Jeju Korean restaurant with abalone stew: Jeju Seom Godeungeo Ssambap

Mackerel ssambap restaurant in front of Hamdeok Beach

Joy is almost one now, so I thought flying would be manageable, and I planned a trip to Jeju with my parents! Since we had a baby with us, I didn’t think we could get around to lots of places, so we stayed in Hamdeok and mostly stuck nearby~ But you can’t skip delicious food, right? After lots of searching, we went to Jeju Seom Godeungeo Ssambap, and both my parents and I were sooo happy with it~!

Jeju Seom Godeungeo Ssambap is right by Hamdeok Beach in Jeju. Jeju surprisingly has lots of mackerel ssambap (rice wraps with braised mackerel) places, you know? It was a menu I’d never seen before—maybe it’s a Jeju signature dish~.~ Then of course we had to try it, haha.

You can check the menu outside before going in, and doesn’t everything look sooo good? Haha. I also liked that the entrance was easy to get through with a stroller~

The interior was really spacious, and it was even better because there was space between the tables. We visited on a weekday afternoon, but there were still quite a few customers by the windows, so I only photographed the empty seats, haha.

Easy seating for dining with a baby

There were plenty of high chairs, and it was fine to bring a stroller inside too. It’s surprisingly hard to find a good restaurant to go to with a baby, so a place that has both high chairs and stroller access is just the best, right? ^^ Haha.

This is what the view by the windows is like. It’s right in front of the sea, so you get that refreshing ocean view. There are lots of cafés nearby too, making it perfect for a full Hamdeok Beach day!

Ordering from the table kiosk

I didn’t take a photo of the menu, so I’m substituting one I got from Naver Place ^^;;; Mackerel ssambap seems to be the signature dish. You can order from the kiosk installed at each table! They also have quite a variety of single-serving dishes, so it feels like a nice place to come eat alone too~.~

The side dishes are generous, right~? You can get more of anything you run out of at the self-service bar, and the fresh wraps were so tasty that I refilled them again and again, haha. Overall, the side dishes were delicious, and I loved that there was even marinated crab. Yay~~

Abalone pot stew with three abalones

Abalone pot stew, ₩17,000. My dad wasn’t really in the mood for braised fish, so we ordered the abalone pot stew for him, haha. It came out bubbling away.

It had as many as three abalones, plus various seafood including shrimp and crab. The broth was doenjang (fermented soybean paste)-based, so I thought it would be a flavor older diners would enjoy too. My dad really enjoyed it, haha.

Mackerel ssambap with aged kimchi

Mackerel ssambap for 2, ₩36,000. My mom and I ordered Jeju Seom Godeungeo Ssambap’s signature mackerel ssambap. The braised mackerel with kimchi came out incredibly generous, and the kimchi came as a whole head, which made it look even more appetizing. When I travel with Mom and Dad, I become the baby… When I travel with friends or my husband, I have to cut everything myself, but Mom cut it all for me, so it was sooo nice and easy ^^~~

The mackerel was so plump, and there was lots of it too~! Underneath was a layer of thinly sliced radish, and you know this, right? The real star of braised fish is the radish. It had soaked up so much seasoning and was seriously delicious too!!

You can’t resist aged kimchi with riceㅠ They had an extra-kimchi option, and after one bite, I thought, I should definitely order more of this. So freaking good!! It was delicious enough that I could easily finish a whole bowl of rice with just the aged kimchi. So, so tasty! One bowl of rice wasn’t enough, haha.

I carefully picked out the plump mackerel flesh and ate it with plain rice, then wrapped it in fresh lettuce too. I’d never thought of lettuce wraps with braised fish, but it was much better than I expected? It was the kind of flavor that made me keep wrapping and eating it, haha.

Receipt review event

Jeju Seom Godeungeo Ssambap was running a receipt review event that gives you Jeju chocolate~ It doesn’t take long, so I definitely recommend joining in~~!