Pyeongchon monkfish stew with abalone and wasabi sauce: Haebonjeong

Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch (해본정해물찜&아구찜 평촌본점) serves a monkfish stew where 1.5 servings left the two of us stuffed.

I was hunting for a good spot in the Pyeongchon academy district, and my sister and I went to Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch for a weekday lunch. I heard it had only just opened, so I was a little worried, but one taste and the worry was gone haha

Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch: location, hours and parking

Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch is at 61-9 Gwiin-ro 190beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi, on the 1st floor, and it is open 11:30 to 22:00 (last order 21:00). It is closed on Tuesdays, and the break time is 15:00–17:00, but there is no break time on weekends and public holidays.

• 📍 61-9 Gwiin-ro 190beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi (1st floor)
• ⏰ Mon–Sun 11:30–22:00, closed Tuesdays
• Break time 15:00–17:00 (none on weekends and public holidays)
• Last order 21:00
• 🚗 4–5 diagonal parking spots in front; if full, 2 hours covered at the parking tower a 1-minute walk away

What is the atmosphere inside Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch?

Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch is spacious and bright inside, with tables spaced far enough apart that you don't have to mind the next table. It looked tidy from the outside already.

The signboard looks brand new and the entrance feels neat. Inside it was much bigger than I expected, and the tables are laid out with room to spare, so we could sit comfortably without minding the neighbors.

The lighting is bright and the whole place is pleasant. Rather than the bustling feel typical of seafood stew restaurants around the Pyeongchon academy district, it felt calm and good for a relaxed meal.

You can order right away on the tablet at the table.

Haebonjeong menu and prices: lunch special and set menus

The Haebonjeong menu is quite varied, covering stews (jjim), soups (tang), set menus and fried rice. As you'd expect in the academy district, there is a separate lunch special too.

Lunch special / single dishes

• Spicy pollock soup (eokeun dongtae-tang): ₩10,000–40,000
• Refreshing seafood soup: ₩25,000–55,000
• Monkfish stew (bone-in): ₩33,000–63,000
• Monkfish stew (boneless): ₩35,000–65,000
• Seafood & monkfish stew (bone-in): ₩37,000–73,000
• Seafood & monkfish stew (boneless): ₩37,000–73,000
• Ocean-packed seafood stew: ₩37,000–73,000

Value sets (recommended for 2; stew + steamed egg + fried rice, ₩2,000 off)

• Monkfish (bone-in) value set: ₩50,000
• Monkfish (boneless) value set: ₩52,000
• Seafood stew value set: ₩56,000
• Seafood & monkfish (bone-in) value set: ₩56,000
• Seafood & monkfish (boneless) value set: ₩56,000

Full-table sets (recommended for 3–5; stew + seafood soup (1.5 servings) + free fried rice for 2, ₩6,000 off)

• Monkfish (bone-in) full-table set: ₩68,000–88,000
• Monkfish (boneless) full-table set: ₩70,000–90,000
• Seafood & monkfish (bone-in) full-table set: ₩74,000–98,000
• Seafood & monkfish (boneless) full-table set: ₩74,000–98,000
• Seafood full-table set: ₩74,000–98,000

What we ordered: boneless monkfish stew 1.5 servings + 2 abalone

The two of us ordered the lunch special boneless monkfish stew (1.5 servings) for ₩35,000 with 2 abalone added, plus fried rice for 2 at ₩6,000. When ordering, you can pick options for seasoning, spice level and even whether you want wasabi sauce.

• Lunch special boneless monkfish stew, 1.5 servings: ₩35,000
• 2 abalone added
• Fried rice (for 2): ₩6,000

We went with regular seasoning and a mildly spicy level.

How are the Haebonjeong side dishes? (honest review)

The Haebonjeong side dishes were kimchi pancake, silkworm pupae (beondegi), soft tofu, green peas, macaroni salad and seaweed soup. There are quite a few of them, but each one was just average in quality.

Nothing stood out, but it's a good lineup to nibble on so your mouth isn't bored before the monkfish stew arrives.

Is 1.5 servings of boneless monkfish stew enough for two?

When the 1.5 servings of boneless monkfish stew actually arrived, it was more generous than I expected, and the two of us ate until we were full :0 We picked through everything one by one, from the monkfish to the roe to the abalone.

I started with the bean sprouts. There was no fishy smell at all, they stayed crisp and crunchy, and the seasoning had soaked all the way through, so they were tasty even on their own.

The boneless monkfish was cooked soft and flaky, and the sauce wasn't just on the surface but had seeped deep into the flesh, so the flavor built the more I chewed.

With sea squirts (omandungi), roe, monkfish milt (gon-i) and abalone, the variety of ingredients made it fun to pick them out one at a time. The abalone was chewy with real bite, and the milt was soft and nutty, so I kept reaching for it haha

Monkfish and abalone dipped in wasabi sauce

Dipping Haebonjeong's monkfish stew in wasabi sauce adds a refreshing note to the spicy seasoning, and it went especially well with the monkfish and abalone. I chose the mildly spicy level, and it wasn't harsh, just a gentle kick, so even I, a total spice wimp, finished it comfortably haha

For a seafood stew restaurant in Anyang, this much seafood makes a properly filling lunch~!

Finishing with fried rice, scraping up the crispy rice

The closing fried rice (for 2) at Haebonjeong is ₩6,000, topped with seaweed flakes and flying fish roe, and it looked delicious from the start :)

The leftover stew sauce had soaked into the rice, giving it a nutty, spicy flavor, and scraping up the crispy rice (nurungji) on the bottom was the best part haha I got another reminder here that with stews, fried rice is part of the set haha

Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch in 3 lines

• ✔️ A spacious, pleasant space in the Pyeongchon academy district, with tablet ordering and options for spice level and seasoning
• ✔️ Lunch special boneless monkfish stew, 1.5 servings, ₩35,000, with abalone available as an add-on, and finishing with fried rice is highly recommended
• ✔️ The bean sprouts with no fishy smell and the wasabi sauce pairing are the highlights

Haebonjeong Pyeongchon Branch FAQ

Can you adjust the spice level?

Yes, you can choose the spice level as an option when ordering. Even at mildly spicy it wasn't harsh, so spice wimps can eat it without trouble.

Is parking available?

There are 4–5 diagonal spots in front of the restaurant, and if they're full, 2 hours at the parking tower a 1-minute walk away are covered.

Until when can you order the lunch special?

You can order until 15:00, when the weekday break time starts. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays, so check before you go.

Wrap-up: if you're looking for monkfish stew in Pyeongchon

Haebonjeong Haemuljjim & Anguk-jjim Pyeongchon Branch is a place in the Pyeongchon academy district that I'd happily come back to. As a seafood stew restaurant in Anyang, the boneless monkfish stew is well stocked with milt and abalone, and the free choice of spice level and seasoning makes it easy to eat with anyone. If you're looking for a good monkfish stew in Pyeongchon, it's worth a visit, and next time I plan to come back for the seafood stew :)