Guwol-dong abalone restaurant: lunch date with my husband, Jeonbokchon

Jeonbokchon in Guwol-dong: is it good for a lunch date?

My husband and I were out on a little date in Incheon, went to Guwol-dong, and found Jeonbokchon (전복촌) for lunch. It serves a full abalone course, so I came expecting a special meal, and the abalone-centered table was neatly prepared. I was happy with it.

Raw abalone, grilled abalone, abalone porridge and more, all like a course. It was filling, and I felt like I was eating a healthy restorative meal. It's a good fit for a special date meal rather than an ordinary lunch.

Where to park at Jeonbokchon

The parking lot is across from the building. With a private lot, we could park easily and then eat.

Jeonbokchon's exterior and the area around it

A perfect pick for an Incheon outing.. The exterior has green trees and a garden between the buildings, with the calm feel of a Korean restaurant. Go up the stairs and you see the entrance, and the sign saying it's an abalone specialty restaurant made me expect a healthy spread from the first impression.

Jeonbokchon seating, private rooms and reservations

The interior is done in warm wood tones, with the calm, comfortable mood typical of a Korean restaurant. The hall seats are partly separated by partitions, which made eating pleasant, and the soft lighting made it feel cozy.

Further inside there are rooms suited to group gatherings or family meals, so you can eat privately. It was good for a quiet lunch date with my husband, and the atmosphere would also suit bringing parents. If you reserve ahead, they set aside a reserved seat for you.

Jeonbokchon menu and prices: how much is the lunch special?

The lunch special is ₩14,900 and the dinner special set is ₩19,900, and the notice on the signboard out front stood out right away. The lunch special includes salad, abalone porridge, flatfish sashimi, roll sushi, half-dried pollack, shrimp tempura, steamed abalone, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), spicy pollack salad, seaweed soup and 3 side dishes, which felt quite generous for the price.

The menu is built around abalone, with set meals, lunch menus and à la carte dishes. There are course-style options like the Longevity set (jangsu jeongsik), the Abalone set and the Original set (bon jeongsik), and for lunch there are separate Lunch Special, Special and Premium menus, so it's easy to choose without pressure.

I liked that a whole table comes out with porridge, steamed abalone, sashimi, tempura and seaweed soup, and there are single dishes like butter-grilled abalone on an iron plate, raw abalone and whole abalone nurungji (scorched rice) stew to add as you like. The dinner special set also looked like an easy way to enjoy an abalone spread. It seemed like a good choice for a lunch date or a good-value restorative meal.

What comes with Jeonbokchon's abalone set?

We wanted to really enjoy abalone, so we ordered the abalone set. It features various dishes made with fresh Wando abalone, which suits a name like Jeonbokchon. From raw abalone to grilled, steamed, porridge and side dishes, the table was full, so even though it was lunch it was quite filling. It felt like a special restorative meal during our Incheon date, and I was satisfied.

Sweet-and-sour abalone (chohoe) and raw abalone

The abalone chohoe (abalone in a tangy vinegar dressing) comes as thinly sliced abalone with a refreshing sauce, which whets the appetite. The chewy texture with the sour tang made it a great starter for the set.

The raw abalone is served in its shell, so it looks fresh at first glance. It had a crunchy yet chewy texture, and the clean, mild flavor of the abalone itself came through.

Abalone sushi and roll sushi

Abalone sushi and roll sushi come too, a light bite in the middle of the course. The sushi topped with chewy abalone was mild, and being bite-sized it was easy to try. Every single dish added to the satisfaction of our Incheon date.

Steamed abalone with abalone-innards sauce

The steamed abalone comes with plump abalone in the shell, and just looking at it you can feel the freshness. The innards sauce (gweu sauce) served with it had the rich nuttiness of abalone innards with a slight buttery note, making it much smoother and deeper. Dipping the abalone in the sauce, the chewy texture and savory umami went together so well, and it was the most memorable part of the set!!

Abalone nurungji (scorched rice) seafood stew

The abalone nurungji seafood stew arrives bubbling hot, a good closing dish. The nutty scorched rice gets the umami of seafood broth, and with abalone in it, it was hearty yet soothing on the stomach. The look of this Guwol-dong spot is no ordinary thing...

Fried fish in spicy sauce and shrimp tempura

The fried fish was topped with plenty of spicy sauce, crisp outside and moist inside, with a great texture. The sauce in particular was really good. Spicy yet full of umami, it went well with the nuttiness of the fried fish, and I kept reaching for more.

The shrimp tempura, crisp outside and moist inside, was also so good... ^^ It's an abalone course, but I love that tasty dishes that aren't abalone show up here and there.

Bulgogi in a clay pot

The bulgogi (marinated beef) comes in a hot clay pot (ttukbaegi), so it stayed warm to the end. The sweet marinade had soaked well into the meat, and the broth wasn't harsh, so it went well with rice. A familiar meat dish among the abalone dishes made the whole spread feel even more filling.

An abalone-themed table this delicious. Raw abalone, steamed abalone, abalone chohoe, abalone sushi and abalone nurungji seafood stew, plus fried fish and bulgogi, made it as rich as a course. From the moment the table filled up, it felt like a special restorative meal, and as a lunch for our Incheon date with my husband, how could we not be satisfied...

Seasoned abalone innards and fermented pollack (myeongtae sikhye) cabbage wraps

The seasoned abalone innards had the nutty flavor of the innards really alive, and I liked them more than expected. With vegetables, crumbled seaweed and sesame, the texture was good too, and it wasn't greasy but had a deep umami. It was like a little delicacy to have in the middle of the abalone set.

The pollack sikhye (myeongtae-hoe sikhye, spicy-sweet raw pollack fermented with rice malt) was well seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce that whets the appetite. Putting it on cabbage and wrapping it with abalone was a great combination, like bossam (boiled pork wraps). Crisp cabbage, chewy abalone and umami-rich seasoning together made it a delicacy I enjoyed.

Abalone seaweed soup with rice and plum tea for dessert

Finally the meal came out, and it was really generous. I was already quite full from the course, but when the abalone seaweed soup and neat side dishes arrived, I couldn't just pass them by.

The warm abalone seaweed soup had a clean, deep broth that finished the meal gently on the stomach. The rice came as just about half a bowl, so it wasn't overwhelming, and eating it with side dishes like kimchi, seasoned greens and japchae, I enjoyed it to the very end. The finish of the abalone set was filling and satisfying.

Plum tea (maesil-cha) came as dessert. After eating the abalone set so abundantly I was really full, and the sweet, clean plum tea refreshed my mouth. It felt like it helped digestion too, perfect to end a hearty meal. Personally, I really loved this Incheon date spot...

How to join Jeonbokchon's receipt review event

Jeonbokchon was running a receipt review event for anyone ordering the Premium set or higher. The perk is free shrimp tempura.

• Tell the staff you want to join the receipt review event
• Scan the QR code
• Verify your receipt and leave a review with photos
• Show the staff your review and get the shrimp tempura

Joining the event thriftily on an Incheon outing and eating well is a must!!!