Hanam braised pollock, mixing bean sprouts into the sauce: Appa Jjim

A generous siraegi braised pollock and pot rice I was really happy with: Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch, a Hanam kodari (half-dried pollock) spot I recommend for family meals and Misa lunches.

Hi, it's Ttudu. I recently went to Hanam to buy bottles for Maru. I've gotten almost all the baby gear ready and only the bottles were left, so I went baby shopping. Last time I visited Baby House in Yongin, and this time I went to the branch in Hanam.

Shopping matters, but food comes first, right? (There's a Korean saying: even Mount Geumgang is better after a meal!) I wanted to fill my stomach before moving on, so I went back to Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch, which I loved last time. I've been several times already, so I had high hopes again :) If you're looking for a kodari place in Hanam, it's well worth a visit 👍🏻

Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch: location and hours

Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch is at 60 Wolho-ro, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi (1st floor, Deokpung-dong), open 11:00–21:50 every day of the year. Parking is available too.

• 📍 60-1 Deokpung-dong, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi
• 🕰️ 11:00–21:50, open every day
• 🚘 Parking available

It's a large restaurant that works for family meals, company dinners and group gatherings, with fresh ingredients and honest cooking that anyone, young or old, can enjoy. After going myself, I understand why it's also famous as a seafood jjim (steamed seafood) place in Hanam.

Is parking easy?

You can park in front of the restaurant, so it's easy to visit. On weekends in particular there's a parking attendant, so even new drivers can use it without worry.

11:30am booking, waiting starts at 12:00

This time I booked for 11:30am! As expected, the restaurant was already full of customers, and the waiting line started at 12:00. If you're going on a weekend, I think a reservation is practically a must. It's so famous as a Misa lunch spot that it fills up quickly at lunchtime.

Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch says it was the first to make jjim and jorim (braises) with 180-degree high-temperature steam over maifan stone, so you get a deeper flavor. At lunch lots of customers came for the braised pollock and pot rice, and it was even better that the pot rice is made with Suhyangmi rice.

What we ordered this time

Ordering is easy with the tablet at every table, which was convenient.

Again I ordered the small siraegi braised pollock, which I enjoyed most last time. For sides I added shrimp tempura and poached cuttlefish (gapojingeo sukhoe). The crispy seafood pancake is famous too, but I had it last time, so I picked something different.

The place is really big and still packed, with lots of families and especially the parents' generation. No wonder it's been loved for so long as a Hanam kodari restaurant.

Side dishes

The side dishes were seasoned greens, bean sprouts, braised beans, seaweed, salad and a refreshing cold seaweed soup. There weren't too many kinds, which was just right to eat with the main dish, and you can enjoy refills without worry. True to a Hanam seafood jjim place, the lineup is built to make the main dish taste even better.

Five pieces of shrimp tempura

The first dish out was the shrimp tempura. Five freshly fried shrimp came out, crispy outside and moist inside, and really good. They're great dipped in tartar sauce and also go well with the salad! Even the side dish was so satisfying that I'd recommend it for a Misa lunch.

Small siraegi braised pollock, enough for two

After a short wait, the siraegi braised pollock arrived. It comes generously loaded with savory dried radish greens and mild pollock, and even the small was enough for two adults. There were two whole pollock, with really plump flesh, and I was happy the whole way through! The siraegi was laid generously under the pollock, so eating them together gives a deeper flavor. Truly the signature dish of Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch.

The braise also has rice cakes, tofu and radish. The rice cakes are chewy like tteokbokki, the tofu soaks up the sauce like braised tofu, and the radish is sweet and tender, so good. It's one dish, but picking among the different ingredients is fun, and I never got tired of it. I kept feeling why it's called a top Hanam kodari place as I ate!

The pollock flesh was really plump, and most of the bones were already removed, so it was easy to eat. With the tender siraegi it was even nuttier, and the tip my brother taught me was really good too.

Tip: mix bean sprouts into the pollock sauce

It's mixing plenty of bean sprouts into the pollock sauce. It's good on its own, but with the sauce the savory flavor really comes alive! And wrapping siraegi, bean sprouts and pollock together in seaweed was the best of all. The sauce is also perfect for mixing with rice, so I think anyone, young or old, would like it. If you're after seafood jjim in Hanam, try it this way at least once!

Suhyangmi pot rice for two

The pot rice (solbap) we ordered with it was really good too. It uses Suhyangmi rice, with a subtle aroma and nice stickiness, so the rice tasted great, and kidney beans, peas and ginkgo nuts gave it a fun chew.

I ordered two servings and it came out almost like three, so we were nicely full! If you want a hearty Misa lunch, definitely order the pot rice too.

How we ate the poached cuttlefish

The poached cuttlefish that came last was great too. It was chewy yet tender, not tough at all, and also good dipped in gochujang vinegar sauce (chogochujang) with cucumber and carrot.

Personally, dipping it in the pollock sauce was way better! You can also add it to the braised pollock, but ordering it separately as sukhoe (blanched seafood) has its own charm. Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch satisfied not just with the main dish but with the sides too!

Marinated crab and nostalgic snacks

The restaurant also sells seasoned raw crab (yangnyeom gejang) made with female blue crabs from Yeonpyeong Island! The owner said they use only top-grade crab and will refund you if it doesn't taste good, which made me even more curious. Next time, after Maru is born, I'd like to take some home. After the meal they also sell snacks like nostalgic jeonbyeong (crispy rice wafers), nice to pick up one by one as dessert.

Wrapping up

Once again I had a satisfying meal and finished the shopping happily too. The hearty pot rice, generous siraegi braised pollock, crispy shrimp tempura and tender poached cuttlefish, there wasn't a single disappointing dish! It's great for family meals or taking your parents, and also highly satisfying for office lunches or gatherings. If you're looking for a kodari restaurant in Hanam, I recommend a good meal at Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch, also famous as a seafood jjim place in Hanam. Especially if you're wondering where to have lunch in Misa, it'll be a satisfying choice 🤍