Suwon Korean restaurant cutlassfish lunch: Godeungeo Myeongpumi

Today I visited Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, a place famous in Suwon for grilled fish 🥹

From the grilled mackerel to the braised cutlassfish and all the side dishes, everything was sooo delicious 🤍 I went at weekday lunchtime and there was even a wait..?

But maybe because the restaurant is spacious, the line moved really quickly! There were more than 10 parties ahead of me, but I think I waited about 10 minutes? Haha

There is more seating further inside, too! It looks like groups or family gatherings could dine here without any problem 🤍

Menu and order

They were running a discount event for the Signature Set Meal! I was going to get that too~ but thought it might be a bit much for lunch, so I ordered something simple(?) instead 🤓

Since there were two of us, we ordered the braised cutlassfish for 2 that I had been curious about~ and because this place is famous for grilled fish in Suwon, haha, we added one grilled mackerel too 🫶🏻

A self-serve bar for extra side dishes

Every dish that comes as a standard side was also available at the self-serve bar.. 🤍 After I finished mine, I happily helped myself to more of the ones I liked 😇 (Especially the miyeokguk, or seaweed soup—so good!!)

The japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) was moist and nutty, and don’t even get me started on the seasoned vegetables~~ Is this not a Suwon grilled-fish spot but a Suwon baekban, or Korean set-meal, spot? Haha

The vegetables were seasoned so perfectly that I honestly could have finished all my rice with just these, hahaha. The cucumber salad was the best too because the cucumber itself was so fresh ㅠㅠ

I considered adding jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), but a small tasting(?) portion came with the meal! But why is the meat this good at a fish restaurant? Hahaha. The texture was great, and the sauce was exactly the sweet-style jeyuk I love 💗

Braised cutlassfish for 2, ₩36,000

Now, shall we get into the main event(?)~~

The braised cutlassfish and standard side dishes arrived all at once 🥹 Doesn’t it look insanely good at a glance? ㅜㅜ Since it is known as a Suwon grilled-fish restaurant, I wasn’t expecting too much from the braise!

Can you see how plump the fish is? Haha. The sauce was neither too spicy nor too sweet—just the perfect rice-stealing flavor ❤️

The rice wasn’t soggy; it was nicely fluffy and separate, perfect with the braised cutlassfish ㅠㅠ

The aged kimchi inside went so well with the sauce, making it great for mixing into rice or wrapping around a bite of rice, haha.

Picking the boneless cutlassfish apart and mixing it with the sauce.. 🫶🏻 How do I describe this sauce..? It is so deeply savory that it just calls for rice.. ✨ The combination of aged kimchi, cutlassfish, and radish was absolute perfection!

There was a generous amount of radish too, which I loved, haha. I like the radish in braised dishes almost as much as the cutlassfish! It was not hard at all, just soft and tender, so I was super satisfied 🤤

Grilled mackerel, ₩15,000

As befits a Suwon restaurant famous for grilled fish, a substantial, tender grilled mackerel arrived, haha.

I was surprised by how rich and oily the flesh was..! This was not the mackerel I knew.. The mackerel really had become premium, hahaha. It was meaty, of course, and so rich that it did not even need a separate dipping sauce 🐟

It was grilled so the bones were easy to remove, so I picked them all out and enjoyed it with rice~ A bite of mackerel, a spoonful of seaweed soup, and before you know it, one bowl is gone 💦

You can see how substantial the flesh is, right..? This is not the small mackerel we usually know ㅠㅠ You really have to try this one to understand 🕊️

I polished off two bowls of rice and finished with sikhye (sweet rice drink), haha. What am I supposed to do when even the sikhye is delicious~~ It felt like it had been such a long time since I had a truly hearty Korean meal 🤤 There was a reason only Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda comes up when you search for a Suwon grilled-fish restaurant, hahaha.

I visited as part of a reviewer program, but it was a restaurant I want to visit again.. 😇 Next time, I need to come for dinner and try the raw mackerel~~🐟