Suseong, Daegu Korean restaurant for eel sotbap: Haenyeo Sotbap

A Suseong pot-rice restaurant with spacious rooms and a waiting area

Today, while wondering what Mom and I should eat, we headed over to Haenyeo Sotbap (해녀솥밥) Suseong Direct Store, famous in Suseong for its high-quality sotbap (rice cooked in an individual pot)!

There were lots of people. A parking attendant kindly helped us park!

Hours are daily from 11:30 to 21:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00.

The waiting area was wonderfully spacious too. The entrance has a leafy-garden feel, haha. The atmosphere was fresh and pleasant.

If you do not have a reservation, just enter the number in your party at the Catchtable machine out front and wait.

The dining area has wide tables and sofas, while the perimeter is all rooms. There are so many seats, and they are incredibly spacious!

Such an elegant interior. It is exactly the kind of atmosphere older adults and parents would love. It seemed great for family gatherings and all sorts of club meetups too.

The delicious aroma of pot rice was wafting through the air.

Further inside, there are continuously more seats and private rooms.

Ordering abalone and eel sotbap

Have a look at the menu~~ We ordered abalone sotbap and eel sotbap!

We had reserved, so we were taken straight to a room! The room was so spacious, and the table was huge—absolutely loved it!!

Mom told me not to put her in the blog and to make sure I blur her face. Hehe.

A generous spread from the side dishes alone

As soon as we ordered, they brought out the side dishes first, haha. They come in a basket, which is so cute.

Every side dish was neat and tasty. I tried them all. I do not usually like or eat jeotgal (salt-fermented seafood), but the jeotgal here had not even a hint of fishiness and tasted so clean.

Mom and I both really enjoyed the dotorimuk (acorn jelly). It had lots of acorn powder, so it was dense and springy. The watery kimchi and seasoned cucumber were not overly salty either, and we enjoyed them.

The sweet-and-tangy mix of dried seasoned squid and dried radish strips, plus the stir-fried anchovies, were very sweet and crisp like snacks.

There was also salad, seasoned namul vegetables, roasted seaweed, and soy sauce~~

Grilled Spanish mackerel also came as a basic side dish, and its flesh was nice and plump.

Mom praised the sweet-and-sour shiitake mushroom tangsuyuk too and ate lots of it!! The sauce was not too sweet, the starch was just right, and the batter passed the test too!! Such fancy basic side dishes! There is so much to eat with the pot rice, right?

This is the butter-grilled abalone we received through a review event. We got two substantial pieces of abalone.

Haenyeo Sotbap has so much variety~~ It already gets a pass from the basic side dishes alone~~~~!!

The abalone was truly delicious dipped in the innards sauce, so I scraped up every last bit, haha.

Substantial abalone and tender eel pot rice

Abalone sotbap~~~ haha

The abalone was much bigger in person than in the photos. It was cleaned beautifully, so springy, and really substantial. ⭐️ The abalone is bigger than it looks in photos!!! ⭐️

The eel rice bowl arrived too~~

Look at that glossy eel. Can you see how plump it is? I loved that none of the eel was burnt, it was seasoned just right, and it was tender.

I transferred it to the bibimbap bowl, haha. Meanwhile, the seaweed soup arrived~~

After scooping out the rice, pour water into the pot^^*

I dropped a piece of eel onto Mom's abalone rice. Have a taste~

What a generous spread, right? The main rice, side dishes, and soup—nothing was lacking. Every dish was clean, neatly presented, and delicious.

Mom was really, really satisfied too!!

The rice had a nutty aroma, and with grilled eel as a topping, it became a light and delicious eel rice bowl~~~

Spanish mackerel, you are so big! Such a thick piece.

A staff member recommended wrapping it in seaweed too, so I did—and the balance was perfect, hahaha.

Coffee and pomegranate slush after the meal

There were drinks that pair nicely with the food too.

Coffee and candy slush were prepared for dessert after the meal ^^

Pomegranate slush~~~ You do not often find pomegranate-flavored slushes, but they have this wonderfully refreshing fruit slush that is exactly to older adults' tastes. Perfect, haha.

I want to praise Haenyeo Sotbap (해녀솥밥) Suseong Direct Store for its carefully made Korean food using wholesome ingredients, and its 13-dish table setting was the best. The abundant seafood dishes will captivate your taste buds, so come complete a special meal with your loved ones! I truly recommend it ^^

After finishing, I went grocery shopping at Suyo Market and saw a crab hiding in a bowl of hijiki rice. It made me think of a crab holding a knife. Hahaha.