Balsan Korean restaurant scouted for a 60th birthday: Mikodam

My dad's 60th birthday is coming up, so I was looking for a Korean restaurant where the whole family could eat well together, and that's how I found Mikodam. It's a place where you can have seaweed soup, cockles, and beef jeon (pan-fried beef slices) all in one meal, and the vibe felt clean and refined.

They also have private rooms, which seemed good for gatherings like a family meeting, birthday party, or family meal with a lot of people, so I went to check it out ahead of time.

Where is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch, and where do you park?

The branch I visited is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch, located near Balsan Station, so it was easy to get to by public transport. Right next to the building there's a parking tower, and it felt spacious and comfortable.

A parking attendant hands you a parking ticket, and after eating you get a parking stamp from the restaurant to give back to the attendant. They give you a 3-hour parking pass with a meal, so it was convenient to come by car too.

Private rooms and group seating at Mikodam

Inside, it had a modern interior with a clean, tidy Korean-restaurant feel. When I visited, it was a bit past lunch time, but there were still people celebrating birthdays with cakes on the table, and the private rooms were full of guests too.

I thought it would be a good spot for family meals with conversation, or family events like birthdays.

The seating ranged from tables for four up to group seating, and you could order from a tablet set up at the table.

What can you choose in the 46,000 won Full Table Set for Two?

Since we came to scout the place before our family gathering, we ordered the Full Table Set for Two at ₩46,000. There were also sets for three and four, plus à la carte options, so you can pick based on your group size or what you feel like eating.

The Full Table Set for Two let us choose between beef, flatfish, or abalone seaweed soup, with abalone costing an extra ₩4,000.

We chose beef seaweed soup. For the cockle bibim, we picked the soy-sauce seasoning over the vinegar-mixed one, and for the side dish we could choose between beef jeon, Jeju yellow crab, or LA galbi — LA galbi came with a ₩20,000 surcharge, so we went with the medium size of beef jeon.

I liked that even within a set menu, you could choose the dishes you wanted. When visiting as a group, it's nice that not every table has to eat the exact same thing — everyone can pick according to their own preference.

Soon the table was filled to the brim with food, and every single side dish looked neat and made with care. Even before eating, I thought my parents would be really satisfied if they came here.

How did the beef seaweed soup, beef jeon and cockle bibim taste?

The beef jeon, cockle bibim, and beef seaweed soup all had deep flavor without being too strong. My boyfriend and I, who are both picky about taste, were able to eat comfortably. At other tables, I could see people eating flatfish seaweed soup too.

Aside from beef seaweed soup, older guests seemed to prefer flatfish seaweed soup a lot. I want to try the flatfish version next time — since it uses fish instead of meat, it seemed lighter and easier to eat.

The mackerel was a plump, fatty Norwegian mackerel. The excess oil was well drained off, leaving a light, clean fish flavor that was easy to pick apart and eat. With hearty rice and soup plus beef jeon, cockles, mackerel, and various side dishes, the whole meal was pretty filling.

At about ₩23,000 per person for the set for two, being able to eat this much variety in one sitting was pretty great.

Are side dish refills free at Mikodam?

I thought if we ran short, we'd just ask for a refill on the side dishes, but even the two of us — who eat a lot — got so full that we couldn't even ask for a refill.

In particular, the stir-fried pork, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), and jellyfish salad were really delicious, and I wanted more, but I was too full — a bit of a shame. As for the mackerel, you can get a refill for an extra ₩5,000.

Dessert, and the verdict on Mikodam as a family gathering venue

After finishing the meal completely full, we could also have dessert — popped corn puffs, plum tea, and sikhye (sweet rice punch) were on offer.

Trying the Full Table Set for Two at Mikodam myself, I found it a filling meal for the price, and I really liked that when visiting with family, everyone could pick dishes to their own taste.

Most of all, with private rooms available and easy parking, as someone scouting out a place for my dad's 60th birthday family meal, I was glad I came to check it out in advance.

Free large beef jeon for birthday visits

On top of that, if you visit within a week before or after your birthday and show ID, or bring a cake and order for 4 or more people, they give you a free large-size beef jeon. If you're visiting around your birthday, this perk is worth taking advantage of.

We're planning to come back with the family next time. This visit was a scouting trip ahead of the family gathering, and we left having had a really satisfying, filling meal.