Geobukseom clam restaurant where the owner grills for you: Bada Super

A family outing to Geobukseom: where to eat?

For lunch on a family outing to Geobukseom, we decided on grilled clams at Bada Super Haemul Cheonha Jogaegui, Geobukseom Oido Branch. Deliberating would've been a waste of time — grilled clams was the answer.

Geobukseom, where I took my mom for a family outing. If you zoom in on the map, it looks like a turtle (geobuk means turtle) — it's an artificial island built in Siheung's Lake Sihwa. Wave Park, an artificial surf park, is right nearby, so it's a great spot for water sports and family outings. The fun dilemma we always have when we go out: where to eat?

Bada Super's 3rd-floor ocean-view room and self-serve bar

A famous grilled clam spot near the hotels in Geobukseom, with a relaxed ocean-view interior. Facing the sea, breathing in the sea air, let's dig into some grilled clams. There's a self-serve bar right in the middle of the restaurant.

Grilled clam platter prices: 81,000 won large, 54,000 won small

Honestly, my mom and I went along without thinking too hard about it, tagging along with the two clam lovers of the group. But it turned out delicious, haha. Grilled clam platter, large (serves 4), ₩81,000; small (serves 2), ₩54,000.

Under pressure from the one person yelling for grilled clams, we decided today was a clam day. And true to a Geobukseom favorite, the variety here is huge. Grilled clams are a real treat — you can grill them at home, but it's nothing like eating them out here. Scallop, razor clam, cockle — all kinds of fresh raw clams grilled right over the fire, a classic Korean seafood dish. It's the kind of taste that calls for beer, but I held back.

Starting with cheese tteokbokki

They set the table quickly, and just as we got ready to eat, the cheese tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) came out first.

An appetizer of tteokbokki at a grilled clam restaurant — stretchy cheese, chewy spicy rice cakes. These days, street-food tteokbokki holds its own no matter where it shows up. We already had it as late-night snack the day before on our Geobukseom trip, but it didn't feel out of place at all next to grilled clams on the grill either.

What comes on the 3-tier clam tray

The clams arrived on a 3-tier tray — big chunky razor clams, scallops, cockles, all kinds piled up. Welcome, welcome!

Cheese-topped razor clam. The smoky char plus the natural umami broth the clam itself gives off — incredible.

The sound of clams sizzling all over the grill, crackle crackle.

How to grill the clams properly

Something you need to know before you dive in: place thick-shelled ones like large shrimp, cockles and scallops in the center of the grill, and thin, large ones like razor clams around the edges. Once the shell opens, you need to watch closely so the juices don't spill out. The trick is to use tongs to pull off the top shell of an opened clam and flip the meat right over to cook it briefly in its own broth. The hard part is actually doing this while you know it in theory.

Plump clam meat — an explosion of umami.

The signature platter and its large, medium and small sizes

This Geobukseom favorite's signature grilled clam menu comes with a wide variety — razor clam, scallop, abalone, surf clam, cockle, and more.

Depending on portion size — large, medium, small — the number and mix of seafood like abalone, giant scallop, and shrimp changes. Even with my mom and me, both light eaters, the large size wasn't too much for us. Because it was that good!

When the owner grills for your table

Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say — with several of us all grilling at once, things got a little chaotic. Just as we were thinking grilled clams weren't so easy after all, the owner appeared and gave us a grilling service.

An expert's touch, indeed — placing a single cheongyang chili (Korean hot green pepper) on top of a clam changed the flavor completely.

Fresh clams are delicious even without dipping them in anything.

Nakji horong and a seafood ramyeon finish

I was curious about this thing wrapped tightly in foil — turns out it was nakji horong (grilled octopus skewers). Apparently this is the best part.

Since it's frozen, you're supposed to eat it last. This one's really a treat — soft yet chewy.

You can't just eat clams the whole time. Seafood ramyeon (instant noodle soup). The finale was a savory, spicy, clean seafood ramyeon. If you're looking for a grilled clam restaurant where every table has an ocean view, this is the place to go.

Bada Super Haemul Cheonha Jogaegui, Geobukseom Oido Branch / 3F 301-308, 116 Geobukseom-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea