Sejong Korean restaurant for octopus shrimp sets: Bapkkot Hansang

Bapkkot Hansang location and parking in Eojin-dong, Sejong

Bapkkot Hansang (밥꽃한상), near Lake Park in Eojin-dong, Sejong, is in Suite 303 on the third floor of the Sejong March building. It is right in front of you as soon as you get off the elevator, so it is easy to find!

You can park on basement levels B1 and B2, but there are not as many spaces as you might expect. I visited at 12:30 p.m. on a weekday, and since there is a government complex right in front, it seemed especially busy at lunchtime. People who could not park in the garage were parking along the street, too.

Parking is free once you register it. You get 90 minutes as standard and up to three hours maximum, so make sure to add the extra registration before you go.

Inside seating: why I recommend a reservation

Bapkkot Hansang is not actually that big inside. So absolutely! I recommend making a reservation before coming. There was a wait even when we visited.

Most tables seat four, and there is group seating as well!

The chairs were comfortable, though the tables were spaced a little closely together. There were high chairs off to one side too, and they were brown to match the wood interior!

Why we chose the Bapkkot Special Set

Bapkkot Hansang has à la carte dishes as well as Korean set meals. Since it was lunchtime, quite a few people were ordering individual dishes too.

Still, the star at Bapkkot Hansang is definitely the set meal!! There are the Bapkkot Special Set and the Bapkkot Premium Set. The Special Set comes with everything in the Premium Set, plus octopus and shrimp. We could have octopus and shrimp for just ₩5,000 more, so that is what we chose.

Bapkkot Special Set for two

The first course

When you reserve and visit Bapkkot Hansang, the table is set in advance.

The basic side dishes were all laid out, and don't they look so delicious? The Bapkkot Special Set arrives in two courses. Let's look at the first course first!

A truly delicious full table spread out in front of us. There were around seven side dishes in all.

Buckwheat noodle appetizer

The buckwheat noodles came with a tangy sauce that seemed to use whole-grain mustard. You can eat it all in one bite, making it a perfectly neat little start to the meal!

Chive pancake

I really love Korean pancakes... Since the table had already been set, I worried that the pancake might have gone soggy, but not at all!!! My husband cut it nicely, and when I tried a bite, the savory flavor was incredible.

Salad and buckwheat japchae

The salad had baby greens and lettuce, and you know how they say eating green foods first is good for you, right? It was already dressed, so we started the meal on a fresh note.

This japchae (stir-fried noodles) used buckwheat noodles instead of regular glass noodles. It used mushrooms rather than meat, which really brought out the vegetables' savory flavor and gave it a nice texture too.

Stir-fried eggplant rice cakes, boiled pork with fresh kimchi, and tofu kimchi

My husband really loves eggplant, so he ate this one well. It had a salty-savory seasoning that kept me reaching back for more.

A bite-sized piece of boiled pork with fresh kimchi came out. I loved the seasoning on the fresh kimchi so much that I wanted another bite, but... there was only one per person, which was a shame ㅠ

I am also a huge tofu-kimchi fan. The tofu was slightly firm, so it was easy to pick up, and the kimchi was at that stage between fresh kimchi and aged napa cabbage kimchi, which went so well with the tofu's nuttiness.

The second course: namul bibimbap and the main dishes

As you keep eating, the second course arrives! Now the meat comes out and all the main side dishes fill the table. Let's start round two!

The rice comes in a large bowl because you are meant to add the namul and gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste stew) and mix it all together!

There were six kinds of namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes), each properly seasoned but slightly mild. I loved being able to taste the ingredients themselves! To eat like this at home, you would have to buy every single one and it would cost a lot, right? At Bapkkot Hansang, all six types come in one table setting, so my satisfaction was 200 percent.

Tteokgalbi and gangdoenjang

You could immediately tell that the tteokgalbi (grilled minced beef patties) was made in-house because it had that freshly minced texture! It was the most strongly seasoned dish of the meal, but with enoki mushrooms, this was seriously... amazing. Such a rice thief!

The gangdoenjang had lots of radish and king oyster mushrooms in it. It was not the intense kind of gangdoenjang sold commercially, but an earthy, comforting version you would find on a countryside table, so I could keep eating it without it feeling heavy.

Soybean paste soup and octopus with shrimp

The soybean paste soup was so clear and the absolute definition of wholesome! I expected a salty soup made with seasoning, but this soup tasted completely healthy too. It had so much tofu in it, and as a tofu lover, I was completely happy.

The highlight of the Bapkkot Special Set has to be the octopus and shrimp! As we worked our way through the set, I had huge expectations for this final dish, and it did not disappoint. Can you see the size of the octopus and shrimp? Wow... it had been such a long time since I had seen shrimp this big in a Korean set meal. The octopus was so plump too; when I put a whole piece in my mouth and chewed, its savory flavor and the seasoning went together so well.

Why I recommend it for meals with parents and gatherings

• People looking for a good Sejong restaurant to take their parents to!
• People who want a proper Korean set meal in Sejong!
• People who prefer gently seasoned food and want to taste the ingredients themselves rather than strongly seasoned dishes!
• People visiting Sejong Lake Park who want a proper meal!
• People looking for a proper meal restaurant for family events, gatherings, and other group occasions!

It must already be a place all the people in the know know about, because the wait was huge even when I went. If you are planning a visit, definitely make a reservation, and order the Special Set rather than the regular set so you can try the octopus and shrimp. If I go again, I will absolutely eat the octopus and shrimp again!!