Peanut and sweet chili sauce at Songjeongok, a Songjeong restaurant

Where is Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch, and what are its hours?

Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch is a Korean restaurant on the 1st and 2nd floors at 54-1 Songjeonggwanggogol-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with a break time on weekdays from 15:00 to 17:00 and no break on weekends. Parking is available in front, there are baby chairs, and reservations are possible.

I wanted something clean and hearty in Korean food, so I went to Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch.

It's a place where you can enjoy abalone pot rice together with seafood, and I liked how the whole meal came out as a neatly arranged set.

What does the hanok-style interior at Songjeongok feel like?

From the entrance, the wood, stone, and earthenware jars gave Songjeongok a warm, old-hanok kind of feel. We visited a little after lunchtime and even then many tables were already full.

Inside, the wood-toned space felt comfortable, and traditional pieces like mother-of-pearl cabinets, jars, and lattice screens were placed here and there, giving it a real Korean-restaurant feel. The dining area continues up to the second floor, and the tables were neatly arranged. Baby chairs were on hand too, so it looked good for visiting with kids.

The mother-of-pearl furniture and wall decorations especially stood out, and long green plants hanging from the ceiling added a fresh touch to the traditional interior.

Ordering the two abalone pot rice sets at Songjeongok

At Songjeongok we ordered one abalone pot rice with seafood hinoki steam set and one abalone pot rice set.

Ordering one of each meant we could enjoy the abalone pot rice as the base while also getting to try the seafood hinoki steam, a good combination for tasting a variety of dishes.

The seafood hinoki steam was set down first, followed by everything else in order.

As the dishes were laid out one by one, the abalone pot rice, seafood hinoki steam, and various side dishes filled the whole table, and it looked hearty just to see.

How did the abalone pot rice taste?

When I opened the lid of the abalone pot rice, there was a good-looking abalone sitting on top.

Eating the abalone with the freshly cooked, warm rice was nutty and savory, and the abalone was chewy without being tough, so it went well with the rice.

Rather than leaning on strong seasoning, it kept the natural flavor of the ingredients, so it was also fun to pair it bite by bite with the side dishes that came with it.

What comes with the seafood hinoki steam?

The abalone pot rice with seafood hinoki steam set also came with the seafood hinoki steam.

A variety of seafood came into view all at once.

Since it's steamed rather than fried in oil or heavily seasoned, it was good for enjoying the natural taste of the seafood, and it was fun to try the different textures of each ingredient one by one.

Bean sprouts and enoki with peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce

Peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce were also set out alongside the hinoki steam.

The little square dishes holding the sauces were cute.

After eating our way through some of the hinoki steam, there turned out to be a generous layer of bean sprouts and enoki mushrooms underneath, and with both a nutty peanut sauce and a sweet, slightly spicy sweet chili sauce on hand, it was nice to alternate between them depending on my mood. I dipped the moist, steamed bean sprouts and enoki mushrooms generously into the sauces haha. Being able to enjoy not just the seafood but also the bean sprouts and enoki underneath made the whole dish feel well put together.

Finishing the pot rice with seafood broth

We ate about two-thirds of the pot rice, then poured in the broth.

It felt a little different from regular scorched rice or nurungji tea. Even after taking out about two-thirds of the rice, there was still quite a lot left in the pot. With the subtle savory depth of the seafood broth added, it went down easily, like a warm seafood rice soup.

The mild umami of the seafood broth soaked into the grains of rice, making it moist and soft, and scooping it up together with the remaining abalone gave a taste that was both light and deep.

Who is Songjeongok best for?

At Songjeongok, going through the abalone pot rice, the seafood hinoki steam, the bean sprouts and enoki, and finally the seafood broth in order made for a well-rounded meal. Since the Korean food comes out neatly arranged as a set, it seems like a good fit for a meal with parents or a family outing with kids.

It's a place I'd want to visit again in Songjeong whenever I'm craving a healthy, filling meal.