Bucheon Korean set meal with Mom, borigulbi vs mackerel: Gim Myeongju

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch: can you get there without a car?

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch (김명주뜰안채밥상 부천본점) is a Korean set meal restaurant (hanjeongsik) on the 2nd floor of a building at 59 Gilju-ro 560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi. At first it looked a little out of the way, so I figured driving would be easier, but one bus ride from the subway station gets you there quickly, so public transport works fine too.

The walk there is really pretty. Once you head inside, you'll see a big sign and a parking lot.

Inside and atmosphere

The restaurant sits in a 2-story building and has a quiet, serene feel overall, which I liked. The inside is one big hall, so it looks fine for family meals or group gatherings.

Even after dinner time, customers kept coming in, probably locals. I wondered if it's a neighborhood regular. Above all, I was really satisfied after eating. It seems good for family gatherings or for inviting people you care about, and I was so happy that I decided to come back the moment I walked out!

Menu and prices: how many should two people order?

• Borigulbi set (barley-aged yellow croaker) ₩31,000
• Mackerel set ₩29,000

We ordered one borigulbi set and one mackerel set! For two people, one set plus one Tteuranchae Bapsang would be plenty! I love fish, so I said "let's eat both!" and ordered two sets, and I almost couldn't finish..!! That's how good it was 😘👍

As a proper set meal, it comes with lots of banchan (side dishes) besides the grilled fish, and you can refill them at the self-serve bar! There are many of them, and each one tastes good, so they were as impressive as the main dishes.

Borigulbi set and mackerel set: how did they taste?

Of all the Korean set meals I've had lately, Gim Myeongju was by far the best. I ordered the borigulbi set and the mackerel set, and everything from the mains to the banchan was delicious. At most Korean set meal restaurants only a few banchan really draw your chopsticks and the rest are so-so, but here every one was good and I couldn't decide which to eat first, haha

First, pour hot water into the stone pot rice and get started~~

Borigulbi: chewy, tender flesh with no fishiness

I started with the borigulbi (barley-aged salted yellow croaker). Done badly, it can taste fishy or bitter, be too salty, or have dry, tough flesh. But the borigulbi here had none of those letdowns.

The saltiness was just right, it kept that signature half-chewy texture, and the flesh was tender, so it was really good. Mild yet full of savory depth, with no fishy or bitter taste, it kept me going back for more. Personally, I'd say it's the best borigulbi I've had this year. 😭

Why does the borigulbi set come with Boseong green tea?

When you order the borigulbi set, they also bring Boseong green tea. At first I wondered why they were giving me tea, but it turns out it's for pouring over your rice haha

Putting rice in the green tea and topping it with borigulbi added the clean taste of green tea and made the saltiness of the borigulbi stand out even more! It was good with plain rice too, but with the green tea it had a different charm.

Mackerel set: rich, plump grilled mackerel

The grilled mackerel here was really good too. The savory flavor hit me with the first bite, and the flesh was plump, which surprised me. If grilled fish smells even a little fishy it's hard to eat, but this mackerel had no fishy smell at all.

The mackerel wasn't dry; it was moist and tender, and the savory taste got deeper the more I chewed. Honestly, the quality felt better than at a grilled fish specialty restaurant. I never expected to eat such good grilled mackerel at a Korean set meal restaurant, and I was really satisfied haha The two dishes each have their own charm, so I was glad we ordered both.

Even someone who doesn't eat cheonggukjang ate it

I normally don't eat cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). But the cheonggukjang here was so good, with no funky smell and a nutty flavor, that I ate it happily and Mom was surprised.. haha The quality of the cheonggukjang that comes as standard is really good!

The banchan: which ones were good?

I have to talk about the banchan too. There were quite a lot of them, and it wasn't just variety; each one tasted good too!!

Gungchae namul (seasoned stalk vegetable)

First there was gungchae namul. From the look of it I thought it was spinach. But the texture was different, so I got curious and asked, and they told me it was gungchae. The crunchy texture is appealing and it tasted good, so it stuck with me.

Kimchi, seasoned perilla leaves, seasoned bellflower root

The kimchi was good too. It's pleasantly sweet with a rich seasoning, and felt a little different from ordinary kimchi. The seasoning had a savory depth like salted octopus, so it went well with rice. I normally don't eat seasoned perilla leaves because they're salty.. but the saltiness here was just mild enough, and the seasoned bellflower root had no bitterness at all and just the right tang..🥹

Mom's pick: japchae

The japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) was the top pick of my mom, who loves Korean food! Some places make japchae too heavily seasoned or oily, but the japchae here tasted clean, which I liked. Not overpowering but still delicious 👍👍

My pick: seasoned garlic scapes

And my pick was the seasoned garlic scapes! At first they looked like shredded scallions, so I didn't realize they were garlic scapes. But they tasted so good that I kept reaching for more. The distinctive flavor of garlic scapes blended well with the seasoning and I really liked it. It was the most memorable of the banchan.

Fried eggplant: a little soggy, but

There was fried eggplant too, and it seemed to have been fried a while earlier, so parts were a bit soggy. Even so, the crispy coating was 👍 and the inside was completely soft, so the contrast between coating and filling was nice. I think people who love eggplant, and even those who don't usually eat it, could enjoy it.

Working through the banchan one by one, I felt busier than when eating the mains haha Borigulbi and mackerel alone would have been satisfying enough, but with banchan this good I just kept eating rice.

Finishing with stone pot nurungji

The meal ended with nurungji (scorched rice soup), made by pouring hot water into the stone pot rice. Even after stuffing myself with grilled fish and banchan, the nurungji still went down. Finishing with that warm, nutty taste settled my stomach and made it feel like a proper meal. 🥰

From the borigulbi and mackerel to the many banchan and the final nurungji, there was nothing to be disappointed about. It seems great for eating with family or taking your parents, and it suits bigger groups too. I was so satisfied that I said I'd come back the moment I walked out! If you like Korean set meals, I hope you'll visit at least once!

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang in one line

Gim Myeongju in Bucheon: the best Korean meal I've had this year. The borigulbi was salty, chewy and tender, and the mackerel was plump and nutty with no fishy smell, so I was really satisfied. The banchan, including the japchae and garlic scapes, were each delicious, and the nurungji at the end made it a hearty meal, so I want to come back!