Balsan Station Korean restaurant, two whole abalones in soup: Mikodam

There's a place doing proper hanjeongsik (Korean set-course meal) right in Magok-Balsan, and I finally went! Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch. Why did I wait so long?! The side dishes were incredible and the whole spread was so good.

If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant in Magok, this is it. I think my parents would love this place too. It'd be perfect for a Chuseok family meal this year haha. Let me tell you about Mikodam, a Korean food spot in Magok.

Where Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is, plus parking and the birthday perk

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is at 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, near NC Department Store. It's open daily 11:00–22:00, has free parking, takes reservations for 4+ people, and even has a birthday perk.

It's a short walk from Exit 3 or 4 of Balsan Station, so easy to find! Parking is free for 3 hours, which is really generous! Looks like they share the lot with Sogalbi Ihwajeong next door!

And the Mikodam birthday event! I thought right away this would be great for my parents' birthdays — if you visit within a week before or after your birthday, you get a free large beef jeon. Isn't that such a deal? I have to come back for a family gathering on my parents' birthday haha.

A spacious, tidy dining room — private rooms for groups of 6 or more

I was surprised by how spacious and clean the exterior looked right when I walked in.

The interior really fits a place that serves such a generous, carefully made spread with good ingredients haha. It's a great menu for family meals too — rooms are available for 6 or more, so it could work as a Magok family gathering room restaurant.

Seaweed and cockles: the ingredients behind the name Mikodam

Miyeok (seaweed) and kkokmak (cockles) — that's where the cute name Mikodam comes from! They use good ingredients throughout: Wando seaweed, top-grade Beolgyo-Yeosu cockles, Sindongjin rice, and Norwegian mackerel. Such a trustworthy Korean restaurant!!!

We ordered the set for two, choosing the abalone seaweed soup and the soy-marinated cockle bibim. For the side, we picked beef jeon over marinated crab and LA galbi (+₩20,000)! They also give you a free egg roll if you leave a receipt review haha.

Today's order — Hansang-gadeuk hanjeongsik set for two (abalone and clam seaweed soup, grilled mackerel, seasoned cockles, beef jeon, stir-fried pork, side dishes and more)

What comes with the hansang-gadeuk Korean set for two

The table is set just like this — is this what a royal dinner table feels like? An incredibly generous and healthy Korean spread!!! Just looking at it makes you happy and full. The older I get, the more I think nothing beats Korean food. It's the easiest on the stomach, the tastiest, and the healthiest haha.

The moment I saw it, I thought — I have to bring my parents here! It really feels like a feast table, a birthday table, so it'd be great for parents' birthdays, this Chuseok holiday, or the October break as a family dinner spot!

First, the side dishes — the namul (seasoned vegetable) sides were perfectly seasoned and delicious. There were pickled vegetables, jellyfish salad, seaweed, and fresh kimchi. You can request refills of any side dish through the table tablet. Such great service too.

Next up, japchae (glass noodles), salad, and stir-fried pork! Every single dish was perfectly seasoned, clean, and delicious!! If only I'd had more room in my stomach, I would've cleaned every plate, but there was just so much food that I had to blame my weak stomach instead haha. This really is the proper Korean food spot in Magok. A hanjeongsik place that gives without holding back haha.

Beef jeon as the side dish, served with chive salad

The beef jeon (pan-fried beef) was super tender, not chewy at all. Having chive salad alongside made it even better. Totally a feast table, a birthday table haha.

Beef jeon paired continuously with chive salad.

Mikodam's highlight: soy-marinated cockle bibim

The highlight of Mikodam — cockle bibim!! It's cockles marinated in soy sauce, and why is it so good? A total rice thief!! Honestly, this was even better than those famous cockle restaurants elsewhere! I feel like this place should be more famous for its cockles haha. No wonder the name is Mikodam!!

The cockles were fresh and good quality, so they were chewy and moist with no fishy taste at all, and eating them with chives made it even more delicious. I recommend Mikodam's soy-marinated cockles. There was a huge portion too — I felt like this one plate of cockles with a bowl of rice alone would be a perfectly satisfying meal. But there were so many other delicious dishes too!!! A happy dilemma haha.

Grilled Norwegian mackerel

Here's the grilled mackerel. It's not easy to cook mackerel well at home these days, so you should really eat it at places like this. It was grilled so cleanly and well haha.

Two whole abalones in the ₩4,000 seaweed soup upgrade

The seaweed soup that represents Mikodam's highlight. This soup was seriously the real deal too. Getting seaweed soup on the table really makes it feel like a birthday table — perfect for a grandmother's or a parent's birthday haha. The seaweed quality was clearly good — nice color, pretty, and delicious! But what was even more shocking was—

I paid the extra 4,000 won for the abalone seaweed soup, and it came with two incredibly plump abalones, plus the clam meat just kept coming no matter how much I scooped?! haha I joked that the 4,000 won upgrade doesn't even cover the cost of the abalone alone haha. None of it had any fishy taste and it was so delicious!!! Truly ate a proper restorative meal haha.

Why Mikodam works for a family gathering in Magok

This might already be a well-known hanjeongsik spot among the moms around Balsan-Magok, but I hope more people discover Mikodam!!! The cockle bibim was truly a standout — with cockles this good, they could open a whole chain of cockle specialty restaurants haha.

You can get a proper hanjeongsik here — seaweed soup, beef jeon, grilled mackerel, and more. Even with so many dishes, the portions weren't skimpy at all — it was hugely generous, and you could tell every single ingredient was good quality. The seasoning was spot on too! If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Magok, a great hanjeongsik spot, or a place for a family gathering meal, I recommend Mikodam!