Jeju Sikdang in Hannam: Premium Braised Mackerel
I met up with a close buddy to celebrate the end of 2018. We both absolutely love grilled and braised fish. As usual, we were wondering where to find a good braised fish spot, so I asked the head chef of our house, a.k.a. my mom. She recommended Jeju Sikdang, located right across from Soonchunhyang Hospital in Hannam-dong (a neighborhood in central Seoul). I've lived in Hannam-dong for nearly ten years but had never been there. After a quick search, I realized it's a massive restaurant backed by a huge franchise. The owner actually runs a whole row of different restaurant brands right across from the hospital. They say the street is even named after the owner, though probably only the restaurant employees actually call it that. Still, you can easily guess just how successful and business-savvy this restaurateur really is.
I didn't think much of it on the way there, but after passing through a tiny entrance (which turned out to be a side door—the main entrance on the other side is huge), a garden appeared, sparkling with lights. The interior design seemed simple at first glance, but it immediately gave off a very clean and polished impression. Looking around, I thought, "Uh oh, this place looks like it's going to be really expensive." According to my mom, it was "30,000 KRW for two," but this dining room definitely didn't look like a 30,000 KRW kind of place. And sure enough!!!
Ah... we had already sat down and drank some water, so we couldn't exactly get up and leave. I just said, "It's the end of the year, let's treat ourselves," and we ordered the godeungeo-jorim (braised mackerel). Compared to Gorae Sikdang, another spot I personally like, the braised fish here is twice as expensive. Once you add rice and soju, it's not 30,000 KRW for two people, it's 30,000 KRW per person. At that point, my mindset shifted to, "Alright, let's see just how good this food actually is."
Usually, high expectations lead to big disappointments. But I wasn't disappointed at all. While Gorae Sikdang makes you crave rice with its spicy and salty flavors, this place wins you over with sweetness. You might worry that everything would be too sweet, but the side dishes aren't heavily seasoned, making them very easy to eat. It's great to eat the side dishes almost like a main carb, and use the braised mackerel as the actual side. The dish is quite sweet, so if you dislike sweet food, you'll strongly feel that it's overpriced. However, for a typical Seoulite accustomed to this level of sweetness, you'll only be thinking about how delicious it is. You get exactly two pieces of fish per person. Plus, mackerel is generally a cheap fish. Yet somehow, it felt like we had eaten a proper feast. Then again, looking at the price—which is about the same as a steak—it should feel like a feast. There's a reason this owner was able to line up an entire street in Hannam-dong with his own brands.
Because of the steep prices, unless you have a highly refined palate that can truly appreciate expensive dishes like sashimi, it might be tough to try other items here. Of course, they sell live raw fish as well as sukhoe (parboiled seafood), which requires a lot of chef expertise. But unless it's the end of the year and you're treating a VIP you are incredibly grateful to, it's not a place you can just casually dine at. Glancing around, quite a few people were eating raw fish, so that's definitely their main focus. We only had the braised mackerel today, but next time I'd love to try the raw or parboiled fish. With someone else's money, not mine...
It's been quite a while since I've reviewed a place and actually wanted to come back to try their other menu items. The taste is just that considerable. Of course, the prices are also so considerable that you end up staring at the menu for a solid 10 minutes.
