Balsan Station Korean restaurant: lunch with Mom & Jeju crab, Mikodam

I love Korean food so much that I went back yet again, haha, to Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch (미꼬담 마곡발산점), a Korean set-meal spot near Balsan Station. I had a cozy date with my mom, chatting away over a delicious lunch. It's a tidy restaurant with a wide range of Korean dishes that anyone, young or old, will enjoy. It has tables for 2, 4 and 6 and even private rooms, so I'd recommend it for family meals and group gatherings too. Let me introduce this Balsan Korean restaurant with a lovely atmosphere.

Where is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch?

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is 261m from Exit 4 of Balsan Station. Today was my lunch date with Mom, so I rushed over, all excited.

Maybe because it was lunchtime, there were lots of office workers and families. I found a table and ordered on the tablet.

How do you build the Mikodam Full-Table Set for 2?

The Mikodam Full-Table Set for 2 is ₩46,000, and you pick one option each for the seaweed soup, the cockles and a side dish. Mikodam's menu ranges from sets to full course meals and side dishes, but I strongly recommend the set menu!

• Option 1: beef seaweed soup, from beef / flounder / abalone seaweed soup
• Option 2: cockle bibimbap-style muchim (sour seasoned salad), from cockle bibimbap (with seasoned soy sauce) / cockle muchim
• Option 3: Jeju yellow crab, from yukjeon (egg-battered beef) / Jeju yellow crab / LA galbi

The table was packed full, with spicy stir-fried pork, soy-marinated crab, grilled mackerel, namul (seasoned vegetables) and more of my favorites.

How was Mikodam's beef seaweed soup?

Mikodam's beef seaweed soup has a rich broth packed with beef. I especially love seaweed soup, and maybe because it's Wando seaweed, the seaweed was clearly fresh and silky soft, so good. They even boil each bowl of soup separately! Since the soup is seaweed soup, it's also a perfect spot for birthday parties. Seaweed soup tastes best when someone else makes it for you! Haha.

With the hot soup ready, it was time to eat. Mom and I talked about this and that, shared the side dishes and had a lovely time.

Included side dish: Norwegian grilled mackerel

One reason I love Mikodam is that plump, oily Norwegian grilled mackerel comes as a side dish. The mackerel is big and plump, and a bowl of rice vanished in no time. It's hard to grill fish at home, so when I eat out I always try to have fish.

Jeju yellow crab, our third option pick

And! For my side pick, my regular, Jeju yellow crab (soy-marinated). You wouldn't believe how plump the meat is. Scoop out just the meat, then mix rice into the crab sauce, and this is truly a rice thief (a dish so good you keep eating rice). It was so delicious I cleaned up every last drop of sauce...

Tangy sweet-sour cockle muchim

Mikodam's cockle muchim is full of plump cockles. It's sour and whets the appetite, and the vegetables mixed in make it crunchy! They say these are top-grade Beolgyo and Yeosu cockles carrying the sea breeze, and they were springy and wonderfully savory.

Must-try included side: spicy stir-fried pork

If you visit Mikodam, definitely try the spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk) that comes as a side dish. It's a jeyuk specialist. The sweet-and-salty seasoning is perfect, and I think I ate all the jeyuk by myself, haha.

Is Mikodam a good Balsan Station restaurant for lunch with parents?

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch serves a full-table Korean meal made with varied, fresh ingredients, so it's a good place to take your parents. The many side dishes make it fun to taste a bit of everything, and it has delicious Korean food everyone will like, plus an upscale atmosphere. For one day, step away from housework and take your parents to Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch for a relaxing time.

Premium Wando seaweed with the sunshine of the sea, top-grade Beolgyo and Yeosu cockles with the sea breeze, freshly cooked Sindongjin rice with a gentle breeze, and Norwegian mackerel with the scent of the sea: they say they make everything with good ingredients and care. Do visit this Balsan Station Korean restaurant, Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch.