Seogwipo seafood restaurant for hot stone pot rice: Jejurowoon

During this Jeju trip, the whole family had a really satisfying meal at Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon Seongsan Ilchulbong Branch (제주로운청해원 성산일출봉점), a braised hairtail specialist that is also popular by word of mouth among Jeju locals. We enjoyed the generously packed A Set, from braised hairtail and grilled tilefish to seafood ttukbaegi (earthenware pot stew) and chewy stone pot rice.

A convenient family dining spot for rental cars

Jejurowoon Cheonghaewon has a spacious dedicated parking lot right in front, so we could visit comfortably without worrying about parking our rental car. The interior was clean and pleasantly maintained too, with a very comfortable atmosphere for dining out with the kids as a family.

What comes with the A Set and choosing seafood ttukbaegi

The A Set we ordered is the signature set: spicy braised hairtail as the main dish, grilled tilefish, soy-marinated crab, neat little side dishes, freshly made stone pot rice, and a soup dish all filling the table. For the soup, you can choose sea urchin miyeokguk (seaweed soup) or seafood ttukbaegi, and we were craving something spicy, so we chose the seafood ttukbaegi.

Seafood ttukbaegi loaded with blue crab and clams

The seafood ttukbaegi we chose came overflowing with fresh seafood—blue crab, clams, mussels, and more! The doenjang (fermented soybean paste)-based broth was deeply infused with the clean, spicy-savory umami of the seafood, and I couldn't help but exclaim after the very first spoonful. It was refreshing and spicy without any heaviness, so it went well with the spicy braised hairtail, and it was such a rice-stealer even on its own. Haha.

The soy-marinated crab that came as part of the basic table setting wasn't overly salty and had a lightly sweet umami that could easily make you finish another bowl of rice all by itself! I heard they also take delivery orders for the soy-marinated crab, and now I can see why it must be a crab specialty. The side dishes, including salad and seasoned vegetables, were neatly served too, and the kids ate them really well.

Crispy grilled tilefish the kids loved

The grilled tilefish included in the set came nicely browned, almost fried crisp in oil. The outside was as crunchy as a cracker, while the flesh inside was springy and moist—the perfect crisp-outside, tender-inside combo. It was so deliciously rich and nutty that I ate every bit of the crispy tail and fins myself. It was lightly salty and mild, so when I put just the tilefish flesh over rice for the kids, they kept accepting bite after bite without stopping! Haha.

Thick braised hairtail and chewy stone pot rice

The main braised hairtail dish came with large, thick pieces of hairtail filling the pot. The fish was nice and plump, so it was easy to lift off big pieces of flesh with a spoon, and the savory, gently sweet house seasoning—not an aggressively capsaicin-hot spice—had soaked deep into the fish.

There was enough flesh to make removing the bones easy, so even my older child happily ate big bites over rice. Mixing the very tender radish and sauce into the rice made a whole bowl disappear in no time.

The rice wasn't an ordinary bowl of rice either; it was stone pot rice cooked to order, with glossy grains and an especially lovely chew. Any restaurant that serves stone pot rice automatically passes in my book!! Haha.

After scooping out the hot freshly cooked rice, we poured water into the pot to make savory nurungji sungnyung (scorched-rice tea). It was perfect for cleansing the palate after the spicy braised hairtail and the punchy seafood ttukbaegi.

The kids quickly finished a bowl of rice with the crispy grilled tilefish, while my older child, my husband, and I completely cleared the generous hairtail flesh, spicy seafood ttukbaegi, and comforting stone pot rice sungnyung.