Gimhae Korean restaurant: seafood pancake, Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu

An easy-to-slurp dinner on the day my child’s tooth hurt

Friday dinner was kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), no question! My child had just had cavity treatment and was in quite a bit of tooth pain that day. We looked for something easy to slurp down for dinner, and warm, brothy kalguksu felt just right.

So we went to Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu, our family’s favorite kalguksu spot in Gimhae :) Parking is easy here, and after eating, we can browse the nearby Lotte Outlet, so it has quietly become a route our family takes quite often. It is nice to walk around the mall after a meal and digest, too haha.

What are the parking and waiting areas like?

The first thing I liked when we arrived was, of course, the parking! When parking is inconvenient on a family meal out, it feels a little tiring from the start, but it is easy here, which I loved.

There is also a separate waiting area by the entrance. It was Friday evening and there were quite a few customers, but having a waiting area ready means you can wait a little more comfortably even during peak hours.

A spacious, clean dining room and self-service bar

Once you step inside, the restaurant is much more spacious. The ceiling is high and there is plenty of room between tables, so it did not feel especially cramped even at a busy time.

The tables were kept clean, and the whole place immediately felt tidy, which was nice. It was a busy Friday evening, so I could not photograph every corner, but I could definitely feel how roomy it was.

Staff were continually wiping tables here and there, so the overall restaurant maintenance looked very neat.

There is a self-service bar on one side, with staff and customer areas separated. You can comfortably take as many side dishes as you would like.

In particular, each refillable side dish is covered, so it really feels hygienically maintained! There is also plenty of Cheongyang chili seasoning paste, which my husband, a spicy-food lover, enjoys.

There are high chairs, too, and since the restaurant itself is spacious, it looked fine for visiting with a stroller.

The menu and adjustable Cheongyang chili heat

The menu is very simple: dongjuk kalguksu, Onaksae seafood pajeon, and dongjuk clam soup—just three items!

I actually like places with a short menu like this. Rather than selling all sorts of dishes, it feels like they are focused on what they do well, haha.

You can also adjust the Cheongyang chili heat in the dongjuk kalguksu and Onaksae seafood pajeon. You can choose no Cheongyang chili, regular, or extra depending on your taste, which was great for our family visiting with a child.

And steamed rice is free! You cannot give up mixing rice into the refreshing broth left after your kalguksu, right? Haha.

One table, ordered with extra chili and no chili

We ordered two dongjuk kalguksu and one Onaksae seafood pajeon. We ordered one noodle soup with extra Cheongyang chili and one without any, and since our son would eat with us, we left the chili out of the seafood pancake, too.

Refreshing, deeply flavored dongjuk kalguksu

First, the dongjuk kalguksu! The moment you take a spoonful of broth, you naturally go, “Ah, so refreshing.” The clams’ clean savory flavor had infused the broth beautifully, making it refreshing with a noticeably deep flavor. The noodles were springy and easy to slurp, and there were plenty of clams, too.

I dipped a piece of clam meat into the sauce, and it was wonderfully chewy and fresh! I heard these are live dongjuk clams delivered directly from Seosan every dawn. Maybe that is why the clams looked to be in such good condition. I was worried because my child’s tooth hurt that day, but thankfully they could eat the kalguksu without difficulty.

Thin, crispy Onaksae seafood pajeon

And this is something our family always orders when we come here: the Onaksae seafood pajeon (Korean scallion pancake with seafood, octopus, and small octopus). Kalguksu alone feels just a little lacking, doesn’t it? Haha.

This seafood pajeon is packed with seafood. Rather than a thick, fluffy pancake, it has the feel of an old-fashioned pajeon cooked thin and crisp!

I already love this kind of crispy style, so it was completely my taste!

I also loved how the seafood was scattered generously over the pancake.

Dipping the seafood in chojang (sweet-tangy chili sauce) makes it another special treat.

And the kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) here is delicious, haha. I kept reaching for it with the kalguksu and refilled it several times! The kimchi was a little spicy for me, though—I am not great with heat.

After writing a review, you can choose a drink or two dumplings. You cannot just pass up something like that, haha. Enjoy your meal, and make sure to claim the event perk, too.

A family meal out for days when you crave warm broth

• A perfect place when you crave a bowl of warm broth as the weather gets chilly!
• The broth made from fresh dongjuk clams was clean yet deep, and the springy kalguksu noodles and generous clams made for a hearty meal.
• The Onaksae seafood pajeon was loaded with seafood and made in a crisp, old-fashioned style, so it was great to order alongside the kalguksu.
• Above all, it has everything that makes a family meal out easy: a spacious, clean dining room, convenient parking, high chairs, and a well-maintained self-service bar.
• It is also open year-round with no break time, so it seems less stressful to fit into your meal schedule.
• Recommended for days when you want an easy meal with your child or crave refreshing, steaming kalguksu! Browse the nearby Lotte Outlet after your meal, and it makes a wonderful family outing route :)