Dongdaemun shabu-shabu restaurant for first-time hamo: Daemyeong Suran

Trying hamo shabu-shabu for the first time, after thinking hamo was a clam

This is the day I fell for seasonal hamo shabu-shabu at Daemyeong Suran (대명수산) near Janghanpyeong Station 💙 Honestly, I have a confession… I barely knew what hamo shabu-shabu was. 😂

Hamo? I'd only heard the name and assumed it was some kind of clam. hahahaha But it turns out hamo is pike conger eel! And I've only recently started eating eel at all, so this meal was basically a Janghanpyeong food expedition for me.

I made that first attempt at Daemyeong Suran, which is very famous as a Janghanpyeong Station restaurant.

Bottom line: I came away properly hooked on hamo shabu-shabu, to the point that I'd want to eat it again even in Yeosu, haha. 🩵

Daemyeong Suran opening hours and how to get there from Janghanpyeong Station

Daemyeong Suran is open daily 11:00 - 22:00. It's near Janghanpyeong Station, so it was easy to reach by public transport.

What kind of restaurant is Daemyeong Suran?

Even among the seafood restaurants near Janghanpyeong Station, Daemyeong Suran is a long-established favorite, and I heard people travel from far away to eat here.

When I visited, customers kept coming in even on a weekday afternoon. Some people were drinking soju the moment they sat down… and after eating, I understood why. 🤣

Daemyeong Suran menu, prices and seasonal seafood

Signature dishes

• Conger eel shabu (봉장어샤브) ₩85,000
• Conger eel half-portion refill ₩45,000
• Scallop shabu ₩75,000
• Scallop half-portion refill ₩40,000
• Seafood hot pot (연포탕) ₩70,000
• Grilled cuttlefish ₩70,000
• Long-arm octopus shabu: market price

Seasonal dishes

• Whelk-clam shabu (새조개샤브) (Dec-Mar): market price
• Yellow whelk-clam shabu (Aug-Nov): market price
• Baby octopus shabu (Nov-May) ₩80,000
• Baby octopus half-portion refill ₩45,000

Meals and noodles

• Maesaengi (fine seaweed) soup ₩30,000
• Napa cabbage pancake ₩20,000
• Maesaengi kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) ₩10,000
• Kalguksu ₩8,000
• Roe rice ₩8,000
• Nurungji (scorched rice tea) ₩5,000

Hamo, conger eel, hagfish and bird clam: what's the difference?

First-timers might get confused like I did, so here's a quick rundown. The calorie and nutrition info is general information I looked up, I'm told.

Hamo (pike conger)

• Summer seasonal eel
• Soft, mild flesh
• Lots of tiny bones, so scoring the flesh matters
• Most famous as shabu-shabu
• About 130-150 kcal per 100g
• Said to be high-protein and low-fat
• Said to be rich in vitamin A and DHA, good for fatigue recovery and skin health

Conger eel

• Also called anago
• Chewier than hamo
• Often eaten grilled, in soup or as shabu-shabu
• About 160-180 kcal per 100g
• Said to be rich in protein, with calcium and iron

Hagfish (kkomjangeo)

• Also called meokjangeo
• Looks like an eel but is a different species
• Distinctively chewy texture
• Famous as seasoned grilled dish
• About 180-200 kcal per 100g
• Said to be rich in collagen and vitamin A

Bird clam (saejogae)

• A classic winter seasonal seafood
• Unique texture even among shellfish
• Famous for being quickly blanched in shabu-shabu
• About 70-90 kcal per 100g
• Said to be high-protein, low-calorie and rich in taurine

Inside Daemyeong Suran, a seasonal seafood shabu-shabu restaurant

Interestingly, Daemyeong Suran specializes in seasonal seafood shabu-shabu.

Since they deal professionally in seasonal seafood, you can see the star of the menu change with the seasons just by reading it. So anyone who loves seasonal food will really like this place.

The interior has that classic old-school restaurant feel. It's about the food rather than flashy decor. Every table has a shabu-shabu burner set up, and turnover looked very quick.

Best of all, there's a fish tank where the pike conger were swimming around very actively, which got me even more excited. A moment of instant trust in the freshness. 😂

Daemyeong Suran's hamo shabu-shabu: finely scored pike conger

What I ordered was the seasonal hamo shabu-shabu. Even the first look at the spread was fascinating.

The scoring cuts are really tight, and apparently that's the key to pike conger. I did a bit of pre-research online, and it has lots of tiny bones, so the preparation is super important.

So they say a good hamo restaurant is defined by its knife skills.

How do the broth and hamo taste?

On to the food review!!!! The broth was great from the start. It begins very clear and mild, then the longer it boils, the more flavor comes out of the vegetables and eel, turning slightly spicy and deep. Hmm, or is there some soybean paste hidden at the bottom?

Bean sprouts, napa cabbage, water dropwort and enoki mushrooms. The vegetable lineup was great too.

You boil the vegetables first, then dip the hamo in briefly and eat it, and I was genuinely surprised. It's not fishy at all, and very clean-tasting.

I'd expected eel to feel a bit heavy, but not at all. It actually had the charm of premium white fish. Especially the skin. So chewy. The texture comes alive the more you chew, and that part was really appealing. I get why there are so many hamo fans.

Mustard leaf kimchi and onion: the best pairing for hamo

The side dishes at Daemyeong Suran were really good too. You get mustard leaf kimchi, braised radish, onion, perilla leaves and ssamjang, with a bit of a Jeolla-style seafood restaurant feel.

Especially the mustard leaf kimchi. It goes so well with hamo. The pungent kick of the kimchi against the mild eel keeps you reaching for more.

Personally, onion + hamo + soy sauce was the best combo. The crunchy onion seemed to bring out the texture of the eel even more.

Is the hamo shabu-shabu for two enough food?

The hamo shabu-shabu portion was really generous too. We went as two and ordered the 2-person size, and honestly we couldn't finish it all. Such a waste. 😂

It was my first hamo shabu-shabu, and this meal showed me why it's famous as a seasonal dish. If you're looking for a Janghanpyeong Station restaurant, trying hamo shabu-shabu for the first time, or love whelk-clam shabu, you'll be satisfied here. The best part was how cleanly you can enjoy pike conger, which depends so much on preparation.

A place I definitely want to come back to in whelk-clam season 💙