Flower set with two grilled fish: Paju ssambap restaurant Simhaksan

Hours Daily 11:00 - 21:00 Break time 15:30 - 17:00 Last order 20:00 Parking Parking lot available in front of the restaurant

Parking and seating at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap in Paju

I went looking for a full Korean set-course meal for lunch at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap (심학산 들꽃쌈밥). Parking lots stretch wide on both sides of the building, so I could visit without any worry about where to park.

The main building and the annex are spaced out generously, so it looked like a great spot for family gatherings or group visits. Even though I got there a bit early, quite a few tables were already filled, and customers kept steadily coming in after that — I thought, 'ah, this is definitely a real go-to spot!'

Field set or flower set: which one to order

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap's menu has the field set (들정식), with stir-fried pork, stir-fried squid, doenjang stew, gangdoenjang and stone-pot rice, and the flower set (꽃정식), which adds grilled fish. You can also add grilled fish, jeon (pan-fried pancake), pork and more. Since my husband is a fish lover, we went with the flower set.

The 8 basic banchan and doenjang stew on an induction burner

Stir-fried gochu pepper with anchovies, seasoned laver, stir-fried eggplant, zucchini, stir-fried kimchi and more — a whopping 8 basic banchan arrive looking delicious just to look at, and on top of that comes a hearty doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and a smooth pumpkin porridge, filling the table completely.

Every single banchan felt like a home-cooked side dish made with real care, and they went down so easily. I especially love stir-fried kimchi, and having it again after a while felt really welcome.

The doenjang stew that comes with the meal simmers away on an induction burner right on the table, so you can keep enjoying it hot all the way to the end. You can reduce the broth down to your taste, and the deeper flavor that comes from simmering it longer was right up my alley.

The unlimited self-serve bar of ssam wrap greens

For the ssam (wrap) greens, you bring over as much as you want yourself from a self-serve corner, so you can pick out only the vegetables you like from the start, which is great for enjoying a full plate without any waste worries.

The variety of wrap greens was impressive, and every single one looked freshly picked. Best of all, being able to enjoy unlimited refills with no pressure was really satisfying.

Right next to the wrap greens, there's also a self-serve bar for basic banchan, so you can comfortably refill as much as you need.

What the 26,000-won flower set includes

Flower set, per person (26,000 won)

• Half a grilled atka mackerel
• Half a grilled mackerel
• Stir-fried pork
• Stir-fried squid
• Doenjang stew
• Gangdoenjang (thick seasoned soybean paste)
• Stone-pot rice

A completely packed flower set! The atka mackerel and mackerel each come out grilled as half a fish, but they're so large I didn't even realize it was only half. The fat was rendered out nicely from grilling, so it had barely any fishy smell and tasted amazing.

The stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid come out together on a cast pan, and apparently mixing them together makes them even tastier. We tried them separately first — my husband is sensitive to spice, so the stir-fried squid was a bit too spicy for him and we decided to keep eating them apart. But near the end, he mixed them together and said the two sauces blending together made it much better. If you're not sensitive to spice, I'd highly recommend mixing them!

And on top of all that, plain white stone-pot rice!! Every combination for shoveling rice down had assembled! Since we always make multigrain rice at home, my husband was so moved by the plain white rice he practically ate it with tears in his eyes haha. White rice with stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid — need I say more!! It really is an unbeatable, winning combination with hot rice.

Finishing with nurungji topped with grilled fish

The finale of the stone-pot rice is, of course, the nurungji (scorched rice)! You scoop out the rice, pour in hot water, and by the time you finish the rice, a savory nurungji has formed. And nurungji paired with grilled fish is absolutely insane — salty fish with savory nurungji is basically cheating. It reminded me of eating dried gulbi with green tea rice, and it was the perfect ending.

Home-style banchan, special gangdoenjang with fresh wrap greens, hot doenjang stew, grilled fish with the fat rendered out, and stir-fried pork and squid with insanely good seasoning. It was such a satisfying full Korean set-course meal 👍🏻

Coffee and ice cream are also available for dessert, making for a perfect finish 👍🏻