Gangneung breakfast Korean set meal, 14,000 won: Saimdang Bueok

Saimdang Bueok: a Korean set meal restaurant near Ojukheon in Gangneung

Saimdang Bueok is a hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) restaurant on Jukheon-gil near Ojukheon in Gangneung. I went in with zero expectations and walked out having eaten two bowls of rice. Out of all the restaurants I visited on this Gangneung trip, this meal stuck with me the most — Saimdang Bueok.

When you go to Gangneung there's so much good food that you think of jangkal-guksu (spicy noodle soup), mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), or dakgangjeong (crispy fried chicken) first. This time, though, I went near Ojukheon for grilled fish and ended up completely won over by a full Korean set meal spread.

I'm honestly not a big Korean-food person, so I wasn't expecting much from a hanjeongsik place — but this place genuinely surprised me.

What Saimdang Bueok is like early in the morning

The atmosphere at Saimdang Bueok is very clean and pleasant. Even though we went in early morning, there were quite a few other customers besides us. By the time we finished eating, there were 4-5 other parties having a full Korean set meal at that hour too, haha.

Every single side dish was good, the doenjang jjigae was great, and the grilled fish was on top of that clean and tasty! For someone who's not that into rice, finishing a whole bowl felt like it hadn't happened in ages — that's how good it was. My friend who came with me ate two bowls of rice, haha. Bottom line: this was one of the best meals I had on this entire Gangneung trip. Amazing!

What comes with the 14,000 won Ojukheon Hansang set

Saimdang Bueok's Ojukheon Hansang set is ₩14,000 per person, and it includes 8 basic side dishes plus grilled fish and doenjang jjigae. Doesn't every single side dish just look like it was made with real care?

The Ojukheon Hansang, this whole spread for ₩14,000 per person...! Once we ordered and the table was set, the side dishes turned out to be way more generous than expected — instant pass!

8 basic side dishes plus grilled fish and doenjang jjigae! With hanjeongsik, sometimes there are tons of side dishes but only a few you actually reach for. This place was genuinely different.

Was the grilled fish at Saimdang Bueok fishy at all?

The grilled fish in Saimdang Bueok's Ojukheon Hansang had absolutely no fishy smell, and I really enjoyed it! Sometimes when grilled fish arrives you worry it'll smell fishy or the flesh will be dry. Eating that nicely browned fish with rice, I fully felt the charm of Saimdang Bueok, a spot worth knowing near Ojukheon in Gangneung.

There were so many side dishes to mix and match, and once I added the grilled fish on top, the rice kept disappearing.

If you're a fan of grilled fish, this menu would satisfy you.

The doenjang jjigae was the most memorable dish

And personally, what stuck with me most that day was the doenjang jjigae! Is it even allowed for doenjang jjigae to be this good... The side dishes were tasty, but once the stew showed up, I started eating even faster. It tasted like it was made with homemade doenjang — I wanted to buy some to take home!!!!!!

Warm rice topped with a side dish, a spoonful of doenjang jjigae, a bite of grilled fish… this combo was so much better than I expected. At ₩14,000 per person with side dishes plus grilled fish plus doenjang jjigae, the Ojukheon Hansang at this Gangneung Korean set meal spot felt incredibly generous.

Is Saimdang Bueok worth it if you're not a Korean-food person?

Of all the meals I had on this Gangneung trip, the Ojukheon Hansang at Saimdang Bueok is the one I'm writing this review for because I genuinely enjoyed it. If you like hanjeongsik or baekban-style meals, you'll obviously love it — but even people like me who aren't usually big on Korean food will absolutely enjoy this.

What I loved most was that there wasn't a single side dish I ate half-heartedly — every one of them was good. If you're looking for a place to eat near Ojukheon in Gangneung, it's worth stopping by.

Next time I'm passing by Ojukheon in Gangneung, I'm fully willing to go back and eat here again, haha.

If you're looking for a meal like this in Gangneung, this is one I can fully recommend as my own money, my own choice!