Bone braise after a bread festival in Jaun-dong, Daejeon: Seommaeul

Why I ordered the small bone braise at Seommaeul in Yuseong, Daejeon

Seommaeul Agujjim & Nakjibokkeum (섬마을 아구찜&낙지볶음) is a place in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, that sells a variety of braised dishes, from agujjim (braised monkfish) to stir-fried octopus and seafood braise. I found it while searching for a good agujjim place in Daejeon, and it turns out to be a Yuseong seafood braise spot that often hosts group gatherings. This time I ordered the small bone braise as my main dish.

The bone braise at Seommaeul has an agujjim-sauce base, so it was clean-tasting, and it came with plenty of bean sprouts, so I ended up eating more than I expected. If you're looking for a Korean meal in Yuseong or near Jaundae, take a look.

Where is Seommaeul Agujjim & Nakjibokkeum?

Seommaeul Agujjim & Nakjibokkeum is in Jaun-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. I went after the bread festival, for a "bread hangover cure" meal, haha.

Besides agujjim, Seommaeul has stir-fried octopus, seafood braise and more, so it's a good stop when you're craving spicy Korean food. It's a great fit if you're looking for a place in Yuseong or somewhere to eat near Jaundae.

Inside Seommaeul: a spacious floor-seating room where you take your shoes off

Inside, you take your shoes off and step up into a homey space. Such a homey interior!!!! It's been ages since I went somewhere where you take your shoes off. It's huge, and the seating is roomy, so I could eat comfortably, haha.

Seommaeul's menu and spice level

Looking at the menu, besides agujjim and stir-fried octopus it's mostly braised dishes! You can also adjust the spice level. What I ordered was the small bone braise, haha. I figured it would have a different charm from agujjim.

Steamed egg comes with the basic table setting

While waiting for the main dish, we got basic side dishes along with steamed egg (gyeran-jjim). Steamed egg as a standard setting is the best.. It goes well before a spicy braised dish, so I ate it first while waiting.

Seommaeul small bone braise: is the portion enough?

The small bone braise at Seommaeul came with plenty of bean sprouts, so it was more generous than I expected. Ta-da, the bone braise at last! I worried a small might not be enough, but when it arrived it looked hearty. I expected a different charm from agujjim, and dug in.

Agujjim sauce on bone braise: does it work?

The sauce is based on a standard agujjim sauce, so it was clean and easy to eat. Bone braise with agujjim sauce.. I worried it wouldn't match, but not at all!! If anything, the clean flavor settled my stomach, which felt heavy from all the bread.

6 bones, with meat that comes off easily

The small bone braise had 6 bones in total. The meat was super tender and came off the bone easily, haha. The fun of bone braise is eating the meat together with the bean sprouts, and with the sprouts soaked in the sauce, I could enjoy it in different ways throughout the meal.

Rather than just a strong, harsh flavor, it's a combination that's nice with bean sprouts! Mix the sprouts, meat and sauce into rice and the meal disappears in no time. It's exactly the taste you want when you crave Korean food.

How were the spice and texture?

Maybe because it's an agujjim-sauce base, it wasn't spicy at all, and the sauce had soaked nicely into the bean sprouts. Alternating with the bone meat, the texture was great too! I wondered whether a small would be enough when ordering, but with so many bean sprouts, the portion didn't feel lacking.

The sauce doesn't feel heavy and stays fairly clean, so it works well as a proper meal. The mix of spicy sauce and crunchy bean sprouts went well together, and I also ate the steamed egg from the side dishes in between, haha.

What to know before ordering the bone braise at Seommaeul

I'd recommend the bone braise if you want something a little different from agujjim or you usually like bone braise! But go in knowing that it isn't like the usual bone braise or grilled-bone style, haha.

If you're looking for a good agujjim place in Daejeon or a good restaurant in Yuseong, I recommend Seommaeul Agujjim & Nakjibokkeum! It's perfect for finding a Korean meal in Yuseong after a bread pilgrimage!!