Sangam pot rice restaurant: how to eat eel and sea bream at Solsot

Solsot Sangam Branch: location, hours and parking

Solsot Sangam Branch is at 75 Maebongsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, B1 Unit 101, a 7-minute walk from Exit 9 of Diemsi Station (Digital Media City Station). It is open 11:00–21:00, with a break from 4 to 5 pm.

• Parking: 1 hour free (30 minutes free from the building + 30 minutes when you eat at the restaurant)
• High chairs, disposable bibs, baby tableware, straws and a handheld fan for cooling food are available

Solsot (솔솥) is a pot rice specialist. Since last year I'd wondered about it every time I passed the Solsot Mangwon branch and saw the long waiting line, so when I spotted a Solsot in Sangam, I went right away. My boyfriend and I were both really happy with the meal, so I think we'll keep coming back to Solsot Sangam Branch whenever we want a filling yet clean-tasting meal in Sangam DMC.

It's close, a 7-minute walk from Exit 9 of Diemsi Station, and it's on the B1 floor of the DDMC building, so it's easy to reach. (It says B1, but the building's 1st-floor lobby is actually B1, so it's effectively on the ground floor.) There's a Cry Cheeseburger on the 1st floor, so if you look for that you'll probably find it easily.

Walk straight in through the main entrance and you'll see Solsot right away.

Solsot is a place to try all kinds of premium pot rice, and the signature sea bream and scallop pot rice and freshwater eel pot rice were so good that I'd order them again on a return visit!

What is Solsot Sangam Branch like on an early weekday evening, and how do you order?

When we visited on an early weekday evening it was a little empty, but by the time we finished eating, quite a lot of tables had filled up. The restaurant is clean, with a comfortable wood-tone interior, and looked good for eating solo, for a date or for a family meal. We did see plenty of families. At lunchtime I'd guess office workers nearby come a lot.

It's not a private room, but there's also a space that looks a bit more private.

You order conveniently from a tablet at each table. We ordered the two signature pot rice dishes plus a side.

• Eel pot rice - ₩25,000
• Sea bream and scallop pot rice - ₩17,000
• Yurinchi - ₩8,500

They also run a review event: on a first visit you get a Sprite Zero or Coke Zero, and on a second visit you get 1 fried shrimp per review, just so you know.

+ For guests with little kids, they have high chairs, disposable bibs, baby tableware, straws and even a handheld fan for cooling food, and these are provided on request.

Each table has napkins, wet wipes and cutlery, and the cutlery is individually wrapped for hygiene, which I liked!

How do you eat each Solsot pot rice?

The tables at Solsot Sangam Branch have detailed instructions on how to enjoy each pot rice more, and if you follow them it tastes even better.

• Sea bream and scallop pot rice: mash the sea bream well, then mix
• Cockle pot rice and cheese dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) pot rice: don't mix in the pot; scoop onto your small plate first, then mix
• Freshwater eel pot rice: don't scoop onto the plate first, and don't mix the rice and eel; eat them scooped together, and when 1/3 is left, move it to your plate and pour in broth with wasabi and perilla leaf

I only noticed how to eat the freshwater eel pot rice while writing this post.. hahaha, so next visit I'll eat it that way.. haha. On the back there's also an English guide for foreign guests.

How does Solsot's freshwater eel pot rice (₩25,000) taste?

The eel pot rice came out first, neatly laid out as a full set on a tray.

The salad, kimchi, soup and yogurt that come with every dish are the same for each menu (the salad was so fresh it made a great appetizer), and the eel pot rice also comes with myeongi namul (pickled wild greens), wasabi and perilla leaves.

Wow, what a gorgeous sight! The moment you lift the lid of the freshwater eel pot rice, a nutty aroma hits you first, and with generous chunks of eel on top, I was excited from the looks alone. The soft, moist texture of the eel was impressive too, and it was mild with none of that fishy taste. The sweet-salty sauce soaks naturally into the rice, so even plain rice without the eel would've been tasty, which meant I enjoyed it down to the last spoonful haha.

It said not to mix this gorgeous eel, but we didn't see that and mixed it hard like the sea bream pot rice. hahahahaha

Still, it's delicious on its own, so it's good however you eat it.. plain, or topped with myeongi namul.. The toasty scorched-rice aroma of pot rice blends with the eel's flavor for a restorative feel.. If you want a hearty meal, this is personally the one I'd recommend most!

How does Solsot's sea bream and scallop pot rice (₩17,000) taste?

And this is the sea bream and scallop pot rice I ordered. A piece of butter sits on top, and the buttery smell is so nutty.. Sea bream and scallop come together, and you can double the main ingredient, like sea bream or eel, so if you want a more generous portion, it's good to add it when ordering.

The sea bream and scallop pot rice had a clean, refined appeal. The sea bream was soft and mild, and the scallop kept its plump bounce, so it was fun to chew. The savory depth of seafood soaks naturally into the rice, giving deep flavor without being harsh.

Personally, if the eel pot rice is the rich one, the sea bream and scallop pot rice is cleaner and subtler. It's easy to enjoy, so I think women especially would like it. It seems to be Solsot's signature and a main dish at many branches.

The sea bream pot rice comes with soy sauce for dipping the sea bream, seaweed and salted fermented seafood (jeotgal). When you have the scorched-rice tea (sungnyung) after the meal, putting this jeotgal on top makes the savory flavor explode!

Luckily, for the sea bream pot rice we mashed it properly as instructed, moved it to the small plate and mixed haha

How do you eat sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) at Solsot?

At Solsot, once you've scooped all the rice out, you pour broth into the pot and finish with sungnyung. Just looking at the nurungji (scorched rice) stuck to the pot, the sungnyung already looks delicious...

After scooping out all the rice, pour broth into the pot! It's said to be a broth made with mackerel powder and anchovies (nuntongmyeol).

Maybe because it's pot rice, the rice itself is so nutty and tasty.. Both dishes were a perfect choice... hahaha Wrapping it in seaweed and dipping in soy sauce is highly recommended too!! The soup that comes with the meal went well with it as well.

Is Solsot's side dish yurinchi (₩8,500) worth ordering?

The yurinchi (₩8,500) we ordered as a side at Solsot Sangam Branch was so good, I was surprised, it could pass as a main dish.

The meat is moist, the sauce has soaked in well, and it's top-notch.. Eaten with the cabbage served alongside, it felt like being at a Chinese restaurant.. hahaha

After the meal they finish you off with warm sungnyung. You enjoy the pot rice's own nuttiness, then end with the comforting sungnyung, which made the meal even more satisfying. After the last spoonful of warm nurungji, my stomach felt settled, and I felt like I'd been treated to a proper meal..

Which dish should you order at Solsot Sangam Branch?

If you're looking for a neat, filling yet special meal in Sangam, I'd recommend Solsot Sangam Branch. The eel pot rice gives you heartiness and flavor, and the sea bream and scallop pot rice gives you cleanness and savory depth, so I'd recommend both. If you like pot rice that lets the ingredients shine, I think anyone would be satisfied.