Mullae shabu-shabu restaurant for a dinner date course: Palmi

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu in Mullae — a shabu-shabu restaurant that nails both value and vibes.

My husband and I were looking for a dinner spot in Mullae for a date, and that's how we ended up at Palmi Jogae Kalguksu. Fresh clams, beef shabu-shabu, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and even abalone innard porridge — all for around ₩10,000-something per person, insanely good value! Here's my review of this new Mullae spot where we enjoyed the full course.

Where is Palmi Jogae Kalguksu and when is it open?

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu is located at 1 Dorim-ro 147-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, about 6 minutes from Exit 1 of Mullae Station. Hours are 10:30–22:00, with a break time from 15:00–16:30, last order at 21:30, and it's closed every Sunday. No parking on site, so you'll need to use the surrounding alleys or a public parking lot.

• 📍 1 Dorim-ro 147-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours 10:30–22:00 / Break time 15:00–16:30 / Last order 21:30
• Closed: every Sunday
• 🅿️ No parking | use nearby alleys or public lots

There are a lot of new restaurants opening up in Mullae-dong these days, and the strip keeps expanding, so it's fun to go exploring.

What is the restaurant like inside?

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu has a clean, refined hanok (traditional Korean house) feel, giving it a more upscale vibe than your typical shabu-shabu spot. The tables aren't packed too close together, and there's a bonsai display in the center, so there's plenty of space between tables.

There's also a private room, which looked great for company dinners or group gatherings.

Palmi Clam Shabu Kalguksu price and broth options

What we ordered was the Palmi Clam Shabu Kalguksu at ₩18,900 per person, the dinner/weekend price (weekday lunch is ₩15,900 per person). You could choose one broth from basic, spicy, or mala. We figured clear broth would go well with seafood, so we went with basic.

What 18,900 won per person gets you

As soon as we sat down, a specially made large pot and bowl arrived, piled high with clams, vegetables, and beef. The visuals were insane! This is definitely Instagram-story worthy.

I'd seen photos before visiting, but I really didn't expect it to be this big — I was genuinely shocked. I'd only told my husband we were getting clam kalguksu today, so he was even more surprised than me, haha.

This much food for ₩18,900 per person — isn't that both great value and a real treat? And on top of that, there's still kalguksu and abalone porridge to come!

It's packed with a variety of seasonal shellfish like abalone, scallops, and mussels, along with bok choy, bean sprouts, lettuce, mushrooms, and two kinds of beef — chuck and beef belly (usamgyeop).

The wine slush welcome drink

While I was busy taking photos, overwhelmed by how the food looked, the owner appeared out of nowhere.

She gave us a wine slush as a welcome drink. Even people who aren't into alcohol could probably enjoy this — it was a great aperitif before the meal really got going.

The four-part course and the order to eat it in

There's a proper order for eating clam kalguksu.

• First, add the mussels and abalone.
• Cook the shellfish first in the clear broth. As the clams simmer, the broth takes on that rich seafood flavor and gets more savory and refreshing.
• Next come the vegetables and mushrooms.
• The beef is thinly sliced and cooks fast, so shabu-shabu it quickly — don't overcook it.

Three sauces were provided: chili sauce, vinegared gochujang, and soy sauce.

I found scallops, clams, and abalone tasted best with the vinegared gochujang, beef with soy sauce, and vegetables with chili sauce.

I also liked having two cuts of beef — the chuck was lean with a nice chew, while the beef belly had just enough fat for deep flavor. The scallops, abalone, and mussels were all great too, but the clams in particular were especially tender and delicious that day.

I imagine the shellfish selection changes with the season. The tank where the shellfish are kept looked clean too, which was reassuring.

Clam kalguksu with a deep, savory broth

Kalguksu noodles arrive in a little jewel-box-like container. Once you've had your fill of the shabu-shabu, you add the noodles to the remaining broth and boil them.

Since the broth had already simmered with clams, vegetables, and beef, the savoriness was fantastic. The kimchi — probably house-made — was delicious too, and paired really well with the kalguksu. By the time we finished the noodles we were starting to get full, but this wasn't the end.

Saving the best for last: abalone innard (geou) porridge

The final course was abalone porridge made with abalone innard sauce.

The abalone porridge is made in the leftover shabu-shabu broth. Since it's geou porridge with abalone innards mixed in, the nutty flavor was quite intense. The kimchi was so good we got a refill to eat alongside it.

Why Palmi Jogae Kalguksu is worth a trip to Mullae

Clams → beef → kalguksu → abalone porridge — it all comes out like a proper four-step course. At ₩18,900 per person, the value is genuinely excellent, and combined with the great visuals, Palmi Jogae Kalguksu hits both value and the wow factor. Mullae's Palmi Jogae Kalguksu doesn't feel like much of a financial burden, the menu is substantial, and the atmosphere is great too — a memorable Mullae shabu-shabu spot with both crazy-good value and a real sense of occasion.

The beer other tables were drinking looked so good that we ordered one to cleanse the palate at the end, and it was cold and great quality. The atmosphere here has real charm, so I'd recommend it for company dinners or family gatherings too. If you're looking for a dinner option in Mullae, this kind of seafood shabu-shabu might be even better than a standard beef shabu-shabu :)