Seongsan Ilchulbong fish restaurant: large braise set on a Jeju trip

An east Jeju trip: Seongsan Ilchulbong first, grilled cutlassfish after

I went on a trip to Jeju this time. I thought Jeju was a place you could see in a day — turns out that's totally wrong haha. Completely clueless. They say you divide it into north/south/east/west and figure out where to go and what to do, and I was clueless about all of that. Still, we planned this trip around the north and east of the airport. Since we were traveling with a baby, I figured it'd be easier to stay in one place instead of moving around, so we planted our roots in the east.

They say there are a few must-eat foods when you go to Jeju — noodle soup with pork, hangover soup, sashimi, braised or grilled cutlassfish. We decided what to eat based on our route, and today's pick was braised and grilled cutlassfish! We went there right after visiting Seongsan Ilchulbong, so we headed to Seongsan Bada Punggyeong Jeju Seongsan Ilchulbong Branch, a well-known spot near Seongsan Ilchulbong for grilled cutlassfish. You can see Seongsan Ilchulbong right from the front, and there was plenty of parking, which was great.

What the large Bada Punggyeong braise includes

What we ordered at Seongsan Bada Punggyeong was the large Bada Punggyeong braise. Apparently if you order the braise with mackerel and cutlassfish in it, grilled cutlassfish comes along with it. You just walk in and grab a table, and they bring the basic side dishes first, with free refills if you need more.

After a bit of a wait, the large braise we ordered came out, and wow — the moment it arrived it looked so good I thought I could eat two bowls of rice with it. So we're sitting there going "ooh~" and waiting, and then the grilled cutlassfish shows up too haha. Amazing. For the grilled cutlassfish, they debone it for you on the side, and honestly, no matter how many times I see it, it's still fascinating — total pro-level moves haha.

The mackerel in the braise beat the grilled cutlassfish

My wife and I tried it together and — oh, it was so good haha. The grilled cutlassfish flesh was really plump, savory, tender, and delicious, honestly. And for me, the braise was even better than the grilled fish... wow, the braise was so good.

Personally I thought it might feel a little lacking if it was just cutlassfish, but the mackerel was genuinely insane. Cutlassfish is cutlassfish, but the mackerel blew my mind — so plump and tender it was crazy haha. It could honestly stand alone as its own braised mackerel dish. Ugh, now I suddenly want it again.

We mixed the sauce, fish, and rice together like our lives depended on it — I think we basically inhaled it. Partly it's because we were hungry after Seongsan Ilchulbong, but I don't know why it went down so easily. Picking apart the cutlassfish and mackerel, then breaking off a big chunk of braised radish to eat with rice — that's just...

While we were eating, a lot of families kept coming in, and a few of them were groups we'd actually seen at Seongsan Ilchulbong earlier. It's kind of that thing where once you're traveling, you keep running into the same people, you know? Haha. If you're still deciding where to get grilled cutlassfish on your east Jeju trip, how about this well-known spot near Seongsan Ilchulbong, Seongsan Bada Punggyeong Jeju Seongsan Ilchulbong Branch? Parking is easy, the place is spacious, and both the owner and staff are friendly haha.

The owner's 15 years as a tour guide, and the note on the window

The male owner of Seongsan Bada Punggyeong apparently worked as a tour guide in Jeju for 15 years — with that kind of background, you can trust the food, right? A lot of places near tourist spots charge more and give less, but here it's written right on the window that they want to be respected as a place that stands up fairly against mainland restaurants haha. Honestly, that's not an easy thing for a restaurant owner to put in writing — really impressive haha. And considering you get grilled cutlassfish free with the braise, well, that says it all. Value for money and value for the heart, both top-tier.

People's tastes for the braise seasoning will differ, sure, but in terms of portion size, it really delivers on value. That's just my take haha. Personally, when I'm at a tourist spot, easy parking matters a lot — and this place has good parking, good food, generous portions, and friendly staff. Seongsan Bada Punggyeong, the well-known grilled cutlassfish spot near Seongsan Ilchulbong — give it a try!

At Seongsan Ilchulbong, walk down to the haenyeo diver village

Have a great trip in Jeju, and oh — at Seongsan Ilchulbong, definitely walk down to the haenyeo (female diver) village below. I was pretty tired that day and almost skipped it, but my wife insisted we go down, and I would have really regretted it if we hadn't. Nature is truly something else..! Makes me want to go back to Jeju already, ugh.

Next time I should check out the south and west. Hope everyone has a wonderful trip to Jeju!