Gangseo Korean restaurant with grilled mackerel: Mikodam

Lately, whenever I look for somewhere around Magok or Balsan for a family meal or gathering, I find myself looking at Korean set-meal restaurants. Rather than somewhere with only one or two dishes, I tend to prefer places where you can try all sorts of things and where the older members of the family will be happy too. This time, I visited Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch (미꼬담 마곡발산점).

It serves a full-table Korean set meal, so it looked great for visiting with several people. And once dish after dish started arriving, the table was honestly packed, haha. From grilled mackerel and cockle mixed rice to seaweed soup and beef jeon, there was such a variety that Korean-food fans would be quite pleased.

Location, hours, and parking

It is at 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1F Unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. You can park in front of the restaurant, and using the DeMaru private parking lot in the same building gives you three free hours.

Parking can be a surprisingly stressful part of going out to eat for me, but the lot here was spacious and pleasant, so I did not have to worry about it. It seems like an easy place to visit by car for a meal around Magok. The restroom is inside the restaurant and separated by gender.

Exterior and gathering spaces

The exterior had a slightly palace-like feel, so it seemed more upscale than I expected at first. It is not overly formal, though; inside, it has the neat feel of a Korean set-meal restaurant, making it seem suitable for a family meal or bringing your parents along.

There is also a space for people looking for somewhere to celebrate a special occasion, and group use is possible. Reservations are available from four people, while open-room seating is assigned in order of reservation time, so if you want a room, it would be best to check the separate reservation option.

There is also an event where reservations for four or more people that order four or more menu items receive beef jeon as a birthday celebration service. You need to visit within one week before or after your birthday and bring ID, so check before reserving if that applies to you. 🎂

Two-person Korean set menu and choices

This time, we ordered the ₩46,000 two-person Korean set meal plus two drinks.

I liked that the two-person set is not simply a fixed list of dishes: you can choose some items yourself.

• Seaweed soup: beef seaweed soup, flounder seaweed soup, or abalone seaweed soup (+₩4,000)
• Cockle mixed rice: savory soy-sauce seasoning or sweet-and-sour seasoning
• Side: half portion of beef jeon, half portion of Jeju yellow crab in soy sauce, or LA galbi (+₩20,000)

After some deliberation, we chose beef seaweed soup, soy-sauce cockle mixed rice, and beef jeon. The three-person set is ₩62,000 and the four-person set is ₩92,000, so you can choose according to your party size.

All side dishes except the grilled mackerel can be refilled. 👍 If anything runs short while eating, you can comfortably ask for more, which would be nice for a larger group too.

A two-person set that filled the table

As the food started arriving, I was a little surprised by how much there was. Even though it was a two-person set, the table was filled with barely any space left, haha.

The basic side dishes were set down quickly first, with a varied spread including sweet-and-sour salad, kimchi, roasted seaweed, pickled onions, bracken namul (seasoned wild greens), and mung-bean-sprout namul. The dishes were neatly presented, giving everything a tidy feel. A spread that feels like you could finish a whole bowl of rice just by picking at the banchan! Then japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), spicy stir-fried pork, and wrap vegetables arrived, followed at last by the grilled mackerel.

A large grilled mackerel filling the plate

The grilled mackerel was big enough to fill the plate. In person, it was even thicker than I expected. There was a lot of flesh too, so the two of us ultimately could not finish it all.ㅠㅠ If you like fish, I think this grilled mackerel will win you over first.

Rich yet clean beef seaweed soup

The beef seaweed soup arrived hot in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot). It was piled high with seaweed and beef, so it was clearly different from seaweed soup that is mostly broth. The broth was rich without being heavy and had a clean finish, making it good with rice. With so many foods in a Korean set meal, things can get a little rich, but having spoonfuls of seaweed soup in between made my stomach feel more settled. Personally, I think a warm soup like this is quietly important in a full-table meal.

Soy-sauce cockle rice and beef jeon together

And then, the cockle mixed rice I had been looking forward to!

We chose the savory soy-sauce seasoning. It was topped generously with chives and sesame seeds, and there was a good amount of cockles too. The chewy texture of the cockles paired really well with rice once the savory depth of the soy sauce was added.

Most of all, I liked that there were more cockles than expected. The cockle mixed rice was good on its own, but there was one combination I liked best.

I tried cockle mixed rice, beef jeon, and chives all in one bite, and it was a very good combination. 😋 The cockles' chewiness, the tender, nutty flavor of the beef jeon, and the aroma of the chives kept me reaching for more.

There was enough beef jeon to share among several people as well. Personally, this was the combination I remembered most from the meal.

A full-table meal Korean-food lovers will enjoy

Overall, there were so many dishes that it was fun to pick at them one by one. There were lighter dishes like grilled mackerel, familiar sides such as spicy stir-fried pork and japchae, and more substantial dishes like cockle mixed rice and beef jeon, so it was a well-rounded spread even if everyone has different tastes. It seems especially well suited to people looking for a meal with their parents, a family dinner, or a gathering spot.

There is group seating too: a space for six to twelve people and table seating for thirteen to twenty. If you are planning a large gathering, it would be wise to ask in advance when reserving.

Dessert after the meal

After finishing our meal, we made sure to have dessert too. Warm gangnaengi (puffed corn), maesil plum drink, sikhye (sweet rice drink), and coffee were all available, which was great for freshening up after eating.

Especially the warm puffed corn—I had not had it in a long time, and I kept reaching for it, haha. Finishing off a table-full meal with drinks made for a pretty hearty meal.

Final thoughts

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch suited people who want to enjoy a generous variety of Korean dishes at once rather than just one dish. Even the two-person set we ordered was more than filling for two, with grilled mackerel, beef seaweed soup, cockle mixed rice, beef jeon, japchae, spicy stir-fried pork, assorted side dishes, and wrap vegetables all covering the table.

I was especially surprised by just how large the mackerel was, and the cockle mixed rice was satisfying because it contained plenty of cockles. Above all, I liked being able to choose the seaweed soup, cockle seasoning, and side dish when ordering the set. Parking was convenient and the restaurant felt neat, so I thought it was a good option for a family meal, dining with parents, or a gathering with several people. Personally, next time I visit, I would like to try another seaweed soup or the sweet-and-sour cockle seasoning!