Jungnang hanjeongsik dinner with gondre cauldron rice: Sanchaega

I'm a Korean-food person too, and there are plenty of days I crave something warm and hearty like home cooking rather than anything spicy or intense. Especially when I want to properly enjoy a full meal, or when I'm looking for somewhere to take my parents, I look for a place where everything from the banchan (side dishes) to the main dish is satisfying, not just one good menu item. This time I went to Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch, known as a hanjeongsik (set-course Korean meal) spot near Meokgol Station.

If you're looking for hanjeongsik or a healthy rice meal near Meokgol Station, you've probably heard of this place. This was actually a return visit for me. I could see why it keeps coming up as a top pick for hanjeongsik in Jungnang and near Meokgol Station.

How to walk to Sanchaega from Meokgol Station

Sanchaega is located at 30 Dongil-ro 157-gil, Jungnang-gu, Seoul. It's easy to find from exits 5 and 6 of Meokgol Station on Line 7, so it's a decent option to reach by public transit.

I liked that I didn't have to walk far from the station when meeting for a meal around Meokgol. Last time too, there were a lot of families bringing along their elders, and today, visiting at 5pm right after break time, the closer it got to dinner, the more family groups kept coming in.

Inside Sanchaega: dining room and table setting

The interior of Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch had that nice worn-in, lived-in cleanliness that comes with years in business. The kind of place where you can just tell some skilled auntie is back there making the banchan~~~

Which cauldron rice set to order at Sanchaega

They showed us to our seats, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was already set on the table as a default. The menu to really pay attention to at Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch is, of course, the kamasot-bap (cauldron rice) set!! You can choose between gondre kamasot-bap, deodeok and shiitake mushroom kamasot-bap, black rice and sweet potato kamasot-bap, and more, depending on your taste.

Personally, when I come to a place like this, I start getting excited about the rice itself. The nutty aroma of freshly cooked cauldron rice was great, and the rice itself was tasty enough that it barely needed any banchan.

What comes on the 18,000-won table

Everyone gets a piece of grilled flounder, plus squid sukhoe (blanched squid), three-color namul (seasoned vegetables), and lettuce wraps. You can't cook this many dishes for one meal at home, which is exactly why I love coming to a good hanjeongsik place now and then. Recommended as a hanjeongsik spot in Jungnang^^

Lotus root salad, seasoned bean sprouts, black sesame cabbage salad, gungchae (aster scaber) with perilla seasoning, broccoli... and more.

Grilled seasoned dried pollack and grilled deodeok (bellflower root), which my husband loves, come out too. All of this for ₩18,000 per person feels like a really good deal. It's even better with parents, since there are so many different banchan that everyone can eat to their taste.

Pork bulssam (grilled pork for wraps) comes out too, so you can wrap it up and eat, yum. The banchan were never too salty or too bland, which I loved. There was still a lot of banchan left, so there's nurungji (scorched rice) to happily dig into next.

Fluffy gondre cauldron rice with sesame oil

Sanchaega's gondre kamasot-bap is so tasty with its light, fluffy texture. It seemed like they cooked it with sesame oil in it — at least to my taste, I could definitely pick up that nutty sesame oil flavor.

Eating with the doenjang jjigae bubbling away is so good too. I heard eating things too hot isn't good for you, but why do I love it so much when it's piping hot ㅜㅜ

Finishing with nurungji from the cauldron

And especially that moment after finishing the kamasot-bap, when you pour hot water over the rice left in the cauldron and enjoy it like nurungji! That nutty, savory flavor really is the perfect finish to a Korean meal. 😊

That bit of sheen you can see on the nurungji is definitely the sesame oil. The nurungji was so nutty and delicious, and I think I'll definitely be back to Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch, my go-to near Meokgol Station^^ Today's post was about a cozy, satisfying meal with my husband at a hanjeongsik restaurant with a genuinely healthy spread.