Sokcho Korean restaurant for families: Jin Seiromushi seafood set meals

For our first meal on a trip to Sokcho, I went to Jin Seiromushi (진 세이로무시) with my 34-month-old child. I wanted a seafood marinade set meal, but I wondered what my child, who would not share the marinated crab or shrimp, would eat. I chose this place because the set meal came with Korean side dishes such as grilled fish and bulgogi.

How was the space for dining with a child?

The restaurant is at 13 Seonsa-ro 2-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon State, South Korea. The original post listed its hours as 10:30 AM to 9 PM, with a break time from 3 PM to 5 PM. It also listed every Tuesday as the regular closing day.

The dining room was spacious, with plenty of room between tables. When my child moved around, I felt less cramped and less concerned about being too close to the next table.

A high chair was available, too. I did not bring a stroller, but it looked to me as though there was space in one corner inside to park one. I also saw many family groups during the meal.

What did we order, and how much was it?

• Marinated red snow crab set meal ₩23,000
• Marinated shrimp set meal ₩25,000
• Extra bowl of rice ₩1,000

We ordered one marinated red snow crab set meal and one marinated shrimp set meal. Once the table was set, there was a wide variety of side dishes around the main marinated seafood, and the portions were generous enough that we added a bowl of rice.

Which side dishes did my 34-month-old child eat?

Instead of the marinated crab or shrimp, my child ate rice with the grilled fish, pork bulgogi, seaweed, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), seasoned vegetables, and stir-fried mushrooms that came with the set meal. I could choose side dishes one by one, much as I would with Korean food at home.

We were able to take care of my child’s meal without ordering a separate dish for them. What was most convenient was being able to choose the marinated seafood the parents wanted while also sorting out my child’s meal.

How were the marinated red snow crab and shrimp?

Even when I mixed plenty of the soy sauce from the marinated red snow crab into rice, it was not too salty for my taste.

The meat was firm rather than mushy. I picked out the crab meat, placed it over rice, and mixed it with the soy sauce. Having seasoned vegetables, japchae, or grilled fish in between made it feel like a full Korean meal.

The marinated shrimp we ordered with it also went well with rice.

By ordering one of each set meal, we could alternate between the marinated red snow crab and shrimp. I liked that the meal included a range of side dishes instead of having only the marinated seafood.

How were the set-meal side dishes and doenjang-jjigae?

The table was full with grilled fish, bulgogi, japchae, seasoned vegetables, stir-fried mushrooms, and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). It was a meal where we could eat Korean side dishes alongside the marinated seafood.

The doenjang-jjigae that came with the meal also stayed with me.

Rather than being strongly sweet, it had the savory, earthy flavor of stew made with homemade doenjang. We had come to eat seafood on a trip, but it also felt like we had a satisfying, home-style Korean meal.

For this meal, the side dishes included with the set meal helped take care of my child’s food more than a separate kids’ menu would have. For our family, it was a table setting that was easy to share.

What other dishes were available besides the seafood set meals?

There were also hinoki-steamed dishes besides the set meals.

We visited for lunch that day and ate the seafood set meals, so we did not order the hinoki-steamed dishes. After looking at the menu, I thought I would like to try them if I returned for dinner.

What did I like most about eating with a child?

What I liked most was that the parents could eat marinated red snow crab and shrimp while my child could have familiar Korean side dishes. I was also satisfied with the red snow crab, which was not salty for my taste, and the savory doenjang-jjigae; the spacious room and high chair made the meal comfortable.