Yeouido seafood restaurant, 13-minute timer hot pot: Gaetbeol-ui Jogae

This trip to Seoul I didn't head straight home after work — I decided to swing by Yeouido to also check out The Hyundai Seoul. I think it had been three or four years since I'd been to Yeouido.

Good food comes before everything! What to eat... there are so many good restaurants I couldn't decide. In the end I found this place — a Yeouido National Assembly Station restaurant known for a generous king clam hot pot — and visited "Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch."

Where is Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch and how do you get there?

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch, a restaurant near National Assembly Station in Yeouido, is a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of National Assembly Station (Line 9). Walk along and you'll see the Kensington Hotel — that means you're almost there. It's on the 2nd floor of the Geukdong VIP Building on the left.

Take the elevator up to the 2nd floor.

Inside the restaurant: partitions and room-style seats

I was seated at the table staff pointed to. I liked that the hall at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch has tall partitions between the tables. There are also several room-style seats, which look great for office workers nearby to have a company dinner.

Tablet ordering and the small king clam hot pot for two

You order through the tablet on the table. Menu items come with photos and clear descriptions, so it was easy. I already knew what I wanted, so I ordered right away — the king clam hot pot for two, small size. There are also kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and bibimbap options if you just want a casual lunch.

The water is hetgae tea. There's soy sauce and vinegar-gochujang dip for the clams. The small plates are shaped like clams — so cute.

The self-bar: side dishes and yeolmu bibimbap

Side dishes are self-serve. Simple, no-frills banchan (side dishes).

Next to it, there's barley rice, doenjang paste, gochujang and sesame oil set up so you can make yeolmu (young radish) bibimbap. I'd have felt like I missed out if I hadn't tried it, so I made myself a bowl.

A little barley rice, yeolmu kimchi, doenjang paste, gochujang and a swirl of sesame oil, all mixed together.

What's in the pot when the 13-minute timer rings?

A staff member came over carrying something huge. Is that really for our table?! I couldn't believe my eyes. This must be why it's called the "king" clam hot pot — the pot filled the whole table. I was curious what was inside, but I didn't open it myself. There's a notice telling you not to open or touch the lid.

When the 13-minute timer went off, a staff member came and opened the lid for us. Wow!! It was genuinely insane. Inside were fan mussels, scallops, hard clams, littleneck clams, shrimp, mussels and whole squid. There was also crab, plus fish cake and rice cake.

They mentioned that since prices change daily based on market rates, the amount or variety of seafood can vary slightly — it's fresh seafood brought in daily. The seafood broth also has minari (water parsley), bean sprouts and mushrooms, so the soup seemed like it would be even more refreshing.

Looking at it again, it really is a giant king clam hot pot. Still amazed!!

How did it taste, from mul-tteok to crab meat?

I tried the rice cake and fish cake skewer first. Fully soaked in the seafood broth — delicious.

The clams were well de-sanded, so there was no grit at all. The crab was small in size but packed with meat. The broth was really clean and refreshing. There's chili in it too, so it has a slight spicy kick.

Finishing with extra kalguksu noodles

I wondered if we could finish it all, but we did, haha. Once we could start seeing the bottom, we added kalguksu noodles.

The noodles seemed handmade in-house. I liked that they weren't too thick.

There's an hourglass next to the table to check how well-cooked the noodles are. We ate the well-cooked kalguksu with geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi). So good, so good~~

It really was a fresh, generous, delicious meal. Gaetbeol-ui Jogae is a clam hot pot restaurant you can enjoy right in the middle of Seoul without having to travel to Daecheon.

On the way out I noticed the counter has candy, hair ties, floss and mouthwash ready for guests.