Songjeonggwangeogol-ro in Haeundae-gu, Busan, and is open 11:00–22:00. Weekday break time is 15:00–17:00, with no break on Saturdays and Sundays.

It's close to Songjeong Beach, so it's a good spot for a meal after a day out in Songjeong. Parking was available for about 4 cars right in front of the restaurant. Since the parking area isn't very large, it's better to visit with a bit of buffer time on weekends or during meal hours.

Outside Songjeongok: where every ingredient's source is named

Walking in after parking, the first thing that caught my eye was the ingredient-labeling notice.

It showed not just the seafood used but even the date the rice was milled. Songjeongok says it mills its rice at low temperature on the same day, cooking with hwangmi — rice that's between brown and white rice. Since pot rice is the main dish here, it was reassuring to be able to see exactly how the rice and ingredients are managed.

What the dining room at Songjeongok looks like

Songjeongok operates across two floors.

During the holiday visit with my parents we ate on the 2nd floor, but this time we were seated on the 1st floor.

The interior overall has a warm wood tone, with green plants and traditional earthenware jars (jangdokdae) placed throughout,

blending with traditional furniture and small decor pieces.

The mood is calm and quietly elegant rather than flashy, making it a great fit for a meal with parents, a family gathering, or any day you want to properly treat someone.

Baby chairs are also available, so it's fine to visit with kids.

Songjeongok menu and prices

Songjeongok's menu isn't complicated.

• Abalone pot rice seafood hinoki-steam set: ₩23,000
• Abalone pot rice set: ₩19,000
• Add octopus: ₩20,000

This time we ordered the abalone pot rice seafood hinoki-steam set for two.

The base spread that arrives before the pot rice

Even before the main dish arrives, the basic spread fills the table.

Pork jowl bossam (boiled pork wraps) came along with seasoned crab, seasoned cockles, salted seafood, tofu, white kimchi, kimchi, and more, all neatly arranged.

Each dish came out individually in brass bowls, which looked clean and made the meal feel properly special.

The pork jowl bossam was especially fun to eat, pairing it with a different banchan each time.

You can grab as much extra banchan as you want from the self-serve bar, so I could keep going on my favorites without any hesitation.

The seasoned crab was so good I ate it eagerly and completely forgot to take a proper photo.

It wasn't just a lot of banchan — the accompanying dishes were varied too.

The yuzu-scented salad was refreshing and whetted the appetite,

and the savory doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) paired well with the whole spread.

On top of that, spicy stir-fried squid was added, and there was already so much to eat before the main pot rice even arrived.

Rather than a simple meal with one or two side dishes, being able to try a wide variety of food was the strength of Songjeongok's set spread.

Abalone pot rice set: hwangmi rice loaded with abalone

While we were still eating the basic spread, they brought out the warm abalone pot rice.

Opening the lid, it was piled high with abalone — hearty just to look at.

You mix the abalone and rice together first, then scoop the rice into a separate bowl to eat. Maybe because it's cooked with hwangmi rice, the grains were chewy with a nice bite, and it paired well with the abalone.

The hot seafood hinoki-box steamer

The abalone pot rice seafood hinoki set also comes with a seafood hinoki-steam dish.

Inside the hinoki steamer were a shrimp and an abalone each, along with plenty of fish cake, potato, corn, and other ingredients.

Served piping hot, the natural flavors of the ingredients came through clean and simple,

the shrimp was plump and the abalone chewy — both great textures. Pairing them with the fluffy potato and sweet corn made it fun to pick through with the kids, too.

You dip everything in peanut sauce or chili sauce.

The nutty, mild peanut sauce paired well with the delicate seafood, while the sweet and slightly spicy chili sauce perked up the palate — so the same ingredients tasted different depending on the sauce.

Finishing with sungnyung made from seafood broth

The real charm of pot rice is the sungnyung at the end. Once the rice is scooped out, seafood broth is poured into the pot, and after waiting through the meal, we finished with it as sungnyung.

Even though I was already quite full, finishing with the savory sungnyung really rounded off the meal properly. From the initial basic spread to the pot rice to the final sungnyung, the meal flowed step by step in a way that made for a slow, relaxed dining experience.

The abalone pot rice seafood hinoki set we had this time came with a spread that was both varied and generous in portion. Between the bossam, various banchan, salad, doenjang jjigae, and stir-fried squid, then the abalone pot rice and hinoki-steam, I ended up really full. Finishing with the sungnyung left me feeling like I'd had a hearty, healthy meal.

The portions aren't small, so rather than rushing through it at the start, I'd recommend pacing yourself and tasting a little of everything slowly.

Is Songjeongok a good Songjeong restaurant to bring parents to?

Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch, which I visited with my parents during the holiday and returned to again this time.

When choosing a place to eat with parents, taste matters, but so does the atmosphere and menu lineup. Songjeongok had a neat full spread with a generous abalone pot rice and hinoki-steam, plus a calm interior, making it a good place to eat with my parents.

It would also suit family gatherings, occasions with elders, or any day you want to properly treat someone to a meal. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Songjeong to bring your parents to, or a hearty abalone pot rice set, give Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch a visit.