Pyeongchon food alley seafood stew: ₩56,000 set for 2, Haebonjeong

Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch (해본정해물찜&아구찜 평촌본점): a great Pyeongchon academy-district eatery and a good spot for group meals on the food street.

This time I visited Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch in the Pyeongchon academy district. For some reason I've been craving spicy steamed-and-braised dishes lately. Not just any spicy food, but seafood stew (haemuljjim) packed with bean sprouts that crunch as you bite, with a sauce that clings to everything. Let's start the review!

Location and opening hours of Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch

Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch is at 61-9 Gwiin-ro 190beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea (1st floor), on the Pyeongchon academy-district food street. It's open Mon, Wed, Thu and Fri 11:30–22:00 and closed on Tuesdays.

• How to get there: 61-9 Gwiin-ro 190beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi, 1st floor
• Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 11:30–22:00
• Break time: weekdays 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Closed Tuesdays; no break time on weekends and public holidays
• Parking: available in front of the restaurant

Inside Haebonjeong Pyeongchon: good for families and groups?

The tables inside Haebonjeong are spaced so it doesn't feel cramped, so it looked fine for families or eating with kids.

Instead of the bustling, chaotic feel typical of seafood stew places, the mood was calmer and tidier than I expected.

Phone chargers are provided too, which is a thoughtful touch.

There's a review event going on too, so join in and be sure to get your freebie!! haha

Seafood & boneless monkfish value set: price and side dishes

I ordered the seafood & boneless monkfish value set (recommended for 2) for ₩56,000. Side dishes and steamed egg come with it.

Side dishes and steamed egg

The side dishes were silkworm pupae (beondegi), green peas, corn salad, kimchi pancake, pickled onions, soft tofu, and seaweed soup. A warm, jiggly steamed egg came out too, and it goes really well with the spicy stew.

I think steamed egg is practically a must with spicy dishes like seafood stew, and Haebonjeong's was not too salty and nicely jiggly.

Boneless monkfish seafood stew: how were the bean sprouts and seafood?

The seafood & boneless monkfish set combines bite-sized boneless monkfish with seafood. Even without adding extra seafood, it came with shrimp, blue crab, abalone and cuttlefish, and the bean sprouts were really generous.

The main dish, the boneless monkfish seafood stew, finally arrived! First of all, so many bean sprouts. I think bean sprouts are the soul of seafood stew, and these kept their crunch.

The squid pieces were big, so I snipped them into bite-sized pieces with scissors. I didn't add any extra seafood, but shrimp, blue crab, abalone and cuttlefish were included by default. And since the monkfish was boneless, it was definitely easier to eat.

With so many bean sprouts, I ate to my heart's content haha. The spicy, thick seafood stew sauce soaked in so well that it felt like eating seafood-flavored seasoned bean sprouts. I wanted to order an extra bowl of rice, but I skipped it because I was saving room for fried rice.

How spicy is Haebonjeong's seafood stew?

Piling lots of bean sprouts on the monkfish was especially good, since you get the soft fish and the crunchy sprouts together. The sauce is spicy but savory, and the heat was about Shin Ramyun level, so even a spice wimp like me could enjoy it.

I put together a plate like this, and there's no way you wouldn't want rice with it. I was worried the two of us couldn't finish such a big portion, but we ended up eating it all. The shrimp was plump and well cooked, so it came off the shell easily, haha

The monkfish was in cute bite-sized pieces, easy to eat, and so chewy and delicious.

There was blue crab in the middle too, and the sauce had soaked right into it, so it was tasty. Every time I picked out the meat I got that spicy stew sauce with it, so I kept reaching for more.

A tip for eating shrimp in seafood stew

When I eat the shrimp in seafood stew, I cut each one into three pieces with scissors. That way, when you put a piece in your mouth and chew, the shell stays behind and only the plump shrimp meat slips out, which is much easier.

Haebonjeong's cast-iron fried rice: worth ordering even when you're full?

At Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch, once you've eaten a good amount of the stew, you can ask for fried rice, and they take the leftover sauce and stir-fry it for you on a cast-iron plate like this. Gently scraping up the crispy bits stuck to the bottom was seriously the best.

Honestly, with stew dishes it only feels properly finished once you've had the fried rice. Even when you're pretty full, you still have room for fried rice, right??

You get bean sprouts between the grains of rice, plus the nuttiness of the seaweed flakes, so it's fantastic lol Even if you're full, I hope you'll add the fried rice and try it!

On one side of the restaurant there was also a warm cup of instant coffee to drink after the meal. Little joys like this, haha.

Overall verdict on Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch

The strengths of Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch were its spacious, clean interior, seafood stew with adjustable spice, a hearty set menu, and friendly service.

• Spacious, clean interior: the tables aren't cramped, so it's fine for a family meal or a group gathering
• Adjustable spice: the seafood stew can be made milder, so people who can't handle spicy food could probably enjoy it
• Hearty set menu: good when a single dish feels like not enough and you want a more filling meal
• Friendly staff: satisfying not only for the food but also for the quick service

It seems well suited to people looking for a clean, comfortable lunch rather than an intense flavor, so Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch is a place I'd like to visit again whenever I crave seafood stew or seafood hot pot.