Bucheon Korean set meal, japchae refills at full size: Gim Myeongju

Why I came back to Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch (김명주뜰안채밥상 부천본점) is a Korean set meal restaurant in Jakdong, Bucheon, where pot rice comes with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), namul (seasoned vegetables) and more, filling the whole table. I'd been once before and remembered eating a huge, satisfying spread, so I went back.

It's less a place where you focus on one main fish and more a place where the table is so full that it really feels like a proper home-cooked meal. I enjoyed everything again, but the funny part was that I refilled the doenjang jjigae and the japchae. I expected a little extra, but they came out in the same amount as the first time, haha. In the end I ate so much that I was struggling by the end. Eating there, I thought, next time I really should bring my parents~

Basic info: hours and parking

• Address: 59 Gilju-ro 560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Hours: 10:30 – 21:00
• Parking: A large lot in front of the restaurant, and there were attendants.

Atmosphere and seating at Gim Myeongju Bucheon Main Branch

The place has a comfortable, classic Korean set meal restaurant feel. I noticed it on my first visit too: it isn't flashy or trendy like a café, but that's exactly why it's easy to come with family.

There's a waiting area at the front.

The tables are also fairly big, so even with lots of side dishes it didn't feel too cramped. At a Korean set meal restaurant, plates keep coming and the table fills up in no time, right? Here it was nice to have everything laid out and eat slowly, a bit of this and a bit of that.

What I ordered: grilled mackerel this time

This time I chose the Tteuranchae table with grilled mackerel. Last time I had borigulbi, so I switched to mackerel. Personally, mackerel is the grilled fish I eat most often, and since pot rice and doenjang jjigae come with it, I figured mackerel would go well.

You can have the full Tteuranchae set meal, but I find the cheaper Tteuranchae table plus an à la carte dish is just the right amount for me.

What are the Tteuranchae table side dishes like?

The Tteuranchae table comes with a pretty wide variety: namul, kimchi, japchae, eggplant dishes, braised items and more. Food starts arriving one dish at a time, and again the table filled up quickly. These days many restaurants give you one main and three or four basic sides, but here you have to look over everything just to decide what to eat first, haha.

The sides overall aren't heavily seasoned, so they were easy to eat with rice. Rather than eating lots of one side, I'd have a bit of this, then a bit of that, which is the fun of a Korean set meal.

Cheonggukjang refill comes out at the original amount

The cheonggukjang (strong fermented soybean stew) here is the real deal. They said it could be refilled because it's popular, so I asked, expecting a little more in a small dish. But huh? >.< It came out almost the same as the first one, haha. Wow, I think this is the first place that gives such a big refill. I ordered because I liked it, but toward the end I was so full I wondered if I shouldn't have bothered, haha.

How is the grilled mackerel?

The grilled mackerel I chose instead of borigulbi came as a big fish opened flat, nicely golden on the outside. Mackerel is a letdown if it's dry, but the mackerel here stayed moist inside, which I liked.

Picking the flesh off with chopsticks and putting it on warm pot rice is, as always, delicious. This time I found that borigulbi is great, but the mackerel was pretty good too.

Sweet potato-style fried potato and fried eggplant

The side dishes were all delicious. And there's a potato matang (candied fried potato), which is totally addictive, I kept eating it.

The fried eggplant (gaji tangsuyuk) was also tossed well in a lightly salty soy sauce glaze and was so good. It's at the self-bar, so you can keep going back for more, which was great.

Refilled japchae comes out at the same amount too

When I come to Gim Myeongju, I keep reaching for the japchae. The noodles aren't too hard or too mushy, and the seasoning is just right, so it works well as a side for rice. I finished the first plate quickly and asked for a refill. They refilled it at the same amount, which I loved.

Pot rice and nurungji

The rice comes in a stone pot, of course. When you lift the lid, warm rice is right there, and pot rice suits a Korean set meal so well.

If you scoop the rice out first and pour water into the pot, you can finish with nurungji (scorched rice soup). But this day I'd worked so hard on the refills that by the time I got to the nurungji I was truly stuffed, haha. Still, I managed a few spoonfuls of the nutty nurungji.

What's at the self-bar?

At the self-bar (salad bar) of Gim Myeongju Bucheon Main Branch, you can help yourself to everything from rice to various side dishes. There's plenty of namul and a bibim sauce so you can even make bibimbap, but I was far too full, so I skipped the bibimbap.

Verdict: a generous-refill Korean set meal in Jakdong, Bucheon

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch is a tasty Korean set meal restaurant with golden grilled mackerel, warm pot rice, nutty doenjang jjigae and lots of side dishes. The refills in particular are really generous, haha.

I refilled the japchae and the stew because they were good, and they came out almost like the first time, so I ended up too full to cope. Still, everything tasted so good that I kept reaching with my chopsticks even while saying I was full.

I think of it when I want a relaxed meal of pot rice, grilled fish and namul sides rather than something flashy or heavily seasoned. Next time I really have to bring my parents~