Seongsa-dong grilled fish set with mung bean jelly refills: Min Cook

When I lived with my parents I never once paid for grilled fish — but since moving out, I hate the smell lingering in my place and can't be bothered buying fish myself, so I honestly can't remember the last time I had grilled fish... I kept waiting for a visit home, but the craving got too strong, so I went to Min Cook Apbadang, a Seongsa-dong favorite.

I'd visited Min Cook Misoyaki not long ago and loved it, so since it's run by the same owner, I decided on their grilled fish spot, Min Cook Apbadang!

Where to park at Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa, and what the room looks like

There's parking in front of and beside Min Cook Apbadang, plus a roadside lot, so it looked plenty spacious.

Inside there are lots of tables, the space is spacious, and I saw a lot of families — it looked great for a family gathering or bringing your parents along!

What comes in the 40,000-won set for two, plus 12,000-won braised mackerel

The menu also had a charcoal bulgogi + grilled fish set, a seasonal grilled fish set, and a mixed braised fish set — on a normal day I'd have gone for the charcoal bulgogi set, but my stomach was queasy today so meat was a no.

I wanted grilled fish and I wanted braised fish, so after some deliberation I ordered the seasonal grilled fish set for two (₩40,000) plus added braised mackerel (₩12,000) — whichever you pick, you can add a little more grilled or braised fish, which I liked.

You can also add sides like braised abalone, seasoned crab, salted oysters, or cabbage buckwheat pancake!

The fish included in the seasonal grilled fish set is listed at the entrance, and the variety expands with more diners. I liked being able to check which fish would come out that day before ordering, and since it's seasonal, the lineup changes slightly on every visit — which I also liked.

Self-bar banchan and doenjang soup: what the mung bean jelly refills are like

The side dishes set out after ordering

The banchan (side dishes) were clean and tasty — I thought this would be great to bring my mom, who really cares about good side dishes.

The banchan can be refilled at the self-bar, and the mung bean jelly salad was so good I kept refilling it haha.

You just scoop your own soup, too

My stomach was queasy that day so I wanted something home-cooking style, and I picked the grilled fish place for that — the moment I had the doenjang (soybean paste) soup, the queasiness completely disappeared. Totally the home-style comfort I was craving, ㅜㅜ

While I was still touched by the doenjang soup, out came the cabbage buckwheat pancake — for people like me who can't stand being hungry before the food arrives... 💛

How did the wild flathead cod, cod cheek and flounder taste?

While I was still eating the pancake, the seasonal grilled fish set for two arrived — from left, wild flathead cod, cod cheek, and flounder. It comes already grilled, and they keep it on a low burner-like warmer so you can eat it warm the whole time.

Plus the braised mackerel I added

A completely loaded table

Ordering the seasonal grilled fish set for two also gets you one stone-pot rice, and the portion was big enough that we didn't need extra rice. They also give you a kettle of water to pour in so the rice softens while you eat the fish.

Deboning the fish was my boyfriend's job. He's not exactly a pro, but he's better at it than me 🤣

The flounder was a fish I sometimes eat at home or in the company cafeteria, so it felt familiar, and the seasoning wasn't too salty — just right. The fish was quite large, so there was plenty of meat too 👍

The cod cheek was savory and light, coated in what seemed like a thin layer of starch that gave it a crisp shell — since I love fish skin, it reminded me exactly of a light, clean grilled Chilean sea bass, and it was my favorite of the meal.

The wild flathead cod was surprisingly different in texture from the cod cheek even though they're the same fish — firm yet springy? Different part of the same fish, but the texture was so different it felt like an entirely different fish.

There was also cabbage for wrapping, which I love, paired with salted cutlassfish innards 🧡 I love that condiment, but sometimes places make it too fishy or too salty and I only take one bite. Here it wasn't fishy or salty at all — really delicious.

Eating the grilled fish, I put some on top of scorched rice soaked in water, and it reminded me of being a kid, eating rice soaked in barley tea with fish on top that my mom used to make. Actually my family never ate it that way — I must've seen it somewhere and my memory got rewired to feel like it was my own childhood, haha.

I figured, how full could grilled fish really make me? I underestimated it a bit... but I ended up so full I couldn't finish the braised fish, so I packed the leftovers. Had sikhye (sweet rice drink) for dessert too, and they sealed the takeout so neatly that I got another whole meal out of it at home later, haha.

Banchan and sauces sold to go, and lunchbox orders at Min Cook Apbadang

The banchan I enjoyed eating, along with the seasoned crab, braised abalone, and braised shrimp, are all available to buy at reasonable prices, along with their special soy sauce, perilla oil, and sesame oil.

They also had vacuum-packed grilled fish for sale!

I was surprised that grilled fish is available not just for delivery but as lunchbox orders too — great to order or take out on days like today when I don't want to grill fish at home.

With a whole chain(?) of Min Cook Apbadang, Min Cook Dashima, Min Cook Misoyaki and more, they seemed to be running a variety of promotions too.

I saw a Japanese cuisine master certificate(?) at the Misoyaki location, and apparently the chef has a Korean cuisine master certificate too... how many cuisines has this person mastered exactly?

As someone who really doesn't want to grill fish at home, this was a Goyang grilled fish spot I liked quite a lot! 🐟 Being able to try a variety of fish, plus getting banchan, stone-pot rice and doenjang soup all in one spread, made it a satisfying, filling meal.