Sillim Korean restaurant Yeseoban: braised skate near Seowon Station

When you eat home cooking, the highest compliment is "this tastes just like something you'd buy outside." When you eat out, the highest compliment is "this tastes just like home cooking." I think I like the second compliment better. Yeseoban, a Korean restaurant in Sillim, Gwanak-gu, that I visited recently, gave me exactly that feeling.

Where is Yeseoban? Location, hours and parking

Yeseoban is located at 225 Munseong-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, roughly halfway between Sillim Station (Line 1) and Seowon Station (Sillim Line). Hours are 11:00-21:00 with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, and it's closed every Tuesday.

If you drive, free parking is available — 1 hour free until 6pm, after which parking isn't allowed, so keep that in mind if you're visiting.

Food prepared by a Korean cuisine master

This Korean restaurant near Sillim Station is run by a couple who used to run a cooking academy, and started Yeseoban because they wanted to share their special recipes with more people.

I think Korean food is actually the hardest thing to cook. It's food I've eaten my whole life, but whenever I try to make it myself, it never tastes like my mom's version.

The reason I came to Yeseoban this time was braised skate (gaori-jorim)! I first tried it this summer on a trip to Goseong, Gangwon-do, and it was so good I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then I happened to find out there was a place near Sillim Station that also serves it, so I came to check it out.

We visited on a weekend at 5pm, and since break time runs from 3 to 5pm, the tables filled up fast the moment they reopened.

Yeseoban menu and prices

Yeseoban's signature dishes are all braised (jorim). Braised pollock (small) is ₩30,000, braised pollock with dried radish greens (small) is ₩34,000, and braised skate (small) is ₩40,000.

• Braised pollock (small) ₩30,000
• Braised pollock with dried radish greens (small) ₩34,000
• Braised skate (small) ₩40,000
• Stir-fried baby octopus ₩13,000
• Bulgogi hot pot ₩13,000
• Budae-jjigae (army stew) ₩12,000
• Cold soybean noodle soup (summer menu) ₩10,000

Soon the braised skate arrived looking delicious. Looking around at the other tables, most people seemed to be ordering it too — proof that Yeseoban really is known for its braised skate!

Side dishes and the pot rice at Yeseoban

Yeseoban's banchan (side dishes) were neat and carefully made. Side dishes take a lot of effort to make but don't always show it when you eat them, which is why I've slowly stopped making them at home.

The lotus root was a bit unusual, with perilla powder and yuja (citron) added.

The gungchae (a crunchy vegetable) had a great crisp texture, and the braised konjac in particular was mild rather than salty, with a chewy texture that I really liked.

The rice comes in a hot pot (sotbap). (Satisfyingly, it's a stainless pot, so it feels hygienic.) We poured in hot water to make nurungji (scorched rice) at the end.

How does Yeseoban's braised skate compare to Goseong's?

Yeseoban's braised skate (small, ₩40,000) came out in a large bowl. Here's today's star — the braised skate!

The rice cake in the braise wasn't tteokbokki rice cake but garae-tteok (long cylindrical rice cake), which made it even chewier and more delicious.

My husband cut the tofu and radish into easy-to-eat pieces. I especially love braised radish, and the radish here, soft and fully soaked in the sauce, was so good.

And the star of the dish, the skate, was full of meat — pulling it apart with chopsticks, the flesh came away tender and seemed to melt in my mouth.

The braised skate I loved at Nokwon Restaurant in Goseong, Gangwon-do, was an all-out combination of spicy, salty, and sweet, whereas—

—Yeseoban's braised skate didn't rely on strong seasoning to build flavor, instead letting the natural taste of the ingredients shine, which felt like a more refined take on Korean food.

Bean sprouts served as a side dish.

It's even better wrapped in seaweed (gim).

The bones in the braised skate are soft enough to chew, so nothing goes to waste. Finishing off with the nurungji made for such a satisfying meal :)

With neat side dishes and a generous portion of braised skate, this was a place where I could feel both the comfort of home cooking and the special touch of dining out. If you're looking for restaurants in Sillim, Gwanak-gu, and want something a bit different in Korean food, I recommend the braised skate at Yeseoban :)