Paju Korean restaurant: gulbi and pot rice dinner at Simhaksan Tteurak

What is Simhaksan Tteurak Paju Main Branch like?

Simhaksan Tteurak Paju Main Branch is a bori gulbi (barley-aged dried croaker) restaurant serving Korean set meals (hanjeongsik) on the Simhaksan restaurant street in Paju. I went to the main branch for dinner today.

As many of you know, Paju's Simhaksan is a very famous street packed with restaurants. It's said that a place here can't survive unless it's actually good, so there are lots of really tasty spots. I heard about one that stands out even among them, so I headed straight over.

How is the parking and how big is the restaurant?

Simhaksan Tteurak Paju Main Branch has a large parking area in front, and the size of the place was honestly enormous.

Besides the big parking area, there were outdoor tables out front where you can sit and rest.

The interior was also quite large.

With so many seats, it looked great for a meal with family and also for gatherings. It had that distinct hanjeongsik atmosphere too, tidy yet cozy.

Because the place is so big, the seats are spaced far apart, so we could eat in a very comfortable setting. The seating came in a variety of setups, from regular tables to sofa tables.

It's said to be one of the top restaurants in Paju's Simhaksan area, and I was surprised right away by how overwhelming the size is.

Is it good as a Paju Korean set-meal restaurant with private rooms?

Simhaksan Tteurak also has a room that can hold 30-40 people. If you're looking for a Korean set-meal restaurant with rooms in Paju, it's worth a visit.

When eating with family, people often look for restaurants with private rooms, and this really deserves a spot among the good ones in Paju.

Can you buy bori gulbi holiday gift sets?

Simhaksan Tteurak doesn't just cook and sell meals. It also sells lots of gift sets such as bori gulbi and jeotgal (salted fermented seafood). The food is good, so the gift items clearly sell well too.

The gift boxes are also quite fancy and large, so they looked great as gifts for holidays like Chuseok or Lunar New Year.

What comes in the bori gulbi set for two?

Simhaksan Tteurak serves all its rice as pot rice (solbap), and the smell of the rice cooking was wonderful.

This restaurant is so famous that you can see traces of many celebrities who have visited.

We ordered the bori gulbi set meal for two, and the side dishes came out first. The variety and amount were truly overwhelming.

From assorted vegetables to seasoned greens (namul), gulbi and stew, there was so much that there was nothing you couldn't find to eat. The sheer variety would satisfy anyone, young or old. Eating it all with the pot rice made it even tastier.

How did the bori gulbi taste?

The gulbi, which Simhaksan Tteurak is really famous for, melted in my mouth, and eating it I could see why the bori gulbi here is so well known.

On top of that, the namul and vegetables served alongside were all fresh, and each one was very, very distinctive and delicious.

Why eat bori gulbi with rice in green tea water?

Another unusual thing at Simhaksan Tteurak is the green tea water served with ice floating in it. We were told to pour it over the rice and eat it with the gulbi.

The reason is that gulbi has a slightly fishy smell, and eating rice soaked in green tea water together with it takes that fishiness away.

I actually tried it just as the owner said, and it was so delicious that I couldn't taste any fishiness from the gulbi at all.

It was also very tasty eaten with the side-dish kimchi that came with it. The gulbi is good, the green tea rice is unusual, and the side dishes are all delicious, so I could understand why this place has survived as one of the best on Simhaksan in Paju.

Pancakes, side dishes and coffee to finish

The bori gulbi set also comes with a buchimgae (Korean pancake), and it was nicely nutty and delicious.

With assorted vegetables, side dishes and even lotus root, I could enjoy lots of flavors and textures. I think it's just right for people who want to eat with family in a private room at a Paju Korean set-meal restaurant.

Finally, I had a cup of hot instant mix coffee and enjoyed a proper dessert. If you're looking for a good restaurant in Simhaksan, Paju, or a Korean set-meal place, please visit Simhaksan Tteurak. The taste would satisfy anyone, young or old, and with so much variety and such big portions, we really enjoyed a proper meal.