Gangneung Korean set meal with doenjang cabbage wraps: Saimdang Bueok

A Korean set-meal restaurant near Ojukheon that even locals vouch for

When traveling, the most important thing is what comes after sightseeing — food, of course! I found a spot near Ojukheon close to my accommodation, and it turned out to be a home-style Korean restaurant in Gangneung. We went for lunch, and it was seriously filling — grilled fish, sundubu (soft tofu stew), pork stir-fry, all in one table setting.

Where is Saimdang Bueok, and what about parking and hours?

Saimdang Bueok is located at 6 Jukheon-gil 85beon-gil, Gangneung, Gangwon, and it's open from 10:30 to 20:00. The parking lot right in front of the restaurant is huge, so parking was really convenient.

The exterior has a clean, tidy look. It's near Ojukheon in Gangneung, so accessibility is great for a Korean set-meal restaurant.

Inside Saimdang Bueok: partitioned tables and the group hall

Inside Saimdang Bueok, the tables are partitioned 4-person setups, and each one is lined with disposable plastic sheeting, which felt hygienic.

Walking further in, there's a large hall — this looks like a great Korean restaurant in Gangneung for group gatherings or company dinners too.

Saimdang Bueok menu and ordering rules

At Saimdang Bueok, ordering one menu per person is required! Kids up to age 9 can eat for ₩9,000.

The menu is split into the Ojukheon table, Saimdang table, and Yulgok table, and you can choose your soup between sotdae sundubu and miyeok-guk. We ordered two Saimdang tables! Everyone at the table has to order the same menu though.

What comes with the Saimdang table

The side dishes started arriving first — wow, a lot of these were noticeably different from the hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) banchan we usually get back home.

The banchan came out one by one, so here's the full shot once everything, including the mains, had arrived.

Seriously, how many side dishes are there? Even more impressive is that everything is handmade with care. As for the main dishes — grilled fish, pork stir-fry, grilled scallops, braised cockle salad... so many! We ordered one miyeok-guk and one sundubu for the soups, so we got to try both, which was nice.

You could finish a whole bowl of rice with just the side dishes alone.

The seasoned greens, seaweed salad, and stir-fried anchovies were all tasty. We each got our own braised tofu dish — spicy enough to wake up your appetite.

The braised kodari (dried pollack) was chewy and delicious. As a lunch spot in Gangneung, I started wondering if it was okay to eat this much... The pineapple served as dessert was a nice touch.

Cabbage wraps with homemade doenjang, ordered as an extra

My favorite thing at Saimdang Bueok was the cabbage wraps — is it makjang or deokjang? Whatever it's called, the doenjang (soybean paste) flavor was incredible. So good that we ended up ordering an extra round of cabbage wraps. The homemade doenjang had this deep, savory flavor that just exploded with umami.

Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) is a hanjeongsik staple, and the portion here was huge.

The spicy cockle salad was also great with rice — total rice thief.

Blanched broccoli and squid dishes rounded things out — nothing too heavy, all healthy-leaning side dishes, so even eating this much left me feeling comfortable, not stuffed.

How were the grilled fish, pork stir-fry and grilled scallops?

The grilled fish and pork stir-fry came out — my partner said the fish was greenling. Is that right?

Anyway, it was seasoned just salty enough, and the flesh was so tender it melted in your mouth. Apparently it's a premium type of fish, which makes it taste even better.

Picking the meat off properly and eating it with rice felt like a meal you could only get at a real Gangneung restaurant. Fish like this doesn't show up at hanjeongsik places back home.

Again, this is grilled fish you can only get at this Ojukheon-area spot in Gangneung, so I made sure to dig in properly!

Garlic butter scallops? Not sure of the exact name, but there was a nice garlic aroma and nutty flavor — the grilled scallops were bursting with umami.

The pork stir-fry was moist, with a spicy seasoning that's hard to dislike.

The braised kodari had a chewy, slightly firmer texture than the usual version — more dried, which gave it a better bite. Braised in soy sauce, it made for a great side dish. Maybe I'll try making it myself?

Soup choice at Saimdang Bueok: miyeok-guk or Chodang sundubu

A full bowl of rice came with the miyeok-guk.

Being in Gangneung, even the miyeok-guk tasted better somehow.

You have to eat sotdae sundubu (soft tofu stew) when you're in Gangneung, and it was great being able to enjoy it here with a full spread of side dishes, without needing to seek out a separate sundubu restaurant.

Topped with a spoonful of soy sauce, the salty soy aroma paired with the just-salty-enough, savory sundubu was great. Since the side dishes change with the season's ingredients, I'll definitely come back here again next time I'm near Ojukheon in Gangneung during a different season.

This is a Korean restaurant in Gangneung that works well for lunch or dinner, and it's easy to use without reservations whether you're traveling, out with family, or meeting up in a group.