Paju ssambap restaurant with baby chair and microwave: Simhaksan

💛Today was a day to honor our parents💛 We took my parents for a health checkup, and since they went through all that trouble, we headed out to Paju for a nice lunch afterward.

The mission: find a restaurant that would satisfy both my mom, who can't eat meat, and my husband (I call him 'Ttosul-i' haha), who loves meat way too much. The place we found was Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, famous in Paju as a ssambap (leaf-wrap rice) spot.

The restaurant is spacious and clean with plenty of parking, so it was easy to visit. It's close to the outlet mall too, so it's apparently known as a go-to spot for Paju outlet dining. Let's get into the review~

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap business hours

• Hours 11:00 – 21:00
• Break time 15:30 – 17:00
• Last order 20:00
• No break time on Saturdays and Sundays
• No regular closing day

Is there a wait even on weekday lunches?

This was my first time visiting the Simhaksan area on a weekday, and even though it was lunchtime, traffic was just as heavy as on weekends. Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap has a solid Table-ing waitlist system with a separate waiting area. The spacing between tables was comfortable too.

Dining with a baby — baby chairs and a microwave

We came as five: mom, dad, my husband, Ttosul-i, and the baby, so I needed a baby chair since I had to feed the baby food too. Surprisingly, a lot of restaurants and cafés don't have them... but this place had plenty of baby chairs ready. A microwave was also easy to use.

You can order simply by scanning the QR code stuck to the table, or by ordering directly with a staff member. Since one order per person is required, we ordered two Deul-jeongsik and two Kkot-jeongsik.

~Started off with the sweet pumpkin as a palate cleanser~

There were so many kinds of banchan (side dishes), and each one was delicious.

Each table had an induction stove, so I wondered if there was a separate stew menu — turns out doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) is included in the set. The stew is refillable too.

Self-serve refill corner for wrap vegetables and banchan

I'd read reviews saying the wrap vegetables were refillable, and while I went to warm up the baby's food, I noticed the self-serve corner was set up so you can freely grab as much as you want without feeling awkward about it. I liked that staff kept a close eye on the vegetables and banchan, refilling constantly so nothing ran out.

You can freely help yourself to extra banchan too. It was nice not having to bother asking staff for more.

As the baby's meal count grows, even something like 'should I warm the baby food before going out, or ask them to warm it there' becomes a huge dilemma when you're out. And asking feels like a hassle too (I once asked them to warm it for a minute, then felt too sorry to ask again when it turned out cold...ㅜ). At Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap I could just use the microwave myself, which was so convenient.

They don't set the wrap vegetables on the table for you — you just go grab as much as you'll eat~!!!!

The difference between Deul-jeongsik and Kkot-jeongsik

• Deul-jeongsik: Stir-fried pork + stir-fried squid + doenjang jjigae + gangdoenjang + stone pot rice
• Kkot-jeongsik: Atka mackerel, mackerel + stir-fried pork + stir-fried squid + doenjang jjigae + gangdoenjang + stone pot rice

The Kkot-jeongsik could only be ordered for 2 or more people. It comes with one Atka mackerel and one mackerel, so I guess that's why it's not available for a single person!

!!The biggest plus is that it's stone pot rice, not regular rice!! ~Lift the lid, shhhhh~ scoop out the rice, then pour in hot water to make nurungji (scorched rice).

💓My mom can't eat meat, but she's a total fish lover💓 When she lived at her parents' house she used to eat fish all the time, but after getting married it turns out grilling fish at home isn't so easy. So we try to eat a lot of it when we're out haha.

The stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid were more sweet than spicy, and really tasty. They suggest mixing the pork and squid together for extra flavor, and since my mom can eat squid, we scooped some out separately and mixed it for her~!!

How was it as a three-generation family meal?

We ate our fill with all the wrap vegetables and the variety of banchan, and it was an even better day for getting to have a full, satisfying meal with my parents after a long time. There's a restroom inside the restaurant too, which was convenient, and after the meal we even got to enjoy ice cream for dessert. It was a family outing with a baby and grandparents all together, and everyone was able to eat comfortably, which was so satisfying. 💛Made one more good memory today💛