Geumsan Korean restaurant 28-dish ginseng set: Madanginneun Jip

Madanginneun Jip (마당있는집), a great restaurant in Geumsan-eup, was where we stopped for lunch on a vacation trip for my partner’s and my special 100th day.

When all 28 soups and dishes filled the table, the corners of my mouth just lifted into a smile. My partner said, “Wow, this is incredibly generous.” At another table, a family had come with their father, who was unwell, and one woman said, “Dad, this is a real feast. Let’s pamper ourselves today and take care of our health.” Why was I automatically nodding along?

I can’t say every single dish was the very best, but everything was impeccably clean-tasting and the light seasoning was just right. The two of us scraped up all 28 dishes until we were stuffed. I could see why this place was featured on Heo Young-man’s Food Travel and KBS Neighborhood Walk, you know?

A reservation-only Korean set meal in Geumsan

Madanginneun Jip operates by reservation because it serves only food prepared that day.

My partner and I also made our reservation a week in advance.

Where do you park?

There were spaces for five cars in front of the restaurant. If it is full, you can parallel park along the nearby street, but if there is no space, use either of two very affordable paid parking lots one minute away.

A courtyard and hanok atmosphere

True to its name, Madanginneun Jip first caught my eye with its courtyard full of green plants and outdoor tables.

In autumn, when the sunshine is lovely during the day and the evenings turn cool, having a Korean set meal in the courtyard rather than indoors sounds like it would bring quite a lot of happiness too. I think they can prepare it in advance if you ask.

Inside was also a warm hanok (traditional Korean house) built with welcoming wood. The tables were all quite spacious, so it seemed naturally suited to a family meal with parents or lunch and dinner gatherings for a larger group.

My partner and I arrived at opening time, but about 30 minutes later there were so many groups: family gatherings with unwell relatives, firefighters, and couples. Seeing the green courtyard through the window especially gave me a warm, peaceful feeling, you know?

The two-person ginseng Korean set meal

The menu was simple. At first I wondered if the prices were a little high, but that thought disappeared completely when the table arrived. The VIP set among them was the one featured on Heo Young-man’s Food Travel.

My partner and I ordered the two-person ginseng Korean set meal for ₩100,000. They served the food right at our reservation time so it would not get cold. There were as many as 28 dishes, so I cannot explain them all; I’ll focus on the ones my partner and I especially enjoyed.

Neungi mushroom soup and cheonggukjang

As she served the soup, the owner told us, “You need to have the neungi mushroom soup first~.” She explained that its seasoning was mild, so the deep flavor would not come through after eating other things.

The soup really captured neungi mushroom’s distinctive deep aroma and slight bitterness. It felt like having a nourishing dish with gentle seasoning. The cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) was fine too, but I found the neungi mushroom soup so memorable that comparison was inevitable, I suppose. Still, it was clean-tasting.

Soy-marinated crab, shrimp, and abalone

There were three kinds: soy-marinated crab, soy-marinated shrimp, and soy-marinated abalone. The seasoning was mild enough to eat without rice, yet full of savory depth.

These are usually seasoned heavily because they can easily smell fishy, but one bite made it clear they were confident in their freshness. At the end, we even mixed rice into the crab shell. My partner and I kept offering it to each other, then ultimately split it half and half.

Braised eel

Braised eel(?) drizzled with a sweet-and-salty sauce. Unless I eat eel at a specialist restaurant, it usually has a fishy smell, so I do not tend to eat it well.

It was not quite a “this eel is super spectacularly savory!” kind of dish, but it was mild, clean, and tender. It was the sort of sweet-and-salty, mild braised eel(?) that even people who usually do not handle seafood well could enjoy.

Gulbi

A large gulbi (dried yellow croaker), which I do not normally like, arrived.

My partner handed me some, saying, “Try this too,” and I said, “I don’t like gulbi.” But my partner said, “Still, try it~ This is good gulbi,” so I did.

And what do you know? The outside was crisp and it was a little salty, but there was not a hint of fishiness—just real savory flavor. It made me think I had simply never had good gulbi before.

Fried ginseng and tteokgalbi

As befits a great Geumsan-eup restaurant, the local specialty, fried ginseng, could not be left out, right? Its pleasantly bitter, nutty flavor made me really happy while eating it, but perhaps I have a child’s palate: I did wish the batter had been a little thicker. Maybe that is the owner’s cooking philosophy—not wanting to overwhelm the ginseng flavor.

The round, moist tteokgalbi (Korean grilled beef patty) was so juicy, tender, and bursting with savoriness that I wished it were just a little bigger. Even as I write this, the flavor makes my mouth water.

Lotus-leaf rice

The lotus-leaf rice(?) was one of the things I liked best. It had glutinous rice and all sorts of ingredients inside.

Chewy, crisp, and nutty all at once, it was such a happy dish that it made the ginseng rice served alongside it seem ordinary. My partner said, “The ginseng rice is good too, but there is so much to eat—have the lotus-leaf rice.”

Cold eggplant salad

Cold eggplant salad topped prettily with assorted bell peppers and onion. The eggplant was steamed, chilled, and served with balsamic sauce and mayonnaise.

Its texture, the moistness inside, and the savory vegetables were so distinctive and delicious that I thought, “Eggplant can taste like this?” Of course, I could see some people not liking it.

Side dishes that were not perfect

There were truly so many banchan (Korean side dishes). Overall, they leaned lightly seasoned.

Some side dishes did not suit my taste at times, but I thought they would be great when several people sit together, since everyone can choose what they like. The marinated rock crab I enjoyed most had satisfying crab meat, a crisp texture, and appealing savory flavor.

Braised semi-dried pollock and stir-fried pork with vegetables

They are not foods I especially like, so they felt solid enough to me. The seasoning was just right.

My partner must normally like semi-dried pollock, because they kept eating it deliciously.

Salad

Shine Muscat grapes, banana, cherry tomatoes, Sapphire grapes, and figs. I found this salad, which had a refreshing note of wasabi too, distinctive and very delicious, but it did not seem to suit my partner. Perhaps this was a table where the fun was choosing what fit each person’s taste.

A table suited to anniversaries and family gatherings

If you are looking for a good restaurant in Geumsan-eup, this is a place whose generously laid table leaves an impression. It was fun to sample a little of many different foods, and the seasoning was not heavy overall, so I think it would suit a meal with parents too. On a day when you need a properly prepared meal, such as an anniversary or family gathering, it seems bound to be a success. If you want a filling, special meal while traveling in Geumsan, stop by sometime—you can have meaningful time like my partner and I did.