Boneless monkfish stew in Bupyeong: Haemokjeong Korean restaurant

My brother and I went to Haemokjeong Bupyeong Branch (해목정 부평점), right in front of our home, for agujjim (braised monkfish).

The atmosphere during our late-evening visit

The dining room was more spacious than I expected, which I loved. The tables were set out with plenty of room, so it did not feel cramped at all, and overall it had a really comfortable atmosphere for a meal. Since we visited late in the evening, there were not many customers and it was nice and quiet. That meant we could eat without all the noise and take our time, haha. Maybe because it was late, it was actually perfect for a peaceful dinner.

The aquarium was full of fresh clams. There was a separate tank in the restaurant, and as we walked past, we could even see the clams moving around alive. Being able to see the seafood right in front of us made everything feel fresh even before the food arrived.

From braised monkfish to meal dishes

The menu was more varied than I expected. There were spicy braised pork ribs, boneless braised monkfish, chive duck bulgogi, seafood braise, the Haemokjeong Special, seafood braised ribs, and abalone seafood hot pot, so there was quite a lot to choose from. I thought it was a place with only braised monkfish, but there were other dishes such as braised pork ribs and duck bulgogi too, so it looked good for groups where everyone wants to order something different. There were especially many seafood dishes, so I think it would be a great visit for anyone who loves seafood braise or braised monkfish. After thinking it over, we ordered the boneless braised monkfish we wanted most that day, haha.

It was nice that they also had a separate selection of meal dishes. There were plenty of lighter options for a meal, including mushroom kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), fresh kalguksu, handmade giant pork cutlet, stir-fried chives and webfoot octopus, and stir-fried chives and octopus. The main dishes have lots of ingredients and generous portions, so they can feel a little heavy, but these meal dishes would be nice on a day when you want something simpler. With several types of kalguksu too, it looked like a good place for a filling meal that does not feel overwhelming. If you visit in a group, ordering one main dish plus a meal dish to share would be nice as well, haha.

Kiosk ordering and the self-service station

You order at the kiosk :) It was convenient because we could take our time looking through the menu and choose what we wanted. We did not have to call over a staff member, so we could decide comfortably from our table. They were also running a review event, where you could receive a drink for writing a review. If you visit, it may be worth checking that out too, haha. One thing to keep in mind! There is an extra ₩1,000 charge for packing leftovers. Our food was more delicious than expected, so the two of us cleaned our plates completely, hahaha. No leftovers meant we did not need takeout, haha.

They also say that miyeokguk (seaweed soup) is served if you visit on your birthday, haha. Usually, miyeokguk makes me think of beef seaweed soup, but this place does something a little different with squid miyeokguk. If you visit on your birthday, it seems nice to have a warm bowl of soup too :)

There was also a self-service station on one side. Basic side dishes such as water kimchi, chives, salad, and perilla leaves were set out, so you could take as much as you wanted. I liked being able to refill side dishes ourselves without feeling self-conscious, haha. Water kimchi and perilla leaves seemed like they would go especially well with a spicy dish like braised monkfish. It was convenient and nice to be able to take just the side dishes we needed, in the amount we wanted.

Boneless braised monkfish ordered mild

Ta-da! After we ordered and waited a little, the banchan (Korean side dishes) arrived first. As they set them down one by one, I was surprised by how many there were, so I started picking at them before the main dish came out, haha. The most interesting one was the angel-hair seaweed salad! It felt a little different from the angel-hair seaweed I knew, so at first I wondered, Is this really angel-hair seaweed? But it was tangy and crisp and much more delicious than expected. That angel-hair seaweed salad was secretly such a winner, haha. I kept reaching for it while we waited for the main dish. And although it was not our birthday, they served us seaweed soup too. I thought it would only be squid seaweed soup for birthday visitors, but it seemed like they simply gave us some too?! Having warm seaweed soup with the meal made me happy for no reason, haha.

And finally, our boneless braised monkfish appeared! It came fully cooked, so the staff explained that it did not need to simmer for long and only needed a little warming. We warmed it gently at the table and ate it hot. Braised monkfish can get cold as you eat, so I loved being able to warm it right away and enjoy it hot until the very last bite, haha. Above all, it was boneless and looked easy to eat, and I liked that we could dig right in without picking out bones.

The dish we ordered was boneless braised monkfish! Neither of us handles spicy food well, so when ordering, we asked, “Could you make it not spicy, please~?” haha. Since they can adjust the spice level, even people like us who are not good with spicy food can eat comfortably. I was a little worried that it might still be too spicy, but once we tried it, it was exactly right for our tastes. We could taste the seasoning without it being spicy, so it was easy to keep eating! Braised monkfish is definitely best with rice, so I piled some onto a spoonful of rice and yum yum, haha.

There was also quite a lot of fish roe in the braised monkfish. I thought it would be all meat, but the roe made it more fun to eat, haha. A combination that roe lovers would be happy to see! The plump monkfish meat and roe dipped together in the sauce went really well with rice.

The tender boneless braised monkfish was really easy to eat too. It was great not having to remove bones one by one; we could just eat it right away. The monkfish itself was soft, so it separated easily with just a gentle lift of the chopsticks. It was tender rather than tough or dry, almost melting in the mouth, haha. With the seasoning, the soft monkfish and sweet-spicy sauce worked so well together that I kept reaching for more.

Wrapping it with angel-hair seaweed and perilla leaves

They told us it would taste even better wrapped in a perilla leaf with angel-hair seaweed, braised monkfish, and chives. So I followed their advice: angel-hair seaweed on a perilla leaf, then a generous amount of monkfish and chives, all in one bite—and seriously, it was so good, hahaha. The fragrant perilla leaf, the monkfish seasoning, and the crisp angel-hair seaweed and chives tasted much better together than separately. The angel-hair seaweed added crunch, and the perilla leaf aroma went beautifully with the sweet-spicy seasoning. The braised monkfish was delicious on its own, but eating it wrapped like this was another special treat! Please, please try it this way~!! haha