Jinju Sikdang in Seogwipo: Refreshing Abalone Hot Pot
I came to the second floor of Heyy Seogwipo (a local hotel) over the weekend to clear my head, read a book, and look at the ocean, but it was closed for the weekend. My plans were ruined and I wasn't sure what to do, but I got hungry, so I decided to grab a bite first and think about it later. I headed to Jinju Sikdang for lunch, a restaurant I had wanted to visit a few months ago when I was briefly using Heyy Seogwipo as a shared office.
As you can see from the menu, they have various kinds of jeongsik (set meals) as well as ttukbaegi (hot pots). Right off the bat, it feels more like a Jeju Korean food specialty restaurant than a standard neighborhood joint. I always walked past it thinking it would be too expensive, but once inside, the prices were actually quite reasonable. I didn't want anything too heavy, so I ordered a regular jeonbok ttukbaegi (abalone hot pot).
The side dishes came out first, and the spread was extraordinary. The table was filled with my favorites, including four or five pieces of dombe-gogi (Jeju-style boiled pork) and tot (hijiki seaweed). I debated whether to wait for the hot pot or eat them together, but I was so hungry I tried the boiled pork right away, and it was absolutely delicious. I dipped it generously in what was either meljeot (anchovy sauce) or galchisokjeot (fermented hairtail sauce)—probably meljeot. The soft meat paired with the strong fermented flavor made every bite a joy. The bean sprouts, seaweed, and kimchi weren't overly salty, so I felt like I could easily finish a bowl of rice just with the side dishes, even without the hot pot.
While I was tasting the side dishes, the hot pot arrived boiling like lava. It was bubbling so fiercely that even putting a spoon in didn't calm it down.
I stared at it in anticipation for a while before taking a sip of the broth. I could instantly understand why many restaurant reviews mentioned it being a bit bland. It isn't heavily seasoned; instead, it's boiled to highlight the seafood flavor, making it incredibly refreshing. Despite how it looks, it doesn't taste spicy or rich. The mild seasoning is perfectly balanced by the amazing side dishes. It tasted best when eaten with the tot seaweed, which really brought out that unique seafood flavor.
There were four abalones inside. They were a bit small, but wonderfully chewy and delicious. The abalone alone made my rice disappear in a flash, and there were so many Manila clams that my spoon never got a break.
It was a very satisfying meal—it had been a while since I scraped the bottom of a hot pot and finished almost all my side dishes. After I was done, I found myself looking at the menu again, thinking, "I should have ordered the special abalone hot pot," and wondering, "What does the obunjagi (Jeju baby abalone) taste like?" It definitely made me look forward to my next visit.
Today, I went for the obunjagi ttukbaegi (baby abalone hot pot). The two dishes are very similar, but the regular abalone is from Wando, while the obunjagi is from Jeju and smaller in size. Trying it, the obunjagi feels a bit firmer, and the taste of the innards is less intense. Even so, it's a bit more expensive, so rather than going out of your way to eat the obunjagi, I think it's better to just get the regular or special abalone hot pot. Of course, if you've never tried it before like me, it's worth having at least once, but otherwise, I recommend the standard abalone hot pot.
