Paju ssambap restaurant with parents, pumpkin on pot rice: Simhaksan

A ssambap restaurant near the Paju outlets for going with your parents: Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap

I found Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap (심학산 들꽃쌈밥) by chance while searching for good places to eat near the Paju outlets. I've actually been around Simhaksan many times, but I always ate the same kinds of dishes.

This time my parents were coming too, so I didn't want to risk a miss and searched carefully before going. The result was a huge success, haha.

• Address: 55-10 Dolgoji-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Hours: Daily 11:00-21:00
• Parking: Available

Finally settled on a spot near the Paju outlets

On the way out after the meal, "Let's come back here next time" came out naturally. If you're looking for somewhere to eat near the Paju outlets, I sincerely recommend it, so here's my review.

My own hidden spot at Paju's Simhaksan

Every time I came to Simhaksan I secretly struggled over where to go, but thanks to Deulkkot Ssambap that worry is over. It's good for a family meal, and friends will be happy here too.

Above all, the food isn't harsh or heavily seasoned, yet you keep reaching for more, which made it memorable. Among places near the Paju outlets, it's one I'd really like to revisit.

What's on the menu and how much is it?

Here are photos of the menu. The Deul set (들정식) we ordered was ₩20,000 per person.

The self-serve greens bar is seriously fresh, and worth coming for

The wrap greens are a buffet-style self-serve bar, so you can take as much as you want. This was my favorite part.

The greens were in really good shape. Lettuce and perilla leaves, plus all kinds of other greens, were so fresh that just seeing them put me in a good mood. I didn't go just once, I refilled twice, haha. With this kind of freshness, I understand why it's known as a place near the Paju outlets.

What comes in the ₩20,000 Deul set for two?

We ordered two Deul sets without a second thought. Judging by the price alone I wondered if it was just reasonable, but as the food started coming out one dish after another, I completely changed my mind. The spread was really generous.

7 side dishes, absolute legends, so good I finished a bowl of rice

When the side dishes landed on the table, there wasn't a single one I didn't want to touch. The seasoned pumpkin, the namul (seasoned vegetables) and the jangajji (pickles) were all seasoned really well.

Even before the mains came, the sides alone could have carried a whole bowl of rice. You could feel the care in every one of them.

The doenjang stew is crazy good too

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) had a strong homemade-paste feel. It wasn't salty but deeply savory, and I kept spooning it up. When the doenjang stew is good at a ssambap place, it's game over, and Deulkkot Ssambap was exactly that.

Pumpkin porridge to start

The Deul set starts with warm pumpkin porridge. It was smooth and sweet and opened up my appetite naturally. It settled my stomach and put me in a good mood from the start.

Mix the spicy pork and squid stir-fries together

While you're eating rice with the 7 sides, the set's mains, jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and ojingeo-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried squid), arrive, and you can mix them. While we waited and ate the sides, the pork and squid showed up.

Both are good on their own, but mixing them a little doubled the savory depth.

The smoky grill flavor was nicely alive and the seasoning wasn't overdone, so it kept going down.

A bite of pork ssam with fresh greens

One perilla leaf, one lettuce leaf, then pork, rice and even a clove of garlic on top, wrapped into one big bite. I was genuinely happy. I immediately understood why people come to Deulkkot Ssambap on purpose for ssambap.

The rice is even pot rice, legendary good

What moved me most at Deulkkot Ssambap was the pot rice (솥밥). It was incredibly glossy and every grain was alive. It's good with the pork, good with the sides, and the rice is simply good on its own.

If you're looking for a place near the Paju outlets, I hope you try this kind of pot rice.

White rice topped with seasoned pumpkin is just heaven

Pot rice with seasoned pumpkin seemed like an ordinary combo, but surprisingly it was the most memorable. A bite of seasoned pumpkin on hot pot rice was mild yet sweet, the best. It's a combination I keep thinking about.

Pork wrapped in perilla leaf, then nurungji to finish, this is heaven

The last part of the Deul set is, of course, nurungji (scorched rice soup). The nurungji made by pouring water into the pot rice was really nutty. Finishing full and warm gave a huge sense of satisfaction. On this visit I truly felt why Deulkkot Ssambap has been loved for so long.

Is Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap worth going back to?

If you're looking for a place near the Paju outlets, I can recommend Deulkkot Ssambap with confidence. Fresh wrap greens, neat side dishes, generous pork and squid stir-fries, and pot rice too. It felt less like a meal and more like being properly treated. Next time I'm at Simhaksan, I'll come back without hesitation.