Grilled flounder and miyeok-guk table in Gangneung: Saimdang Bueok

Gangneung's Korean set-meal spot: Saimdang Bueok

These days when you eat out, there are days you crave something spicy or meaty, but sometimes what you want is a plain, comfortable meal like something made at home. Saimdang Bueok is a great place to visit on those days.

True to the calm feeling the name suggests, Saimdang Bueok is a place to eat a hearty Korean meal, and it's worth a visit if you're someone who pays close attention to how a meal is put together, not just one main dish.

With Korean food especially, it's not just about one tasty main dish — what matters is whether the rice, soup, side dishes and main all come together well. What struck me about Saimdang Bueok was how well it captured that basic charm of Korean home cooking.

Saimdang Bueok location and hours

• Name: Saimdang Bueok
• Location: 6 Jukheon-gil85beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Daily 10:30–20:00 (last order 19:15)
• Parking: Available

There's a wide parking area right in front of the restaurant, so parking was easy.

Looking for a Korean set-meal restaurant in Gangneung

Gangneung has plenty of restaurants that tourists flock to, but I don't think a meal on a trip always has to be something special. Sometimes when you're traveling, what you crave is a proper Korean spread with warm rice and a bunch of side dishes. Saimdang Bueok is a good place for exactly those days.

If you like Korean set meals or Korean food in general, you can look forward to a satisfying meal since you get to enjoy several dishes at once. What makes Korean food appealing is that the main dish comes together with rice, side dishes and soup or stew, giving you the feeling of a proper, complete meal.

So if you're looking for a good Korean set-meal restaurant during your Gangneung trip, Saimdang Bueok is worth putting on your shortlist.

A comfortable atmosphere for a meal

Walking into Saimdang Bueok, you get an overall relaxed feeling for eating. These days there are plenty of pretty, aesthetic cafés and restaurants, but when it actually comes to eating, being able to sit comfortably matters as much as getting a nice photo.

Saimdang Bueok has an easygoing atmosphere whether you're visiting with family or friends, so it suits anyone looking for a comfortable place to eat during a Gangneung trip. Especially if you're traveling with parents, the menu matters, but so does whether the place lets you eat at a relaxed pace. In that sense, Korean food works across generations, making it a good pick for a family meal out.

A robot even helps with serving. The facilities were kept clean too, haha.

Since family dining is possible, a baby chair was also on hand.

They also had alcohol available for those looking to pick some up while traveling, which caught my eye.

The self-service bar was neatly kept as well.

Apparently thanks to its popularity, they've opened a directly-run branch in Gyodong too!

The country of origin for ingredients was honestly labeled as well.

Saimdang Bueok's menu lineup

There are three set menus: the Ojukheon table; the Saimdang table with a choice of sundubu (soft tofu) or miyeok-guk (seaweed soup); and the Yulgok table with a choice of steamed skate or steamed pork jowl, plus sundubu or miyeok-guk. There's also a kids' miyeok-guk add-on and pork cutlet.

We ordered the Saimdang table with sundubu and miyeok-guk, one of each.

The charm of a tidy Korean meal

The biggest charm of Korean food is probably being able to try several side dishes at once. Unlike a meal built around one main dish, Korean food lets you pair rice with a variety of banchan (side dishes), so you get to enjoy several flavors and textures within one meal.

There were mild side dishes and salty ones, crunchy textures and soft ones, so eating them with rice naturally kept me focused on the meal. Especially while traveling, when you tend to eat out more than usual, a tidy Korean spread like this feels extra welcome after a few days of meat, noodles or spicy food.

I thought Saimdang Bueok was also a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable meal at a good Korean restaurant in Gangneung.

A hearty meal mid-trip

Gangneung has so much to see and do that walking around all day can take more out of you than expected. After a morning of cafés and sightseeing, sometimes by lunch or dinner you want a proper meal instead of something light. Nothing beats Korean food for that.

Warm rice with a main dish, side dishes, and soup or stew on top leaves you solidly full afterward. So when planning your Gangneung trip, rather than only chasing famous food near tourist spots, I'd recommend fitting in at least one Korean restaurant along your route. Saimdang Bueok is a great place to visit on a day during your Gangneung trip when you want a hearty meal.

Jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork)

The jeyuk had a sweet-and-spicy sauce well soaked into the pork, making it great with rice. The pork had a nicely soft, chewy texture, and the savory sauce added extra flavor to boost your appetite. It wasn't overly spicy — more the kind of flavor that pairs well with rice — so it was easy to enjoy without feeling too heavy.

Jeyuk especially comes alive when eaten with plain white rice. Put a piece on top of your rice and the salty, sweet and spicy flavors come together beautifully as a side dish for rice. If you like Korean set meals, this is a familiar yet satisfying dish.

Grilled flounder

A dish you don't want to miss on a Korean set-meal table is the grilled flounder. Nicely browned on the outside, the flounder had a plain, savory crust and moist, tender flesh inside — great with rice.

You get flounder's distinctive plain, quietly savory flavor, and the seasoning wasn't too heavy so it was easy to eat. Flake off the flesh onto warm rice and the fish's clean flavor blends well with the rice's nutty taste.

It paired especially well alongside a seasoned dish like the jeyuk. After the sweet-spicy jeyuk perked up my appetite, following it with the plain grilled flounder let me alternate between different flavors, making the whole spread feel even richer.

With the soft sundubu, jeyuk and grilled flounder all together, I really got to feel the charm of a Korean meal in Gangneung. If you prefer plain, tidy Korean set-meal dishes over strongly seasoned food, this is a satisfying menu for you.

Sundubu (soft tofu)

If you're in Gangneung, sundubu is a dish you shouldn't skip. Chodang sundubu is known for a texture that's much softer and silkier than regular tofu. Scooping it with a spoon, you get a soft, dissolving texture along with a plain, nutty flavor.

Without any strong seasoning, you get to enjoy the tofu's natural mildness, which paired nicely with the spicy jeyuk. Eating jeyuk to build up your appetite, then following it with the soft sundubu, lets the different flavors and textures come together to make the meal feel even richer.

Above all, being able to enjoy Gangneung's signature sundubu as part of a Korean set-meal style spread makes this a great fit for anyone looking for a good Korean set-meal restaurant in Gangneung.

Miyeok-guk (seaweed soup)

I also got to enjoy miyeok-guk, a soup that's hard to leave out of a Korean table. The warm broth with softly cooked seaweed was plain and comforting to eat overall.

The broth wasn't overpowering and had a clean flavor, so it paired well with stronger-flavored dishes like the jeyuk and grilled flounder. You could taste seaweed's subtle aroma and soft texture, and eating the warm broth with rice made the meal feel complete and filling.

In a Korean set meal with several side dishes, it matters that the soup doesn't overpower the other flavors but blends in naturally instead — and the miyeok-guk was clean and mild enough to harmonize with both the sweet-spicy jeyuk and the savory grilled flounder.

With jeyuk, sundubu, grilled flounder and miyeok-guk all together, it was a Korean set meal that let me enjoy a variety of flavors and textures rather than leaning on just one dish.

I finished with a glass of cider, and it was so refreshing it felt like it settled everything down nicely.

Wrapping up

There's a reason people say Korean food never gets old. Some days you keep craving something spicy or bold, but there are moments when a meal of warm rice and tidy side dishes is the most satisfying thing of all. Saimdang Bueok is a great place to visit when you're craving that kind of comfortable, hearty Korean meal.

If you're looking for a place to eat out with family, or somewhere casual to grab a meal with friends, it's worth considering Korean food as your focus. After all, isn't the best thing about a restaurant that feeling of 'I ate well today' after finishing a meal? If you enjoy tidy Korean food and a hearty meal, come enjoy a comfortable meal at Saimdang Bueok.