Gwangmyeong fish grill with mom and sister: croaker sets at Todam

Is it just me, or do you crave Korean food more and more as you get older? I used to love only things like fried chicken and pizza, but now they sit badly in my stomach and I keep going back to Korean food. And my absolute favorite Korean food is grilled fish! So today I'm introducing Todam Hwadok Saengseongui (토담화덕생선구이) in Gwangmyeong, where you can enjoy clay-oven grilled fish that's huge and really, really tasty!

Where is Todam Hwadok Saengseongui in Gwangmyeong, and where do you park?

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui is on Anyangcheon-ro in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi. I live in Seoul, but it's right next door, so I easily got there in my sister's car.

You can park on the ground floor of the building, and the parking staff park the car for you, so it was easy to head straight up to eat! I hear parking is free for up to 1 hour 30 minutes for diners, so park without worry!

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui atmosphere and busy lunch hours

The restaurant is on the 3rd floor, so you take the elevator up, and the moment we arrived there were SO many people eating. I guess a famous restaurant really does draw a crowd, haha

The inside was very clean, the tables were neat, and the space was big! We picked one of the empty seats. If you come when it's packed you might have to wait, so I think it's better to come a bit before lunchtime or a bit after!

The tables are also set with water, sauces and small plates.

What's on the self-serve bar at Todam Hwadok?

At the self-serve bar you can get even more side dishes! They also had cherry tomatoes and adorable little sweet potatoes.

What set menus does Todam Hwadok Saengseongui offer?

The menu is short and neatly laid out, so it was easy to read and order from. It runs from fish sets to meat sets, so if you're not a big fish fan, there are meat sets for you.

• Fish sets: Spanish mackerel set, mackerel set, atka mackerel set, gulbi (salted yellow croaker) set, hairtail set, boribulgui (barley-dried gulbi) set
• Other sets: braised pollock set, tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty) set, charcoal-grilled pork set

Side dishes, cheonggukjang and pot rice served with every set

The side dishes with the set were generous: seasoned bean sprouts, young radish kimchi, stir-fried mushrooms, acorn jelly and pickled cucumber,

and we grabbed the perilla leaves separately from the self-serve bar! If you run low on any other side dishes, you can get more there too.

Now the dishes start coming out one by one. Doesn't the cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) that comes with the set look so good? They say it's really good for your body.

The pot rice came out ready too, with three cute little beans in it.

Gulbi (croaker) set vs mackerel set: taste and fish size

Our two gulbi sets and one mackerel set arrived! My sister and mom ordered the gulbi set and I ordered the mackerel set, and to my taste the mackerel was tastier! My sister and mom both said theirs was really good too, hehe

The grilled fish here is so big in person that I was honestly startled! I was like, this size at this price?! No wonder so many people come to eat here.

On top of that, the side dishes were generous too, so it wasn't just the grilled fish: we got a varied, filling spread of Korean sides. The fish meat was so plump that no matter how much I ate it never ran out, lol. I really left completely full.

If you love Korean food and find yourself in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, I recommend a filling, tasty meal at Todam Hwadok Saengseongui ♥