Weekend barley corvina near Sinjungdong Station: Gim Myeongju, Bucheon

These days, when I eat out, I find myself drawn much more to places with good rice and tidy side dishes than to anything too intense or spicy. When my husband and I want a comfortable weekend meal, a hanjeongsik (Korean set-meal) restaurant that's clean and filling always feels like the best choice.

A 3–4 minute walk from Sinjungdong Station, easy to reach by public transit

This time we went to Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch in Bucheon. It's only a 3–4 minute walk from Sinjungdong Station, so it's easy to get to, and it serves a really neat, well-composed spread.

An uncomplicated standalone building with plenty of parking

From the entrance, there's a subtle traditional feel that would suit bringing along elders or making an important appointment. It's a fairly large standalone building, with its own parking lot on the first floor. We came by public transit, but it looked like parking wouldn't be an issue at all.

An interior space that's good for a quiet, intimate meal

Head up to the second floor and a very spacious hall opens up. There are independent tables of various sizes, well suited for family gatherings or group dinners as well as smaller parties. The hall is pleasant and clean overall, making it a nice spot for my husband and me to chat quietly over a meal.

Basic set at ₩13,000 per person — how to order the à la carte mains

Tteuranchae Bapsang Jungdong Branch in Bucheon offers a generous side-dish spread for ₩13,000 per person.

After ordering the basic set, you add a main dish to your taste — with the rule that at least one à la carte item must be ordered per 4-person table. You can add a main to the Tteuranchae Bapsang set according to your preference.

• 🍚 Barley corvina (bori gulbi) ₩18,000
• 🦀 Soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) ₩18,000
• 🔥 Charcoal-grilled pork ₩18,000
• 🐙 Stir-fried baby octopus ₩18,000
• 🐚 Seasoned cockles ₩15,000
• 🐟 Grilled mackerel ₩15,000

and more to choose from. Since at least one à la carte main is required per 4-person table, it's a great setup for a group to pick a few mains and share. My husband and I chose the barley corvina for its deep, rich flavor among the options.

Yeonggwang Beopseongpo barley corvina, best enjoyed with green tea

Steamed with turmeric, no fishy smell at all

Adding the barley corvina was truly the right call. Salted with sun-dried sea salt and steamed with turmeric, this Yeonggwang Beopseongpo corvina had a deep umami quite different from an ordinary grilled fish. The salty, rich flavor characteristic of bori gulbi paired perfectly with the freshly cooked yellow-rice pressure-cooker rice. Dipping the rice lightly in the provided green tea water and topping it with the corvina made other side dishes almost unnecessary — it was pure rice-thief material. Barley corvina can be off-putting if it's fishy, but this one was chewy and nutty, and we enjoyed it right to the last bite.

Daily-milled yellow-rice pressure-cooker rice and cheonggukjang

Freshly cooked, glossy yellow-rice pressure-cooker rice

At a hanjeongsik restaurant, side dishes matter, but if the rice isn't good, the satisfaction of the whole spread drops sharply, right? They mill the yellow rice fresh every morning and cook it in a pressure cooker as soon as an order comes in. Maybe that's why the grains had such glossy, exceptional chewiness. The warm, savory aroma of freshly pressure-cooked rice filled the air, and my husband took one spoonful and said the rice alone was delicious. Since it's yellow rice rather than plain white rice, it felt like a healthier choice too.

Comforting cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew)

The cheonggukjang that comes with the basic set wasn't overpowering in smell and was nicely savory, perfect for mixing straight into the rice.

Unlimited refills of side dishes made with seasonal ingredients

The side dishes made with seasonal ingredients were mild and homestyle overall, so my husband and I both cleaned our plates without getting tired of them. Eating out often leaves my stomach feeling heavy, but here, since nothing was too intense, we felt comfortable even after eating. The variety and neat presentation made it a place that naturally comes to mind when you want to treat someone. Instead of just one main dish, you get rice, soup, fish and namul (seasoned vegetables) all together, so even a family with different tastes could visit and each enjoy something.

The 12 seasonal side dishes, aside from the main, are served unlimited at the self-bar per the store's signage. It was great being able to refill our favorites as many times as we liked.

On to the first-floor café afterward — a good weekend date course

After the meal, we could relax with a cup of tea at the café on the first floor, which made this a solid weekend date course from start to finish.