Jeju fish restaurant for braised cutlassfish: Naneun Jigeum

A first meal close to Jeju Airport

Naneun Jigeum Saengseoni Meokgo Sipda Yongdam Airport Branch (나는지금생선이먹고싶다 용담공항점) Mon–Sun 09:30–21:00 Last order 20:30

As soon as I arrived on Jeju Island on a morning flight, I wanted a filling meal first, so this was where I headed. One thing you quietly end up wondering when starting a Jeju trip is where to go from the airport, and this place was in such a great spot for a first meal, only about 5 minutes away by car from Jeju Airport. Especially if you arrive on a morning flight, I loved that it is an easy stop for a meal before heading any farther.

We visited at around 9:30 in the morning, and they were par-grilling the fish themselves. As you would expect from a grilled-fish restaurant, delicious aromas were already drifting through the place in the morning, and my appetite really kicked in as soon as I walked in.

The Jageunadeul set meal and its generous spread of sides

Looking at the menu, there were lots of set meals and different combinations to order, so it looked great for a group with different tastes. There was a wide range from individual dishes to full set meals, so I thought it would work well for several people traveling together in Jeju, too. I really love bracken fern, so I ordered the Jageunadeul set meal, which included braised cutlassfish with gosari (bracken fern). It also came with sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew), so it looked like a very filling breakfast. There was a wide variety of banchan (Korean side dishes), too, which made it fun to try them one by one. The whole spread, not just the mains but the side dishes as well, was substantial and made the table look wonderfully full.

Soft tofu stew served bubbling away

The soft tofu stew arrived still bubbling away, and it looked warm and comforting from the moment I saw it! If you arrive in the morning feeling chilly or hungry, a hot soup like this would be especially welcome. It was great with rice, and taking a few spoonfuls between bites of braised cutlassfish made for a lovely combination, too.

Braised cutlassfish with bracken fern

And then, the gosari braised cutlassfish I had been looking forward to most! The aroma alone passed the test. That delicious scent of braising sauce came right up, and it looked like the kind of dish that makes you want to eat rice immediately. The cutlassfish pieces were nice and large, with plenty of flesh, and above all, the fish was really tender. Honestly, I do not usually like fish that much because picking out the bones feels like a hassle, but this cutlassfish was so tender that the bones came out relatively easily. Thanks to that, I could enjoy it without once thinking it was a bother. Fish can be delicious but still make you hesitate because of the bones; here, it was even fun to pick apart the tender cutlassfish flesh.

The cutlassfish was delicious on its own, but eating it with the bracken fern really brought out the savory depth. The seasoning had soaked well into the bracken fern, so it went wonderfully with the fish. I think anyone who loves bracken fern would be especially pleased. I also could not leave out the radish in the braise. It had absorbed the seasoning deeply, and putting the tender, well-cooked radish on rice was such a rice thief. A bite of neatly deboned cutlassfish, seasoned braised radish, and bracken fern was seriously delicious. The salty, savory sauce went so well with rice that I naturally kept eating.

I snapped this because today's fortune was so witty, haha.

For the beginning or end of a Jeju trip

Overall, I thought this was a great place for a first meal after arriving in Jeju. It is close to Jeju Airport, so it is easy to stop by right after a morning flight, and the route would also be convenient for a meal before returning to the airport on the final day of a trip. It was not just the location that was good: the menu was varied, the side dishes were generous, and the braised cutlassfish was delicious, so I left very satisfied. If you want to mark the beginning or end of your Jeju trip with a tasty meal, this is somewhere I would recommend. Especially if, like me, you do not often eat fish because deboning it feels like a chore, the tender cutlassfish should make it easy to enjoy. If you are looking for somewhere close to Jeju Airport, do stop by this Jeju Airport-area restaurant. The travel time from the airport is short, and you can have a hearty meal, making it just right for your first or final meal in Jeju. If I return to Jeju, I would love to visit again whenever I start craving braised cutlassfish!