Rockfish set and banchan bar at Todam Hwadok, a Gwangmyeong fish grill

I was craving something clean and simple for lunch that day. While thinking about what to eat, I suddenly wanted clay-oven grilled fish. That's how I found this place among the Korean restaurants in Gwangmyeong, and off I went.

Where is Todam Hwadok Saengseongui, and its hours and parking

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui is on the 3rd floor of 459 Anyangcheon-ro, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, and it's open Mon–Sun from 10:50 am to 9:30 pm (last order 8:30 pm). They offer group seating, walk-ins/catering, reservations, WiFi, restrooms, high chairs, takeout, and a waiting area.

As we got close, a big sign was hanging up so it was easy to find.

We came by car, and staff parked it for us — so convenient!

So we handed off the car and took the elevator up to the 3rd floor.

For reference, there was even a menu posted inside the elevator, which was a nice touch.

And since this place makes fresh clay-pot rice and grills the fish to order right in the clay oven, I got even more excited.

Inside the restaurant: private rooms for groups and family meals

Feeling excited, we walked inside, and wow, the restaurant had a ton of seats and was really spacious.

There were also room-style seating areas, which looked great for group visits, big family gatherings, or company dinners.

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui menu and how to order

Todam Hwadok Saengseongui's menu includes Spanish mackerel set, mackerel set, rockfish (imyeonsu) set, croaker set, and hairtail set. As special sets, there were also dried yellow croaker set, braised pollock set, tteokgalbi set, and grilled pork set.

For charcoal-grilled and braised dishes, they also sell grilled pork, braised pollock, tteokgalbi, dried yellow croaker, and smoked duck. As side dishes, there was steamed pollock roe egg, buckwheat crepes, and pan-fried skate. And as single dishes, there was also Spanish mackerel, mackerel, rockfish, croaker, and hairtail on their own.

After going back and forth on what to get, we ordered the rockfish set and the hairtail set.

What's on the self-serve banchan bar, plus pumpkin porridge

After we ordered, the side dishes came out first.

Turns out you could easily grab more side dishes from the self-serve bar.

And they also had sweet potato, muk (jelly), grapes, and pumpkin porridge ready to go.

Since grilling takes a while, we grabbed the pumpkin porridge to eat while waiting — sweet and delicious!

How do the rockfish and hairtail sets taste?

Finally, the main dishes and stew came out together. Doesn't it look amazing?

I took a video so you can see it in detail — check it out.

First, to make the scorched rice, we scooped out some rice from the stone pot and poured in warm water.

And then we had to taste the fish first, right?

We tried the rockfish (imyeonsu) first, and the inside was super soft while the outside was crispy. Definitely a solid Korean restaurant in Gwangmyeong.

We piled it on top of the rice too.

Eating it with the white kimchi was also a great combo.

Next up, the hairtail.

The hairtail, grilled in the clay oven too, was crispy outside and moist inside — delicious.

We piled this on rice too.

Eating it together with the various side dishes was pure art.

The stew with the set and the scorched rice finish

And here's the stew that comes with the set menu — the ingredients inside were so generous.

Eating it with rice was seriously the best.

After finishing the rice, of course we had to eat the scorched rice, right?

I tried the scorched rice on its own first — it had that nutty, savory flavor and was really good.

It's tasty plain, but topping it with jeotgal (salted seafood) and fish made it even better.

After finishing everything, we had grapes for dessert. Honestly I wanted the sweet potato too, but I was too full and settled for the grapes.

We left saying we should try the meat set next time. If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant in Gwangmyeong or craving tasty clay-oven grilled fish, I'd recommend giving this place a try.