Songpa Korean BBQ buffet with self-serve ramen: Muhan Paldo

Honestly, I don't think you can dismiss the quality at all-you-can-eat restaurants these days. My friend and I were in Jamsil to visit Seokchon Lake, and since we were getting hungry, we stopped by Paldo Daepae, a Jamsilsaenae favorite, for a simple meal.

Location and parking at Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch

The accessibility was seriously great. It is a five-minute walk from Exit 3 of Jamsilsaenae Station. There is no dedicated parking, though, which may be a little disappointing for anyone driving.

The restaurant atmosphere and unlimited sliced-meat menu

It is a large restaurant. Around 50 people can easily fit at once, and weekday table time is limited to two hours, so the wait probably will not be as long as you might expect.

Unlimited sliced-meat prices

You need to order the basic unlimited sliced-meat option.

• Adults: ₩18,900
• Children ages 8–10: ₩10,900
• Children ages 5–7: ₩8,900

The rest of the menu consists of alcohol and sides: naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), steamed egg, doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), drinks, and alcohol. You order through the tablet at your table.

What is included in the unlimited sliced-meat self-service bar

But there is a real reason the unlimited sliced-meat course saves you money.

• Six kinds of thinly sliced meat
• Self-serve ramen bar
• Rice and fried rice
• Wraps, vegetables, and sauces
• Slushies and hovenia tea

They are all included in the unlimited refill deal. I honestly wondered whether there could be anything left for them at this price.

The self-service setup starts with an empty grill

When you are first shown to your table, there is only an empty grill, tongs, and two bowls, so you might think, “What am I supposed to do with this?” You take the round bowls and fill them with as much of whichever meat cuts you want; the wide stainless-steel tray is for catching grease.

I wondered why there were no other dishes, but everything is set out at the self-service bar. You bring only what you want to eat, so the first impression feels a little bare.

Six cuts, including flower-cut pork belly, pork neck, pork belly, and beef belly, fill the bins. They replenish them right away when they run out, so everyone can eat quickly and the tables turn over faster than I expected.

Self-serve ramen made in a Ppogeuli machine

And what I personally loved was that ramen, which is usually sold separately, was set out self-service style.

They even have a Ppogeuli ramen-cooking machine, haha. I made Chamkkae Ramen, and there were about seven varieties, including Jin Ramen, kimchi ramen, Snack Ramen, and beef noodle soup, so it was great to choose according to your taste.

Grill the sliced meat, then make sauce-seasoned fried rice

But the meat is the main event, of course. Grill it sizzling on the hot plate with whichever sides you want, such as kimchi, mushrooms, bracken fern, and seasoned vegetables,

then wrap it up in ssam (leaf wraps) and it is seriously delicious.

I do not usually eat thinly sliced meat, but its real advantage is how quickly it cooks.

So at Paldo Daepae in Jamsilsaenae, I went back and forth three or four times, taking half the cooked meat off and grilling the other half again, keeping the meal going without a break.

And when we were fairly full, we topped it all off with fried rice. I recommend adding an extra sauce when you make it. I used leftover meat pieces, kimchi, green onion, garlic, lots of seaweed flakes, and sesame oil, but it was missing about 2% of the seasoning.

I stir-fried it with a little makjang sauce and the savory flavor went up! Perfect with beer! Personally, I recommend ssamjang.

Stamp rewards and final thoughts

Today I introduced Paldo Daepae, a Jamsilsaenae favorite where you can thoroughly enjoy six kinds of sliced meat, ramen, fried rice, slushies, and vegetables at an easygoing price.

They give one stamp per meal, plus one additional stamp when you leave a photo review. Collect 10 for one free meal, so go together and build up those stamps quickly—then finish with hovenia tea and take care of your hangover all at once before you go!