Magok Korean restaurant, Wando seaweed and Beolgyo cockles: Mikodam

Mikodam Magok-Balsan full-table Korean set for two — my review

I was craving hanjeongsik (a full Korean set meal) so bad that I went to Mikodam in Magok. (The name Mikodam comes from 'miyeok' seaweed and 'kkomak' cockles ㅋㅋ — cute, right?) I ordered the two-person set and honestly got shocked when the table filled up completely!

Where is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch? Hours and parking

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is at 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1F No. 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily 11:00–22:00 with no break time. The Deumaru private parking lot in the same building gives 3 free hours, so it was easy to get to by car.

• 📍 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1F No. 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕒 Daily 11:00–22:00 (no break time)
• 🅿️ Deumaru private parking lot in the same building — free for 3 hours!

The lot was spacious and clean, so there was zero parking stress.

There's also a birthday seaweed soup event! If it's your birthday, they'll prepare the seaweed soup specially, so it seems like a nice spot for an anniversary visit too. 👇 Here's the parking lot connected right to the restaurant~

Inside Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch: the room and the mood

One reason Mikodam Magok-Balsan stood out among Magok Korean restaurants was the interior. There's a mountain-shaped wave sculpture on the wall, and warm indirect lighting spreads through the space, giving that clean, tidy feel typical of a hanjeongsik restaurant.

There's also a separate private room in the back, which looked great for family gatherings, meetings between families before a wedding, birthday meals, or any occasion that calls for privacy.

Ingredient sourcing written right on the table

The table has a card explaining the ingredients — the seaweed is sourced only from three specific areas of Wando, giving it a balanced, deep flavor, and the cockles are selected only from Beolgyo and Yeosu, under two years old, for tender meat and deep umami. The rice is Sindongjin rice, and the mackerel is hand-selected from Norway. Seeing all this sourcing written out really built trust!?

Mikodam menu and set prices for 2, 3 and 4

You order through the tablet at the table. I ordered the (full-table) two-person set for ₩46,000! You get to pick the options yourself.

• ✔ Seaweed soup — beef seaweed soup / flounder seaweed soup / abalone seaweed soup (+₩4,000)
• ✔ Cockle bibim — soy-marinated sauce / vinegar-mixed sauce
• ✔ Side dish — beef jeon (half) / Jeju yellow crab (half) / LA galbi (+₩20,000)

There's also a three-person set for ₩62,000 and a four-person set for ₩92,000, so you can order based on your headcount. I went with beef seaweed soup + soy-marinated cockle bibim + Jeju yellow crab!

What comes with the 46,000-won full-table set for two

When Mikodam's full-table set for two arrives, the table gets completely packed haha. Beef seaweed soup, cockle bibim, Jeju yellow crab, grilled mackerel, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), stir-fried pork, and leafy greens for wraps — the whole table full. Let me show you each one!

The basic side dishes got set out first, and quickly. Vinegar-mixed salad, kimchi, seaweed, pickled onion, bracken fern, mung bean sprouts — all served neatly in clean little bowls, and just this alone is already a lot of dishes...!

Next came the japchae, stir-fried pork, and leafy greens, followed by the grilled mackerel...

Grilled mackerel that fills the whole plate

This mackerel was genuinely huge. Thick enough to fill the whole plate! We honestly couldn't finish it between the two of us ㅠㅠ

Jeju yellow crab, the side dish I chose

And the thing I felt I chose best this time was the Jeju yellow crab! It's technically a side dish, but it carries main-dish presence. The crab meat was packed so full that one bite filled my whole mouth! The soy sauce wasn't salty, just a touch spicy, and mixed into rice, the umami was incredible.

Beef seaweed soup at Mikodam

The beef seaweed soup comes in a stone pot, piled high with seaweed and beef. The broth is rich yet clean, the kind of flavor that settles your stomach.

Soy-marinated cockle bibim rice

I picked the cockle bibim with the soy-marinated sauce — it comes topped with plenty of chives and sesame seeds, and the cockles are piled in generously.

The umami of the soy sauce combined with the chewy texture of the cockles made it clear why this is Mikodam's signature dish.

Is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch worth it? Final verdict

To sum up Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch as a Magok Korean restaurant spot:

• ✔ Clean interior + a private room means it works for gatherings
• ✔ Jeju yellow crab isn't salty and is packed with meat — a real rice thief
• ✔ 3 free hours of parking (Deumaru private lot, spacious and clean)
• ✔ Free rolled egg with a review / birthday seaweed soup event

We ate until we were completely full. Next time I want to try the abalone seaweed soup with the beef jeon combo :)