Mullae clam shabu restaurant for a company dinner, soju 1+1: Palmi

What is Palmi Jogae Kalguksu in Mullae like?

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu (팔미 조개칼국수) is a clam shabu kalguksu restaurant not far from Mullae Station, where you get in-season clams from all over Korea, vegetables and meat in one meal. I'm a total shabu addict, so with shabu I always check ingredient freshness and prep first, and Palmi was honestly perfect. It was so delicious I shouted "Eureka!" Satisfaction from the ingredients alone: 30000%, and the staff were so kind too. A true Mullae Station gem. Let's get it!

Walk down the summer tree-lined street, turn left, and you'll see the Palmi Jogae Kalguksu building.

Palmi puts the flavor of in-season clams from across the country front and center. I heard "Palmi" means "the flavors of the eight provinces."

There's a shabu-shabu standing sign and a logo inspired by mountain ridgelines, and I was so excited for those seasonal clams.

It didn't seem to be on Catch Table (a Korean reservation app) yet. A stand held a neat price list for the shabu sets.

Where do you park at Palmi Jogae Kalguksu?

There's no dedicated parking, so use the nearby Mullae-dong public parking lot (₩900 per 30 minutes). Mullae-dong is full of workshops and factories, so you either use the public lot or, quietly and tactfully, park around the factories.

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu interior, group seats and rooms

This Korean restaurant in Mullae impressed me with its clean wood tones and Korean-style interior.

The mini fountain set in the middle like a small garden was a kind of highlight, like they made an open space in the center. Along with the lattice doors and the moving display, there are Korean touches throughout. Oh, and the walls aren't plain concrete, which gave it an even more Korean feel.

The interior was totally my taste. It's the kind of place my department head and team leads would like: clean, but not just rowdy, good for a team dinner. There's a partitioned space at the back with two separate tables, which would be good to book for a company dinner or group gathering. Palmi has group seating, rooms for up to 8, high chairs, and takes reservations.

How to order at Palmi and the soju 1+1 deal

You order easily at the kiosk on each table.

The order time is set automatically, I see. I came on a weekday evening with a friend, so I picked the dinner set for 2.

Besides that there are shabu add-ons, à la carte dishes and alcohol, plus Coke Zero and Sprite for people who don't drink.

If you do a review event, they serve either one bottle of alcohol or beef belly bean sprout stir-fry for free.

And, and, and: order soju from 5pm and it's 1+1. Crazy, right? haha Cool, refreshing shabu paired with soju just makes you go "ahh"... and my one regret is having to pace myself and not go wild.

What comes in the dinner set for 2 clam shabu kalguksu?

I ordered the Palmi clam shabu kalguksu dinner set for 2. Once you sit down and order, staff set out sauce dishes and bring you a glass of sangria slush.

I didn't expect much, but this was seriously amazing. It's literally a sangria slush with a wine aroma, and it wakes up your appetite like an aperitif;;;

The sauces are soy sauce, chogochujang (sweet-and-sour chili sauce) and chili sauce, so eat them however you like.

Ta-da! While I was chatting with my friend, a whole tray of Palmi clam shabu kalguksu got set out. What a sight, is this real?

• Abalone
• Bok choy
• Oyster mushrooms
• Scallops
• Pork belly
• Water dropwort (minari)
• Hard clams
• Mussels
• Bean sprouts
• Pork neck

Only the ball was missing: a shabu tray full of land and sea.

The clam prep and live abalone were impressive

What really moved me at Palmi was how the clams were prepped and washed. They were fresh clams scrubbed one by one with a brush. If you've ever bought live clams and cooked them at home, you know how much work that is. The vegetables were prepped perfectly too, and the meat looked top quality at a glance. And this abalone? It's alive. Even live abalone, that's the level.

The broth comes first, and you wait for it to boil.

The kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) are chewy, and the kimchi is fresh, unfermented kimchi. Personally I thought it went really well with the noodles.

I was glaring at the broth, waiting for it to boil.

How to eat Palmi clam shabu kalguksu in the best order

Once the broth boils, put in the mussels first, then the vegetables. The abalone moved when I tapped it, so in it goes. Bean sprouts and oyster mushrooms get dropped in too. The vegetable flavor needs to infuse the broth. After it simmers a while, add the meat. That bright red color is insane.

Scallops and hard clams cook fast, so don't dump them all in at once. Add two or three at a time and eat them tender.

What I loved about Palmi clam shabu kalguksu is that, besides being tasty, it's such a joy to look at while eating.

Personally I like minari lightly blanched, so I added it in small batches. Crunchy texture and a strong aroma, though how do they even prep all that minari.. (minari is hard to clean)

Pork belly went in for shabu too. The fat melts away and it was so good. Dipped in chili sauce with vegetables, it's the best. I also ate bean sprouts and bok choy with hard clams as a combo, and isn't meat in shabu the golden rule anyway?

It was so good.... I really wanted a drink. Because a group at the diagonal table was having a company dinner and everyone was happily tipsy. Sob. They looked like deputy and department heads, and the clean food that makes drinks go down easy makes this a top spot for group gatherings.

Sauce pairings: chili for meat, soy or chogochujang for clams

Dip the meat you fish out deep into chili sauce. Chili for meat, soy sauce or chogochujang for clams: that combo was the ultimate. Scallop with chogochujang, yum. And honestly, no matter how much I ate, it felt like the amount never went down, like it was multiplying infinitely.

I can't resist the abalone. It was tender and not tough at all. I don't like slightly hard abalone, but this one chewed softly in my mouth and was so good.

By now the broth is truly rich, you know. I was so busy eating that I didn't notice it was reducing. But the owner came over and thoughtfully topped it up, so I could enjoy the shabu-shabu to the very end.

Finishing kalguksu and abalone innards porridge

The Palmi dinner course goes shabu-shabu, then kalguksu, and finally abalone innards porridge. Kalguksu is the rule! I was so full I felt like I'd throw up, but how can you not eat the kalguksu? The broth was already cheating. Eating it with kimchi is so good...

hahahaha You thought it was over? Nope. The real final dish is abalone innards porridge. Once you say you've finished the kalguksu, they set up the porridge right away. And I really couldn't skip it: I'm part of the abalone innards fan club, so not eating innards porridge? Impossible. It was sooo good, but the problem was my stomach felt like it would burst. That's how good it was.

Is Palmi Jogae Kalguksu worth going back to?

Mullae-dong is basically my turf, where I hang out with friends, and I really wanted to bring my other friends to Palmi too. Fresh ingredients from across the country, a clean space and friendly staff: nothing is missing at this Mullae shabu kalguksu spot. I recommend Palmi Jogae Kalguksu (⌯'ᢦ'⌯)