Siheung Korean restaurant: mackerel and fish roe stew at Hwadogeuro

When I wondered where to go for Korean food in Baegot, this place turned out to be better than I expected. Honestly, I’m the kind of person who needs rice to have any energy, so I love Korean food and eat it often. Unless it’s a special occasion, I usually choose Korean food for lunch too. The grilled mackerel and fish roe stew here were pretty good.

A full wood-fired grilled mackerel spread

First, I filmed the full basic spread so I could show you what it really looks like. You can grill fish at home, of course, but it makes the house smell and the cleanup is such a hassle. From a homemaker’s point of view, it’s one of those dishes I sometimes want to eat out. The mackerel here comes out of the wood-fired oven with the oil nicely rendered out and a lovely nutty flavor—and best of all, you just get to eat it. So convenient!

One menu item per person is standard. The grilled mackerel set meal I ordered was ₩17,000, and the fish roe stew set meal was ₩17,000. The prices are not exactly low, but the basic side dishes at the self bar are unlimited, and everything was clean and tastier than average, so it would be a nice spot for a family gathering or a meal with friends.

As a grilled-fish specialist, it offers various grilled fish beyond mackerel. It would be a good place to take the grown-ups out, and since the menu centers on Korean dishes to eat with rice, it feels easy to visit without any fuss.

How the self bar works and its side dishes

Sets are prepared according to the number of diners, so one menu item per person is standard. Customers who order a menu item can use the self bar freely. Elementary-school students and older need to order a main dish, while children age 7 and under can order from the kids’ menu—just something to keep in mind.

The self bar was kept so neatly that everything looked delicious~ There were Korean-style side dishes and vegetable dishes, plus gochujang (Korean red chili paste) and sesame oil for bibimbap (mixed rice). I filmed the self-service area too~~ Take a look~~

The lotus root felt wonderfully wholesome~~ It was sliced nice and thick, so even the crunchy bite was delicious.

Bouncy, tender cheongpomuk (mung-bean jelly) is another side dish I love. There was also plump ponytail radish kimchi, so big that one piece alone looked filling. I wanted to try the marinated crab too, but I was in the middle of dental treatment.... My teeth weren’t up to it, so I passed~~ Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), which everyone loves, was very welcome too~ The lightly salty kimchi pancake was delicious, of course~~

And you can’t possibly give up tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and eomuk (fish cake), everyone’s favorite snacks~~

A filling meal with fish roe stew and pot-cooked rice

A wholesome Korean spread with pot-cooked rice too—an obvious choice for a rice lover like me. That day I ordered the grilled mackerel and fish roe stew set meals. There was also a basic mallow soybean-paste soup, but the fish roe stew was tastier than expected~~ It came generously loaded with roe and gon-i, soft fish milt, and I enjoyed it so much.

The soybean-paste mallow soup did arrive, but the fish roe stew was so good that I think I only had a taste.

I had the lotus root once, then went back for a generous refill~~~ The ponytail radish kimchi pieces were large, so I cut them into easy bites~

The soybean-paste-seasoned chili peppers were crisp and delicious—such a rice thief.

I added the bean sprouts to bibimbap and ate them together~~ There were so many basic vegetable dishes, making the bibimbap ingredients wonderfully abundant~~~ I polished off a plate of japchae too~ Then I cleared the tteokbokki and pancakes from the self bar in no time!!

A whole bowl of bibimbap disappeared in a flash^^ I mixed in every kind of vegetable, and wow, there was so much~~ haha. Even so, it was delicious, so I didn’t leave a bit~~

Lightly seasoned mackerel with refreshing fish roe stew

The grilled mackerel arrived beautifully browned and looking delicious, but what I personally liked most was that it wasn’t salty. If you want more seasoning, you can adjust it to your taste with wasabi soy sauce~~ When grilled fish is heavily seasoned, you get tired of it after just a few bites. Here, the seasoning was not excessive, so it was great with rice. The outside was nicely golden, while the flesh inside was incredibly moist; lifting the meat onto rice made me think, yes, this is exactly why you eat grilled fish~

And that’s not all~~ The refreshing fish roe stew had an incredible broth~~ Maybe it was the generous amount of minari (water dropwort), but the broth felt so clean and revitalizing, like it would cure a hangover. There was also a huge amount of roe and gon-i, so I loved the portion too. Broth is everything in fish roe stew, and this one was clear and clean—approved! Mild grilled mackerel with refreshing fish roe stew.... Perfect. If you’re wondering what Korean food to eat in Baegot, Siheung, I highly recommend this grilled mackerel and fish roe stew pairing!!!

I finished by cleansing my palate with sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)~~~ The generous self-bar side dishes were great too~~ I loved the dream pairing of grilled fish and fish roe stew, and it was one of those days when I felt I had eaten a proper rice meal at Hwadogeuro Gan Godeungeo (화덕으로간고등어). Even for one meal, it felt like I’d eaten well—such satisfying rice-powered energy. If you enjoy Korean food, stop by sometime. The combination of wood-fired fish and fish roe stew was quite good.