Seoul Korean restaurant bossam and tofu course for two: Maetdolroman

I've been eating a lot of spicy, sweet, salty delivery food lately and my stomach was really struggling. I desperately needed a healthy, filling, home-cooked-style meal, and that's when I found 'Maetdolroman Deungchon Branch' near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station in Gangseo-gu.

It's actually a real hidden gem that's been featured on <JTBC Aljjawang> and by 'Foodie Trip,' a YouTuber with 1.5 million subscribers. If you're looking for a good spot for a family meal or to take your parents, read on to the end!

Where is Maetdolroman Deungchon Branch, and what should you order?

• Location: Deungchon-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul (excellent access near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station), parking also supported.
• Signature dish: Maetdolroman set meal (₩13,000 per person)
• Special features: fresh tofu made in-house every morning, unlimited refills of warm sundubu (soft tofu)

I've been to a lot of restaurants, but let me pick out three things that make this place stand out.

The world's first patented giant millstone and the stacks of soybean sacks

The moment I walked in, a giant millstone and enormous stacks of soybean sacks caught my eye right away! Amazing. It turns out that every morning before dawn, they grind domestic soybeans by hand with this patented large millstone. On top of that, they boil it carefully in a large cauldron, so the depth of flavor is on a different level. It's truly a premium tofu specialty restaurant, made fresh every dawn with a patented large millstone.

Unlimited warm sundubu at the self-serve bar

Open the big rice cooker off to one side of the restaurant and it's packed full of soft, fluffy sundubu (soft tofu). It's a self-serve system, so you can take as much as you want.

I put a little soy sauce seasoning on top and took a bite — the savory flavor that filled my whole mouth was truly a work of art.

Home-style side dishes, right down to the stir-fried anchovies

They make five basic side dishes fresh in the kitchen every single day, and they change daily. Honestly, when you go to a restaurant you usually get so busy eating the main dish that you barely touch the side dishes, right? But here, the seasoning isn't heavy at all — it's mild and clean — so I ended up finishing even the anchovy stir-fry.

Maetdolroman Deungchon Branch menu and prices

What the 13,000 won Maetdolroman set meal for two actually looks like

We visited as two people and ordered the most popular option, the 'Maetdolroman set meal for two.' At ₩13,000 per person, the amount of food was so generous it was hard to believe. A hearty tofu hot pot comes as the main dish, along with bossam, pan-fried tofu, and plain tofu, filling the whole table.

The overall flavor base was completely mild — pure, healthy taste all around. The thick pan-fried tofu was browned golden with a perfect crispy-outside, soft-inside texture, and the hot pot was packed with mushrooms, cabbage, and other vegetables that made the broth wonderfully refreshing!

Wrapping the tender bossam pork with pickled radish strips and plain tofu, like a three-way combo (samhap), was especially delicious.

The Maetdolroman set meal was pure, mild, healthy flavor that would soothe the stomach of anyone worn out from spicy, salty food. I recommend it if you're tired of MSG-heavy flavors and craving healthy home cooking! Definitely visit if you want to earn praise taking your parents, or want a filling meal with the kids.

Free biji to take home after your meal: don't leave without it

By the way, when you pay and head out, there's a freezer at the store entrance stocked with plenty of neatly packaged biji (soybean pulp). If you've eaten there, you can take it home 100% free, so be sure to grab some. Boil it at home into a biji jjigae (soybean pulp stew) with some sour kimchi and diced pork, and you've got two more full meals sorted for the next day.

With a set meal packed full of food at just ₩13,000 per person, you can enjoy everything from tofu hot pot to bossam as a full course — I highly recommend 'Maetdolroman,' a restaurant near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station. Save it to your list of Gangseo-gu restaurants near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station right now.