Gangneung hanjeongsik with steamed scallops: Saimdang Bueok

For lunch on our second day in Gangneung, before heading to Ojukheon, we heard there was a great hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) restaurant nearby, so we had a delicious meal at Saimdang Bueok. The set came with such a variety of side dishes that we left full and satisfied. Here's our review of Saimdang Bueok, a well-known spot near Ojukheon in Gangneung.

Where is Saimdang Bueok, and its hours and parking

Saimdang Bueok is at 6 Jukheon-gil 85beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 1st floor, and it's open daily from 10:00 to 20:00 (last order 19:15). There's a large private parking lot in front of the restaurant, and you can also reserve through Naver.

Saimdang Bueok, a great restaurant near Ojukheon in Gangneung, is located close to the site, so it was a good spot for lunch before visiting. We stopped by Ojukheon after eating here.

Outside Saimdang Bueok: the building and menu signboard

The exterior of Saimdang Bueok was super clean.

The parking lot in front is also really spacious, so you can park comfortably.

There's a menu signboard out front too — we already knew what we wanted, but we took a quick look before heading in haha.

Inside Saimdang Bueok: private room and group seating

Walking in, cute plants greet you. (Lately I keep noticing all these green, leafy plants everywhere haha.)

The inside was spacious too. Plenty of tables and a room as well, so groups can reserve and dine comfortably. Booking ahead through Naver Reservation makes it even easier.

Saimdang Bueok menu and the Saimdang set for two

As shown on the signboard out front, Saimdang Bueok has three set menus: the Ojukheon set, the Saimdang set, and the Yulgok set. We ordered two servings of the Saimdang set.

• Ojukheon set: 8 basic side dishes plus grilled fish and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)
• Saimdang set: 12 basic side dishes plus japchae, steamed scallops, jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried pork), grilled fish, and homemade sundubu (soft tofu) or miyeok-guk (seaweed soup)
• Yulgok set: japchae, jeyuk bokkeum, grilled fish, marinated shrimp, flounder hoe-muchim, steamed skate or gabrisal suyuk, and homemade sundubu

(When ordering, everyone in your group needs to pick the same set. For a party of 4, that's four Saimdang sets or four Yulgok sets, that kind of thing!)

Before the jeyuk bokkeum and grilled fish even arrived, the basic side dishes, japchae, and scallops came out first, and the table was already completely full before the mains showed up.

Every single side dish looks delicious, right?! Yeah, they're seriously all that good. Every single one was delicious with no weak links, so if the rice and mains hadn't come out quickly, we might have finished all the side dishes before they even arrived haha.

Miyeok-guk on a rainy day, plus jeyuk bokkeum and grilled fish

The mains of the Saimdang set — jeyuk bokkeum, grilled fish — and the soup came out. Between sundubu and miyeok-guk, we picked miyeok-guk. (We were planning to have sundubu for dinner haha.)

Maybe because it was raining, the miyeok-guk tasted even better. The seaweed was totally different from what I usually eat — not a single tough bit, all completely soft. The jeyuk bokkeum had tender meat and great seasoning too, and I finally understood why it's considered a soul food for men. The grilled fish had lots of meat, soft and salty — total rice thief.

Once all the mains arrived, we'd grab a bite of a main, then a bite of a side dish — there was so much to eat that every bite felt like a decision haha. At first, the side dishes were so good I thought we'd need a refill, but by the time the mains came out and we finished everything, we were way too full for any refill haha.

On our second day's lunch in Gangneung, we had a hearty, delicious Korean meal at Saimdang Bueok, a great hanjeongsik restaurant. If you're heading to Ojukheon, try a filling, tasty meal at Saimdang Bueok first.