Songjeong Korean restaurant, 38,000 won set for two: Songjeongok

Guess what I ate today

The weather's finally warming up, so I went to hang out at Songjeong Beach and found a place called Songjeongok right behind the beachside road, so I decided to check it out haha. I've come to this road along Songjeong many times before since it's always had good spots for family meals, but I picked Songjeongok this time because it specializes in abalone pot rice.

Songjeongok hours, parking and reservations

Songjeongok is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with a break time Monday through Friday from 15:00 to 17:00. There are 3 parking spots right in front, and the address is 438-5 Songjeong-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan.

• Hours: Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• Break time (Mon–Fri): 15:00 – 17:00
• Parking: 3 spots right in front
• Address: 438-5 Songjeong-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan
• Reservations available / groups welcome
• Free corkage / baby chairs available

The fish tank at the entrance and the dining room

This is the fish tank at the entrance, full of abalone. Seeing that they bring in the abalone straight from there for the meal, I wasn't worried about freshness at all — time to go inside!

Right from the entrance you can feel the vibe of a proper Korean restaurant haha. There are wooden shelves lined with small earthenware pots.

Honestly I've been really loving this kind of thing lately haha — the outside atmosphere and the food feel rustic and homey, while the table settings and interior are done in a clean, modern style you can enjoy comfortably. I think that contrast is one of Songjeongok's strengths.

Songjeongok menu: what we ordered

We went with the most basic option, the abalone pot rice set for two! Just looking at the menu, you can tell it's laser-focused on abalone and full-table sets, which really built up my expectations.

The table next to us was having the hinoki (cypress steamer) set and whole steamed octopus, and it looked so good ㅠㅠ — depending on your taste, adding one of those on could be a great move.

✔ Abalone pot rice set for two — TOTAL ₩38,000

How the abalone pot rice is served

Songjeongok's abalone pot rice doesn't just come as plain cooked rice — it arrives with innards sauce, scrambled egg, and abalone meat all mixed in together. Can you see the pot rice?

The rice isn't plain white rice either — it's seasoned pot rice bursting with umami. It's been a while since I've had such a clean, delicious pot rice, so this one's staying in my memory. Noted...!!

Rather than mixing everything together right away, I prefer scooping bits out separately to taste each element first, so that's what I did here — that way you can also mix it more intensely later depending on your preference.

Once I'd tasted each ingredient on its own, it was time to mix it all up! Since it's pot rice, the heat stays locked in and it even gets a little crisped at the bottom, which amplifies the flavor once you mix it — worth keeping in mind when you eat haha.

Gabrisal bossam with spicy radish salad and garlic

The gabrisal (pork neck) bossam set came out pretty quickly haha. Nicely sliced gabrisal sits in the center, along with tofu, kimchi, and various seasoned side dishes that pair well with it.

Songjeongok's gabrisal bossam is incredibly tender and sliced into just the right bite-sized pieces, with no greasy feeling at all. Eating it together with the surrounding side dishes made it even more enjoyable haha.

My favorite combination out of all of it was topping the spicy radish salad with garlic — the gabrisal and the spicy-fresh radish salad are a perfect match, so definitely try eating them together.

Seasoned soy crab!! Wait, what is this place — spicy but clean-tasting, with plenty of meat packed in too. Is this actually a crab specialty restaurant... or are they just good at cooking everything? The seasoning sauce is so clean and delicious, and the crab itself is high quality — one of the most satisfying side dishes.

The spicy squid salad wasn't chewy at all and had a good amount of vegetables mixed in, so I enjoyed it a lot. All the seasoned side dishes had subtly different flavors, which made eating through the bossam set a lot of fun haha.

Definitely try eating the bossam this way at least once. And if you like stronger flavors or you're pairing it with drinks, adding a little of the salted shrimp that comes on the side makes it even better haha.

Side dishes that come with the Songjeongok set

Stir-fried squid and pork was well-seasoned and went great with rice! The pork itself needs no explanation — you know how that goes.

The shrimp and yuzu salad is the kind of dish that gives your palate a little rest between bites. With tomato and shrimp mixed in, I enjoyed it a lot.

The soybean paste stew tasted like something Grandma would make at home — the tofu pieces were a good size and there was plenty of it, which I loved.

Who is Songjeongok best for?

If you're stopping by Songjeong for a family meal or need a spot for a date, I recommend Songjeongok! Corkage is free too, so keep that in mind.

Next time, I'm adding on the seasoned soy crab and coming back for another round... hehe.