Jeju Osung in Seogwipo: Premium Cutlassfish
I was wondering what to treat my friend visiting all the way from the US. Since we were in Jeju, I figured mackerel sashimi or cutlassfish (galchi) would be perfect. However, his American wife isn't used to eating raw fish, so I ruled out the sashimi and decided on grilled and braised cutlassfish. I thought about going to Lee Joeun Sikdang, a place I'd visited before, but the atmosphere felt a bit lacking for hosting guests, so we headed to Jeju Osung instead.
I'm not sure if the owner is Chinese, if it's targeted at Chinese tourists, or if it's just a clever play on the Jeju dialect word for "come," but the restaurant is absolutely massive, taking up an entire building. You can make reservations through the Tabling app, which is usually a sign of a busy spot. We made a reservation, waited 30 minutes, and had to register again, but the restaurant has an indoor playroom for kids and comfortable sofas, so we could wait in peace.
The prices are just as steep as the facilities are nice. Still, since I was treating my friend, his wife, and their baby, I wanted to do it right and ordered the most expensive set. The server actually warned us, exclaiming, "This is a huge amount of food!" I gratefully accepted her warm concern but went ahead and ordered the Solven Set anyway.
The food took quite a while to come out, probably because we ordered so much. It started with the banchan (side dishes) coming out one by one, and my American friends were absolutely mesmerized, devouring them immediately. They especially loved the japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). I actually had to stop them and tell them to pace themselves since the expensive dishes were still coming!
Soon, they set up two portable stoves and brought out a seafood braise (haemul-jjim) that looked to be almost a meter long. It was the biggest seafood braise I had ever seen in my life. They cut up the octopus for us, and when you push the green onions aside, the braised cutlassfish (galchi-jorim) peeks out. Honestly, the portion was so huge that this dish alone would have been enough. Usually, when portions are this massive, the taste suffers, but here, you get to experience a full meter of delicious joy.
Finally, the highlight of the day arrived: the grilled cutlassfish (galchi-gui). It didn't come out in skimpy little pieces, but as one massive, whole fish. And it wasn't a small one either—it was a truly enormous cutlassfish that looked like it used to rule its neighborhood in the ocean.
The server came over and put on a one-minute deboning show, and she was a total pro. Thanks to her, even people who usually avoid fish because of the bones can eat it effortlessly. When I eat pre-cut cutlassfish at home, I usually savor it in small bites, but here, you can scoop up the fish meat with a spoon like rice. The rice itself is steamed in a lotus leaf (yeon-ip-bap) and has a wonderful, fragrant flavor. Of course, once you start eating the cutlassfish, you completely forget about the rice anyway.
If you're coming on a family trip to Jeju—especially a large group with young kids and parents—I highly recommend this place. There's a place for the kids to play while you wait, and the menu has dishes that older folks will love. The flavors aren't overly strong, making it enjoyable for everyone. There are plenty of whole cutlassfish restaurants around, but none offer the spatial advantages of Jeju Osung, making it perfect for a large family dinner. Just keep in mind that, like many Jeju restaurants, it closes before 10 PM. You'll want to sit down and start your meal by 6 PM to eat comfortably without rushing.