Nonsan course-meal restaurant near Tapjeong Lake: Sonamu Hanjeongsik

There's a place I think of whenever I want a proper hanjeongsik (Korean set-course meal) meal in Nonsan. It's Sonamu Hanjeongsik.

I tend to come here whenever important acquaintances visit Nonsan, or when I want to properly treat someone I haven't seen in a while. The food comes out in a nice variety and there's that neat, tidy atmosphere hanjeongsik places have, so I think it's a good spot for hosting guests.

This time I visited with family and had the Sonamu jeongsik. I heard Sonamu Hanjeongsik is also often used as a venue for meeting the in-laws before a wedding. So it seemed like a place that suits occasions where you need to be a bit more careful — family gatherings, meals with parents, or meeting the in-laws.

How the Sonamu set course is served

The menu I ordered was the Sonamu jeongsik. Looking at the menu, the dishes were broadly divided into welcome dish, starter dishes, main dishes, and closing dishes. Instead of everything being laid out at once, the food came in sequence, which was nice for chatting slowly through the meal.

First came pumpkin porridge and some nibbles. The nibbles were pine nuts, cashews, purple sweet potato, and dried jujube — a nice light way to wake up the appetite before the meal.

The six starter dishes at Sonamu Hanjeongsik

Next came the starter dishes — Andong mountain yam and tomato pickle, Ganggyeong-style seasoned seafood, cold chicken salad, oil mill perilla oil cold noodles, sweet rice pancakes, and a seasonal salad all came out one after another.

I think this is the good part about hanjeongsik. You get to try a little bit of dishes you'd probably never order on your own, so it's good to come with people who like trying a variety of foods.

Main dishes: 24-hour braised short ribs and pot rice

The main dishes of the Sonamu jeongsik were 24-hour low-temperature braised beef short ribs, Geumsan ginseng tempura, grilled fish, soy-marinated shrimp, and stir-fried octopus. As stated on the menu, the braised short ribs are prepared with a 24-hour low-temperature cooking method. Eating the tender braised ribs with rice made for a satisfying, proper hanjeongsik meal.

The Geumsan ginseng tempura also stood out. It was interesting to try ginseng in tempura form like this. But it was a bit unfamiliar for me, so I only had a little haha.

The grilled fish, soy-marinated shrimp, and stir-fried octopus were all dishes that went well with rice, so it was fun picking through each one.

What especially caught my eye on the menu was that the pot rice is made with home-grown rice. Rice matters a lot in hanjeongsik, so it was nice to finish the meal with pot rice. With the soybean paste soup on the side too, it was a hearty overall meal — plus scorched rice (nurungji) on top of that.

Dessert: yuzu yanggaeng and Nonsan strawberry juice

After the meal, yuzu yanggaeng (sweet jelly) and Nonsan strawberry juice came out. The sweet yuzu yanggaeng and the refreshing strawberry juice cleaned the palate nicely. Since the food flowed like a course from start to finish, I left feeling like I'd had a leisurely, unhurried meal.

Why Sonamu Hanjeongsik works for family meetings and hosting guests

More than anything, I like Sonamu Hanjeongsik because it's the restaurant I often turn to when important acquaintances come to visit. There are plenty of good restaurants in Nonsan, but when you're taking a guest or acquaintance somewhere, you end up caring about the atmosphere and menu composition, not just the food. In that sense, a hanjeongsik restaurant that can serve a variety of dishes in a neat, tidy way is a good fit for an important occasion.

It would also suit anyone looking for a spot for meeting the in-laws, family gatherings, meals with parents, or hosting an important guest.

If you're traveling around Nonsan and looking for a good restaurant near Tapjeong Lake, I'd recommend having a proper hanjeongsik meal at Sonamu Hanjeongsik. And if you're looking for a place you'll want to keep coming back to for treating important people, like me, I'd recommend it even more.