Udo Island abalone restaurant, birthday hotpot set: Soseom Jeonbok

My Jeju trip included a day on Udo, and since I wanted to eat well there too, I searched for good Udo restaurants and ended up at an abalone specialty spot called Soseom Jeonbok.

Where is Soseom Jeonbok on Udo Island, and what are its hours?

Soseom Jeonbok is an abalone specialty restaurant at 1158 Udohaean-gil, Udo-myeon, Jeju-si. It's open daily from 09:00 to 20:00, with last order at 18:30.

• Soseom Jeonbok
• 1158 Udohaean-gil, Udo-myeon, Jeju-si, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 09:00–20:00
• Last order: 18:30

Inside Soseom Jeonbok: ocean-view windows and solo-friendly seating

The interior of Soseom Jeonbok is spacious with plenty of tables, so it works for everything from small groups to bigger parties. When I visited there were families, friends, and couples all around. Notably, solo dining is possible too, which seemed great for anyone traveling alone who wants a comfortable meal.

The whole place is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can eat while looking out at a wide-open sky and sea — very healing, and I loved it :)

Soseom Jeonbok menu and prices

This is an abalone restaurant that cooks exclusively with domestic (Korean) abalone, so you can eat abalone here at a somewhat lower cost than elsewhere. The menu is split into single dishes and sets, and every dish had abalone in it! Abalone rice comes included with every dish as a base, alongside options of abalone hotpot, abalone sea urchin seaweed soup, or abalone mul-hoe (cold raw seafood soup). There's even butter-grilled abalone as a side!

I ordered the wedding-table set (혼례상 세트) meant for two. The set is ₩48,000 — two single dishes of your choice plus six pieces of butter-grilled abalone.

Side dishes: black pork sanjeok, abalone innard jeotgal and soy-marinated crab

The black pork sanjeok (grilled skewers) that came as a basic side dish were tender and full of flavor — I inhaled them. It's served on a hot plate so it stays warm to the end. Since the meal is otherwise all seafood, it might feel like it's missing something, but having the black pork too made for a nice balance.

Putting the abalone innard jeotgal (fermented condiment) on top of the black pork sanjeok or the abalone rice makes it savory-salty and even more delicious. This jeotgal is a premium condiment apparently made by grinding abalone innards with conch meat and Soseom Jeonbok's own secret seasoning.

There's also soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) served alongside, and it's packed with meat — a total rice thief on its own.

Abalone rice with abalone and sea urchin seaweed soup, my birthday pick

Abalone rice + abalone sea urchin seaweed soup. Honestly, I chose the seaweed soup because it happened to be my birthday, but after one spoonful I could tell the seasoning was excellent and it was so delicious — I personally felt I'd made the right pick.

It's loaded with abalone, and there's plenty of sea squirt sitting at the bottom, so be sure to mix it well before eating :)

The abalone rice — white rice topped with roasted seaweed flakes and abalone — doesn't have the innards mixed in separately, so it's easy to enjoy even if you can't eat innards, and the chewy abalone texture was great over rice.

Abalone rice with abalone hotpot: how much seafood is in the pot?

Abalone rice + abalone hotpot. Since I love seafood hotpots, I ordered this one without hesitation. There's radish in the broth too, so it's clean and deep — great for mixing rice into.

Despite being called an abalone hotpot, it also comes with a variety of other seafood — fresh abalone, scallops, shrimp, and even blue crab!

Six pieces of butter-grilled abalone included in the set

Butter-grilled abalone (6 pieces). Included in the set menu — do I even need to say more? Butter-grilled abalone is delicious no matter when you eat it.

The pieces were on the larger side and tender, so the butter aroma soaked in nicely, making them chewy and delicious. I was completely satisfied with this wedding-table set. If I visit Udo again, I'd definitely come back! I've already told friends around me to make sure to try this place if they go to Udo.