Hanam braised pollock restaurant: extra spicy, 15-min wait, Appa Jjim

Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch basics

• Signature dishes: siraegi braised pollock (small), seafood pancake, VIP seafood jjim (small) and more
• Hours: daily 11:00–21:50 (break 15:00–15:30)
• Parking: available in front of the restaurant

How are parking and weekend waits at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch?

Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch has its own parking lot, and there are parking attendants too, so parking is easy. I went to this Hanam braised pollock favorite!

Those in the know already know: this place is packed!!! It's famous as a Hanam braised pollock and seafood jjim (steamed spicy seafood) spot, so a wait is a must! Booking ahead would be even better.

I went at weekend lunch and waited about 15 minutes. Be sure to register on the waiting tablet when you walk in. You get a KakaoTalk message 🫶🏻 There are lots of seats, though, so turnover is pretty quick.

Even with this many seats in the hall, it's full.. 👍 It's seriously popular!!! There are rooms inside too, and baby chairs are available.

What did we order at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch?

Here's the menu. Apparently "Appa Jjim" is a pun on "jjim that fell into the anglerfish"?~ lol hahaha. Lots of people come for agu-jjim (spicy steamed anglerfish) or seafood jjim, but the lunch set of siraegi braised pollock (braised with dried radish greens) plus fragrant-rice pot rice is the really popular one!!! It's a Hanam braised pollock hotspot, after all..❤️

Also, Appa Jjim steams its jjim at 180 degrees, so the inside cooks up moist and tasty, they say. The seafood jjim tempted me too, but I came today just for the siraegi braised pollock! So that's what I ordered >.<!!!

And my favorite thing: a place where you can adjust the spice!!!! The levels are regular / spicy / extra spicy 🌶️ My whole family loves spicy food, so we went extra spicy!!!!! hehehe

• Siraegi braised pollock (medium) ₩50,000
• Fragrant-rice pot rice ₩2,500 x 3 portions
• Crispy seafood pancake (바샥 해물전) ₩16,000

Side dishes and table setting at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch

This is how they set out the side dishes.

The cold cucumber soup comes in a big bowl! Ask for a separate dish to ladle it into.

Since we ordered the braised pollock, the bean sprouts and seaweed sheets are set too 💗

How many people does the medium siraegi braised pollock (₩50,000) feed?

The medium siraegi braised pollock at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch is ₩50,000, and they said it serves about 3–4 people. With the seafood pancake, four people can easily eat their fill!!!

❤️ Ta-da! ❤️ Doesn't that sauce look sooo good?? I want to eat it again even while writing this haha. And the portion is really big.

The server carefully pulls the bones out right at the table. They don't bring it out already deboned from the kitchen; doing it in front of you built trust, and most places don't do this at all, so such good service..! No wonder it's popular. And even though the restaurant was really busy, every single staff member was kind. 👍👍

How spicy is the extra-spicy braised pollock at Appa Jjim?

I ordered the braised pollock at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch at the extra-spicy level. At first I thought "oh, that's spicy?~" but I got used to it right away haha. Sweet, spicy and deeply savory ❤️👍 I don't know why the sauce is so good..! Truly a Hanam braised pollock favorite.

• If you love spicy food: extra spicy
• If you want a nice kick: spicy
• If you can't handle spice: regular

The next table said even the regular level is a bit spicy! They said regular is milder than Shin Ramyun. (I suddenly started chatting with the next table haha)

Is 3 portions of pot rice enough?

I ordered 3 portions of fragrant-rice pot rice at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch, but instead of individual pots, all 3 portions came in one pot. That was a bit disappointing T.T Individual portions would let everyone eat as much as they like! And even for 3 portions, the amount of rice was less than usual..🥹🥹

Still, braised pollock with pot rice is a perfect match! The rice itself was good too.

I scooped out the rice and poured in hot water, waiting for the sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) to eat last >.<

Anyway, since the pot rice was small, I ordered a bowl of plain rice, and the plain rice came in a big portion! You need plenty of rice with braised pollock, right..? But I can't give up the pot rice..! ❤️ I think it's best to order one pot rice and one plain rice.

What does the ₩16,000 crispy seafood pancake taste like?

The seafood pancake at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch is ₩16,000, named the "Basak (crispy) Seafood Jeon"..! It's starred on the menu~~~⭐️ As you can see in the photo, it's really crispy. Think of it less as a seafood-and-scallion pancake and more as vegetable fritters with seafood in them. I think it's Appa Jjim's own signature pancake you can't taste anywhere else!!!

Maybe it's because I love fried food, but I'd have been in trouble if I hadn't ordered this!!! It's crispy, packed with ingredients, and goes so well with the spicy braised pollock. ❤️

The braised pollock bowl is huge, and you can see the pancake plate too!!! For ₩16,000, the portion was seriously enormous. Great value!!!!

How were the pollock, siraegi and tofu?

Back to the siraegi braised pollock! The pollock at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch is meaty and tender.. a real rice thief!!!! ❤️👍 Maybe thanks to the fast turnover, every ingredient was fresh with no off smell.

When I order braised pollock, I always add siraegi or get the siraegi version, because some places have tough siraegi! But at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch the siraegi isn't tough at all, it's soft and so good.

It has tofu, rice cakes and radish in it!!! My husband and mom raved about the tofu haha. They said it's different from store-bought tofu, like homemade..! I left without asking the owner, though. It was my first time having braised pollock with tofu, and I figured there must be a reason they add it, and sure enough the tofu was sooo good!

We ate it wrapped nicely with seaweed and bean sprouts! At the end we had the nurungji (scorched rice) we'd poured hot water on earlier, and it was really nutty, the perfect final palate cleanser, the best 👍👍

Would I go back to Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch?

If you're looking for a Hanam braised pollock restaurant, definitely visit Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch!!! I really recommend it >.<! It's crowded, so be sure to book ahead. Next time I'm going for the seafood jjim! ❤️