Hallim fish restaurant, braised mackerel with radish: Onjeong Jorim

Dinner at Onjeong Jorim near Hyeopjae Beach on the day we flew back to Jeju

I got back to Jeju after a 4-night, 5-day mainland trip. I'd emptied out the fridge before leaving, so there was nothing to eat at home haha. Hadn't done groceries yet either, so we decided to eat out that evening!

The moment we got back to Jeju, the dish we picked was braised hairtail hehehe. We came to Onjeong Jorim Jeju Hyeopjae Branch, a braised hairtail restaurant near Hyeopjae Beach that's known for it :)

Seats and the window table at Onjeong Jorim Jeju Hyeopjae Branch

🌴 Right by Hyeopjae Beach

Walking in, there were plenty of tables, so it looked like a fine spot for families too. There's also a seat further inside that opens toward Hyeopjae Beach. If it's free, I'd recommend that one!

It's not an ocean view straight onto the water, but the view out the window is so open it felt like eating a meal inside a framed landscape haha. Of course, I had the restaurant-interior view...hahaha.

What comes as side dishes, and what is on the self-serve bar?

🥢 Basic side dishes and self-serve bar

The basic side dishes were fish cake, gim (dried seaweed), bean sprouts, and kimchi. When I visited, the self-serve bar had kimchi, bean sprouts, and fish cake, but no seaweed separately. When you're eating braised stew, you kind of always need more bean sprouts or kimchi haha, and it was nice being able to take as much as I wanted.

Mixed stew price at Onjeong Jorim: 15,000 won per person, two servings minimum

🐟 We ordered the hairtail + mackerel mixed stew!

The menu had braised hairtail, braised mackerel, and mixed stew. We wanted to try a bit of each, so we ordered the mixed stew. When I visited, it was orderable from 2 servings and ₩15,000 per person, rice sold separately.

Given the price of a hairtail stew meal near Hyeopjae Beach, this felt fairly reasonable, so it's worth a look if you're after affordable braised hairtail in Jeju. That said, prices and order minimums can change depending on when you visit, so please double-check on site :)

Also, from ordering to the food arriving took about 15 minutes for us. So rather than ordering a little and adding more if it's not enough, it flows better to decide roughly how much you'll eat and order that up front haha.

Braised mackerel and radish beat the hairtail at Onjeong Jorim

🐟 The braised mackerel was way better than I expected

I actually came here for the braised hairtail... but the braised mackerel was really delicious, more than I expected haha. The flesh was pretty substantial, and it was definitely easier to pick apart than hairtail, so my chopsticks kept going back for it. The sauce had soaked well into the flesh, so it was great with rice.

And here's another one... the braised radish!!! The radish had absorbed the sauce so well that eating it alongside was a total rice thief hahaha.

A light eater who still finished almost a full bowl of rice

🍚 I nearly finished my whole bowl of rice

Here's why that matters... I normally eat very little rice at meals. Ever since I was a kid, I've been the type to eat more side dishes than rice, so even when I order a bowl, I usually only have a spoonful or two.

But that day, I gave my husband a spoonful or two and ate almost the rest myself hahahaha. It was a real rice thief!!

Wrapping the fish in seaweed and topping it with bean sprouts

🌿 Wrapping it in gim, topping it with bean sprouts

Just eating the fish with rice is delicious enough, but I like to mix things up with a single dish haha. I wrapped rice and fish in gim (dried seaweed), and also piled bean sprouts on top.

• Gim (seaweed) + rice + fish
• Bean sprouts + stew

Switching up the combination bit by bit like this kept it tasting great without getting boring.

Hairtail flesh and bones: how it goes when you bring kids

🐠 The hairtail flesh was substantial too

And the hairtail! You can see in the photo how substantial the flesh was haha. Hairtail has a lot of bones, so you need to pay a bit more attention while eating. Even after removing the side bones, small ones can remain, so it's good to check carefully in your mouth too.

Especially if you're eating with kids, it's worth having an adult double-check! Still, the flesh was thick, so it was definitely enjoyable to eat haha.

How spicy is the stew, and is there any broth?

🌶️ The seasoning was distinct but not too spicy

My husband said while eating,

Ah, this could really use a bean sprout soup or seaweed soup right about now.

haha. Having a soup would've been nice too, but I ate happily without one. The seasoning was distinct but not overly spicy or intense. So it wasn't heavy even eating it continuously with rice :)

And lastly... we completely cleaned it out haha. We walked out having eaten every last bit!

A walk on Hyeopjae Beach after dinner

🌊 After the meal, on to Hyeopjae Beach

Since Onjeong Jorim is near Hyeopjae Beach, it was great to eat and then go see the sea afterward. The beach was really clear that day~~ Even heading toward the end of September, there were quite a few people swimming.

Lots of people in swimsuits swimming, and lots of foreign tourists too, so it still felt like summer haha. Even living in Jeju and visiting Hyeopjae many times... on a nice day, Hyeopjae is truly beautiful. Walking along the beach after the meal, partly to help digest, made for a perfect evening course :)

Yomangjin Pick: the verdict on Onjeong Jorim Jeju Hyeopjae Branch

Onjeong Jorim Jeju Hyeopjae Branch, eaten the day we got back to Jeju after a mainland trip! We ordered the mixed stew so we could try hairtail and mackerel together, and while the hairtail was tasty, it was surprisingly the mackerel and braised radish that stuck with me haha.

I usually only eat a spoonful or two of rice, but I nearly finished the whole bowl... a proper rice thief by my standards hahaha.

At ₩15,000 per person when I visited, it was a relatively affordable braised fish meal near Hyeopjae, and I liked being able to try hairtail and mackerel in one sitting. After the meal, you can continue on to Hyeopjae Beach, making it a nice route for anyone looking for braised hairtail near Hyeopjae Beach while also planning their travel itinerary :)

A Jeju braised fish meal where you can try hairtail and mackerel together, then walk it off along Hyeopjae Beach: Onjeong Jorim Jeju Hyeopjae Branch.