Jungnang hanjeongsik set with grilled hwangtae, ₩18,000: Sanchaega

How to walk to Sanchaega Hanjeongsik from Meokgol Station in 3 minutes

Sanchaega Hanjeongsik was such a great location — only about a 3-minute walk from Meokgol Station. My parents loved that we didn't have to walk far after getting off the subway.

Lunch wait at Sanchaega: do you need a Naver reservation?

Being a well-known spot near Meokgol Station, Sanchaega has waiting chairs set up like this. I went before lunchtime but still waited about 20 minutes. Watching the regulars, everyone seemed to book ahead! I checked Naver and reservations are possible there too. (Even with a reservation, there still seemed to be a small wait.)

I'd recommend booking ahead before you visit. Especially if you're going with your parents, a reservation is a must!

What comes with the ₩18,000 mushroom deodeok cauldron rice set

We ordered the mushroom deodeok cauldron rice set. Can you believe it's only ₩18,000? And this isn't even everything yet — it already looks so generous! Honestly, cauldron rice these days usually starts at ₩20,000-something with modest side dishes, but here the priciest set is ₩18,000... look at this spread of banchan (side dishes)!! Amazing, right?!

Grilled fish, seasoned vinegared squid, grilled deodeok, stir-fried pork, three kinds of namul, ssam (wrap) greens, and so much more. There are so many side dishes, yet each one felt made with real care and tasted genuinely good.

Why Sanchaega works for a lunch with parents

When you're taking your parents out, you need both good value and good taste, right?! Sanchaega was exactly that kind of place. I saw a lot of groups of aunties having gatherings here too, and I totally get why haha. There were plenty of group diners.

They scoop the rice out of the cauldron and serve it to you like this. Apparently they usually bring the whole cauldron to the table, but since we didn't have room on ours, we got it served this way. (Later, when they scooped out the scorched rice, they cleared the empty dishes and brought the whole cauldron over, haha.)

Grilled deodeok and grilled hwangtae, the standout dishes

This was genuinely delicious! Grilled deodeok and grilled hwangtae. It felt like a proper nourishing meal.

The grilled hwangtae especially was something I'd never tried before — the flavor was unfamiliar at first, but I kept reaching for more, hahaha. (Don't finish it all during the meal — save some for later with the scorched rice, it's an absolute delicacy that way!) I'd only ever had hwangtae in soup before, but grilled like this it was so, so good! It would be perfect with drinks too!!!!!

Stir-fried pork and doenjang jjigae simmered at the table

The stir-fried pork had really chunky pieces of meat, so it couldn't possibly be bad. Wrapping it in ssam greens and popping it in your mouth, then following with a bite of tofu from the bubbling doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) — that's what I'd call the taste of happiness.

The balance of meat and fat was really good too, which made it even tastier, hahaha.

The doenjang jjigae simmers over a burner in the middle of the table, so you can keep it piping hot and bubbling the whole meal.

Finishing with cauldron scorched rice and vending-machine coffee

To finish, you get to eat the scorched rice right out of the cauldron like this. It's truly a delicacy.

There was mushroom and deodeok mixed in too — there was clearly a ton in the rice already, but the scorched rice was packed with them as well. It really felt like they used every bit of the ingredients without holding back!! Every single side dish was seasoned just right and so delicious!

The true finishing touch was, of course, the vending machine coffee! I definitely want to come back again. Gondre-bap seems to be their most famous dish, so next time I want to try that. FYI — gondre-bap is available for one person too! If you're living alone and missing home-cooked food, you'll definitely be satisfied here. I'll be back next time with a gondre-bap review!