Basic set meal for 2 plus soy crab combo in Bucheon: Gim Myeongju

Today's a mom-daughter date day~ 🩷 We went to Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch, which is Mom's go-to-again-and-again spot. According to Mom, it's already famous among her friends as a Bucheon Korean restaurant.

Once I got there, I immediately understood why it's popular — the namul (seasoned vegetable) and muchim (seasoned salad) side dishes came out in a neat, generous variety, and the pot rice and main dishes were high quality 👍🏻 The place is also spacious, perfect for family meals out or gatherings with friends. Here's my review of Tteuranchae Bapsang, a Kkachiul favorite — let's go 🖤

Location and parking at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch sits in the Wonmisan food alley. It stands alone next to a lush green mountainside, so even though it's in the city, it felt like I'd traveled far away 👍🏻 The hanok-style exterior really looks the part of a Korean restaurant, doesn't it?

There's a big parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so it was really convenient to drive there! I visited at 4pm on a weekday and there were plenty of spots, but Mom says it fills up completely on weekends... If you're visiting on a weekend, it'd be good to go a bit early ‼️

Interior seating and atmosphere

The interior was super spacious and clean! It's black plus wood tones, comfortable while keeping that hanok feel alive, so the atmosphere was pretty nice~ 👍🏻 There are partitioned, slightly private seats too, and those look like they'd be popular, so booking ahead seems like a good idea ✨

Menu prices and order combinations

Let's check out the menu board~

• Borigulbi set meal ₩31,000 (per person)
• Soy-marinated crab set meal ₩31,000 (per person)
• Charcoal-grilled pork set meal ₩31,000 (per person)
• Cockle salad set meal ₩29,000 (per person)
• Grilled mackerel set meal ₩29,000 (per person)

For those who want something a bit simpler, there's the Tteuranchae Bapsang at ₩13,000, which requires adding at least one extra dish for a table of 4.

I ordered the Tteuranchae Bapsang for 2 with one extra soy-marinated crab dish. The Tteuranchae Bapsang already comes with tons of side dishes, plus you can refill at the self-bar, so it was plenty filling ❤️

• ✔️ For an important occasion or a proper full spread, go for a set meal
• ✔️ For good value and a hearty meal, the bapsang + one extra dish is the move!

The banchan lineup with Tteuranchae Bapsang for 2

The side dishes that showed up with our order,,! Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), kimchi, braised burdock root, seasoned spinach, fried eggplant. Whoa, it all came out so neatly arranged..? After a lifetime of just soju, coming to a Bucheon Korean restaurant made me feel healthier just looking at it ⭐️

Stir-fried dried radish greens, seasoned perilla leaves, braised potatoes, pickled garlic stems, radish salad, pickled peppers, too! None of the banchan were overly bold in flavor, so they were clean and light to eat 👍🏻 It felt like every single one was made with care, not just thrown in to fill space.

Next, a hot individual pot rice for each person and cheonggukjang arrive to complete the Tteuranchae Bapsang!

How good is freshly made pot rice?! 🍚 It has that fluffy texture but still chewy — so good,,

The cheonggukjang was thick and had that proper savory funk! I don't like watery cheonggukjang, but this rich, dense one is exactly my style ♥️ Oh, and even though the base meal already comes out this generous, the cheonggukjang can be refilled too. Of course you do need to add an extra dish, but isn't this whole spread for ₩13,000 an absolute steal?! ⭐️ Owner, honestly, are you a landlord? Feels like a price only possible if you own the building.. (jealous)

Banchan refills at the self-bar

And what I liked was that every banchan can be refilled at the self-bar ‼️ (only japchae and cheonggukjang need a staff request). I really liked having a self-bar — it's just so convenient. Even if refills are allowed, it's a bit awkward to say 'please refill these six side dishes~' (classic introvert move) but at Tteuranchae Bapsang, a Kkachiul favorite, there's no need to worry about that, so this shy person was very happy haha

And I also loved the thoughtful touch of burners at the self-bar keeping the side dishes warm 🥹 That's next-level attention to detail ~ 🩷

How many crabs come with the soy-marinated crab side dish?

🦀 And here's the star, the soy-marinated crab 🦀 I ordered it as an extra dish and got a whopping 4 crabs, no kidding. Piled high in a big bowl, the visuals were amazing too ✨ With the extra dish added, the table was fully loaded ‼️

I'll just wait here for Mom to skillfully cut it up for me! 😆 Even halved, look how big it is? Looking at the cross-section, the meat yield is insane,, ⭐️ This crab must've worked out its muscles in life,,! The meat was packed all the way through, and one bite filled my mouth with plump, tender flesh. Salty in the best way, seriously a rice thief ‼️ Not fishy at all, nutty and delicious — I just kept eating it with rice.

Eating crab, then having a spoonful of savory cheonggukjang, tones down the saltiness of the crab a bit,, and then that makes you want more crab,, and then it's salty again so back to cheonggukjang,, (piggy, stop) That's a flavor combo where happiness isn't far away ✨

Fried eggplant and kimchi worth a second refill

Among the side dishes, the fried eggplant 🍆 really stuck with me. The batter wasn't thick, and inside the eggplant was soft with a slightly sweet seasoning that kept me reaching for more ✨ Fried eggplant is expensive if you order it elsewhere, but here it's unlimited refills, total win! I refilled it once more.

Oh, and the kimchi was really good too,, this place is a ⭐️ kimchi hotspot ⭐️ It's just right in fermentation with a pretty bold seasoning, so it's delicious even eaten plain with rice.

Finishing with sungnyung and coffee

Feeling like I might burst, but who can resist sungnyung (scorched rice tea)? They bring the broth in a kettle for you to pour yourself. Nutty and warm, it went down easily even when I was already full haha

Topping the hot sungnyung with well-fermented kimchi — how good could that be ‼️ It was a perfect, clean way to finish the meal ♥️

To wrap up, there's also mix coffee and Americano ready at a self-serve corner~ Mom, put the mix coffee down~ Since I already crushed the rice (carbs) today because the side dishes were so good, I stuck with Americano for peace of mind ^^ There's a mountain nearby, so taking a coffee and strolling around gave me that full mother-daughter outing feeling ❤️

Overall review

A Kkachiul favorite where the side dishes come out neat and generous, and you get to enjoy a hearty, healthy spread with pot rice, cheonggukjang, and soy-marinated crab! For this quality and this amount of food, I thought it was solid value. Above all, the restaurant is spacious and parking is easy, so it'd be great for taking your parents or a family meal out ✨ Now that I've eaten here with Mom, I get why she calls it her go-to-again-and-again spot haha (older folks would love this, though of course I count as an adult too). If you're looking for a Bucheon Korean restaurant around the Kkachiul area, I recommend the generous and satisfying Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang 🩷