Guro pot rice restaurant, Friday after work without drinks: Solsot

Why pot rice instead of drinks on a Friday at Solsot Guro G-Valley branch?

Solsot Guro G-Valley branch (솔솥 구로지밸리점) is a pot rice Korean restaurant near Guro Digital Complex Station, and I went for a hearty meal after work on a Friday. It's blazing Friday! The kind of day when you feel like you should go out for a drink after work, but it's the changing of the seasons and both of us were sniffling, so we decided on a solid meal in a neighborhood not far from home. That's how we ended up at this Guro Digital Complex Station favorite.

A friend had recently visited and recommended it as delicious, so I could go without any worries.

Solsot Guro G-Valley branch hours and location

Solsot Guro G-Valley branch is open daily 11:00–21:00, with last order at 20:30. It's at Unit 8, 2nd floor, G-Valley Biz Plaza, 300 Dijiteol-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul.

How to get there from Guro Digital Complex Station, and where to park

The restaurant is within about a 10-minute walk of Exit 2 of Guro Digital Complex Station on Line 2, and you can park in the G-Valley Biz Plaza underground car park for 1 hour free. E-Mart Guro is right next door too, so you can grocery shop after eating. Great location, I thought! Haha

Just park in the G-Valley Biz Plaza underground car park, where 1 hour of free parking is provided by default! (If you go slightly over, they give you an extra 30 minutes.)

Glass-front exterior and 108 seats inside Solsot

The place is much bigger than I expected, and with its glass front it has a slightly upscale Korean restaurant feel. It gets especially crowded at lunchtime, maybe that's why there's a menu board set up out front so you can check the menu before going in.

Inside, there's a range of seating from solo seats to group tables, and with 108 seats they say even a big company dinner is possible! It's not 100 percent private rooms, but some areas are slightly partitioned, so it looked decent for a mid-sized get-together too.

Solsot basic set for two: what's included and the price

The basic set for two at Solsot Guro G-Valley branch is ₩42,500 and includes steak pot rice, sea bream and scallop pot rice, yuringi and zero cola. Ordered separately it comes to ₩46,000, but as a set it's ₩42,500.

We were really hungry, so while I was debating what to order I saw the set menu and went for the basic set for two. Looking at what's in it, I thought it was good value! If yuringi sounds like too much, ordering just the pot rice on its own seems like a fine choice too.

Since it's pot rice, I think we waited about 10 minutes after ordering. Even with a sudden rush of customers, and this menu, the staff in the kitchen seemed quick. The first thing we tried was the sea bream and scallop pot rice.

Sea bream and scallop pot rice: buttery rice and thick sea bream

Solsot's sea bream and scallop pot rice comes with basic side dishes: kimchi, jeotgal (salted seafood), sauce, salad and soup. The sides are slightly different from the steak pot rice (this one came with chili pickles), so I felt they'd paid careful attention to what suits each dish.

Look at that gorgeous sea bream and scallop, haha. Neither is a cheap ingredient, and there was quite a lot of plump sea bream and moist-looking scallop in there, which really got my mouth watering.

The rice itself was already lightly seasoned, nicely salty, the kind of rice that's a "rice thief" all on its own. There's butter in it too, so a subtle nutty butter aroma spreads through the rice, and the flavor was amazing. I put the scallop on first and tried it: it was cooked well and melted in my mouth, so I thought even older folks would love it if you brought them here!

I couldn't quite tell whether the fish had been dried or grilled, but crispy, savory fish flesh was shredded and sprinkled over the rice, adding saltiness and texture. I'd told myself I'd eat less rice today, but I ended up eating a lot again, heh... The sea bream was thick with no fishy smell, and cutting it into small pieces and eating it with the rice was satisfying.

Finishing the pot rice with scorched rice (nurungji)

They also bring hot water so you can finish with nurungji (scorched rice soup). The seasoning of the rice and the butter aroma melt into the scorched rice just the same, so we got to enjoy the pot rice as a full course.

Steak pot rice: break the yolk and wrap it in seaweed

Next, the host's pick (that's me, haha): the steak pot rice.

Solsot's steak pot rice also has butter in it, so it looked full of flavor, and the egg yolk was in great shape, nice and plump.

The steak was quite thick, and the meat quality seemed good: it wasn't tough but mostly tender, which I liked. Break the yolk and wrap a bite in seaweed for a nutty, clean-tasting mouthful!

Yuringi and zero cola in the set for two

Then we tried the yuringi. Since it was part of the set menu, I honestly didn't expect much in quality or quantity, but

there was a really, truly lot, the coating was crispy and the chicken inside was moist, so the quality was good. I'd thought of it as a good lunch spot, but looking at the side menu, it seems like it'd be good for an evening drink too.

Zero cola is included by default and comforted us, since neither of us could have beer, and the pot rice comes with a yogurt too, so it feels like a place that does things right from start to finish.

Is Solsot Guro G-Valley branch worth it? Final verdict

It was a Friday night, but we were both run-down and not feeling great, so we looked for a good place near home and found Solsot Guro G-Valley branch. I liked that the restaurant is spacious and open, with no stuffy feeling, and when it came to parking they saw we were short on time and gave us another 30 minutes, which was a warm touch.

On top of that, the ingredients were good, and the pot rice in particular was really delicious and easy on the stomach, so I was happy! If you're looking for a good place near Guro Digital Complex Station or a Korean restaurant in Guro, Solsot Guro G-Valley branch is worth a visit.