Seaweed soup restaurant in Balsan, Seoul: a la carte for two, Mikodam

Where is Mikodam, the seaweed soup specialist near Balsan Station?

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in seaweed soup, just a short walk down from Exit 4 of Balsan Station. It's in the building right next to Gangseo Songdo Hospital.

On a weekend at the peak of the heat wave, I didn't feel like cooking at home, so I gently suggested eating out to my dear husband. There's a seaweed soup place near Balsan Station I'd tried a few months back and loved — it's called Mikodam, and seaweed soup is the main event, served alongside a full Korean set-meal spread.

Parking supported for up to 3 hours

And here's a big plus — there's a large parking lot nearby with 3 hours of parking support! Places near Balsan Station with their own parking are pretty rare, so having this really makes it great for family gatherings too.

Mikodam also serves beef jeon (pan-fried beef) as a free service to anyone celebrating a birthday around that time, so if you're going, check ahead whether anyone in your group has a birthday coming up!

Inside Mikodam: group tables and the private room

Mikodam hasn't been open long, so it's very clean and fresh, and the ceilings are high and open, which feels great. The seating is spacious too, and with lots of group tables, it's a good spot near Balsan Station for company dinners or gatherings haha

The interior also has an upscale feel, so I think it holds up well as a place to treat someone to a meal near Balsan Station.

And there's a private room tucked in the back — you'll need to book ahead. It seats up to 12 people. On weekday lunches, even if you're fewer than 12, you can still use it as long as no reservation is booked for that time!

Snacks and drinks by the entrance

And right at the entrance there are snacks and drinks — plum tea, sikhye (sweet rice punch), and instant coffee.

I thought the rice cooker held nurungji (scorched rice), but it was popped corn kernels!!!

Mikodam menu and prices

Mikodam has standalone dishes like seaweed soup and cockle bibimbap, but there are also 2-person and 3-person sets, priced in the low ₩20,000s per person, letting you try a bit of everything — those sets seem pretty solid too~

Since we both love seaweed soup, we each ordered it as a standalone dish.

• Beef seaweed soup ₩17,000
• Clam seaweed soup ₩15,000
• Flounder clam seaweed soup ₩17,000
• Abalone clam seaweed soup ₩21,000
• Cockle bibim - soy-sauce bibim ₩18,000
• Cockle bibim - vinegared cockle bibim ₩18,000

And you can easily order extra banchan via the kiosk too~

And Mikodam gives you a free egg roll if you leave a receipt review!!

Which side dishes come with an a la carte seaweed soup?

We ordered beef seaweed soup and clam seaweed soup, and the table filled up with tidy banchan just like at a proper Korean set-meal place~ Springy japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) that hadn't gone soft, and spicy stir-fried pork came out, plus

burdock-root assorted pickles that were so delicious, kimchi, gim (seaweed), and mustard-dressed vegetable salad

Grilled Norwegian mackerel, big enough for two

And Norwegian mackerel, generous enough for two to share! Mackerel really has to be Norwegian mackerel, haha. Honestly, I wanted to have the seaweed soup that day, but the thought of mackerel grilled by someone else (key point) crossed my mind too^^;

Beef jeon, which my husband absolutely loves, came with a side of chive salad~

Each of our seaweed soups arrived, along with rice served in brass bowls, completing a very tidy seaweed soup feast. Three-colored namul (seasoned vegetables) came alongside the mackerel too~ I forgot to get a solo shot of it, hahaha.

The rice was also very sticky and delicious~ Seaweed soup absolutely has to be paired with plain white rice, haha.

How do the beef and clam seaweed soups taste?

Mikodam's seaweed soup comes out really at a rolling boil in a stone pot, staying hot until you finish it. My husband's beef seaweed soup had plenty of tender beef, and

clam seaweed soup, which I love so much. It's such a hassle to make clam seaweed soup for just myself at home, so I prefer eating it out. Neither of the two guys in my house eat clam seaweed soup ㅜ.ㅜ Little bits of clam meat were scattered throughout, and Mikodam's seaweed soup is the real deal~

It was a heat wave that day, but sitting in Mikodam's cool interior eating a hot bowl of seaweed soup felt incredibly good ㅜ.ㅜ

My husband loves beef jeon so much I only managed to steal one piece hahaha

Mikodam's Norwegian mackerel — the meat is really packed full, right? Order two bowls of seaweed soup and it comes without fail.

The sikhye my husband brought over was sweet and nutty~

Is Mikodam worth a visit?

If you're craving seaweed soup near Balsan Station, or want a tidy full Korean meal, this could be a great place to stop by~

Parking is supported up to 3 hours, and with group seating and a private room, it's great for gatherings too — and the taste, of course, comes as a given.