Suwon Korean restaurant for clam doenjang hot pot: Ok Doenjang

Today’s restaurant is Ok Doenjang Suwon Hommaesil Branch (옥된장 수원호매실점), one of my must-return Suwon lunch spots. I went for a hangover lunch, but it made me want a drink again... I’m still thinking about the clam doenjang hot pot I hadㅠ

Ok Doenjang Suwon Hommaesil Branch (옥된장 수원호매실점)

Ok Doenjang specializes in doenjang hot pot—doenjang being fermented soybean paste—and suyuk (boiled sliced meat). Since it opens from lunchtime, it is wonderful for a doenjang-hot-pot lunch and fantastic for evening drinks, too. This is Ok Doenjang Suwon Hommaesil Branch.

The exterior was retro yet upscale from the start, which was totally my style.

Hours and parking

• Hours: 11:00 AM–11:00 PM
• Sundays: until 10:00 PM
• Break time: 3:00–4:30 PM
• No break time on weekends

You get two hours of free parking at this building, Leaders Building, and at Delight Tower 2, so you can visit without worrying about parking.

There are high chairs, plus a good range of tables from two-person seats to group tables. Four-person tables have two induction burners, so ordering several simmering dishes is no problem!

A varied menu, from doenjang hot pot to suyuk

Ok Doenjang’s menu will appeal to anyone who loves Korean food. There are doenjang hot pots with ingredients including beef belly, freshwater snails, beef tendon, clams, shiitake mushrooms, and squid, so you can order a doenjang or soft-tofu hot pot according to the ingredient you like. I also really want to try the beef suyuk dishes: assorted suyuk hot pot, beef short-rib suyuk hot pot, and dressed suyuk. A set menu would be a great choice, too.

What we ordered

While waiting for the food, I tried the banchan (Korean side dishes). The kimchi and stir-fried seaweed stems were so clean-tasting that I kept picking at them, and they were even better with the hot pot. Especially Ok Doenjang’s signature side, Eomma Gim (엄마김, “Mom’s seaweed”)! I helped myself from the container and nearly finished the whole thing, haha.

They also sell Eomma Gim, gim bugak (crispy fried seaweed), and sesame oil, so after trying them, it would be nice to pick some up if you need them. You can’t let ingredients like these run out, so I have to stock up at home first^^

Two servings of clam doenjang hot pot for a hangover cure

It seemed like many people ordered suyuk or suyuk hot pot, but today I went for the proper hangover-cure dish: clam doenjang hot pot.

I normally love clams, and the clams at Ok Doenjang were seriously full of meat and wonderfully plump. There was plenty to eat!

The clam doenjang hot pot arrived with an hourglass. The instructions for enjoying it said that the hourglass was needed~ So I watched the sand and let it cook nicely.

It has Ok Doenjang’s distinctive doenjang flavor, and as the clams cook, their flavor is added too. One spoonful of broth and my hangover was instantly cured... It was addictive, so I kept ladling it up. Exactly the flavor I love, so I just kept eating and eating^^

There are so many delicious-looking dishes at Ok Doenjang that I want to try them all, but this clam doenjang hot pot was one I definitely want to order again next time.

The generous beef brisket tofu kimchi

Large pieces of soft tofu surrounded the beef brisket, making this beef brisket tofu kimchi a perfect 100 for presentation alone.

I was surprised by the generous portion, then surprised again by the flavor. Add tofu, kimchi, beef brisket, and a little chili pepper together—heaven!!

The soft tofu, sweet and thoroughly stir-fried kimchi, and mild beef belly were perfect together.

It was lunch, so sadly there were no drinks, but next time I want to try an Ok Doenjang highball, too^^ With delicious dishes and side dishes all around, Ok Doenjang is a great Suwon lunch spot for lunch, dinner, or a drink.