Jeju Food Shortlist Part 3: Cutlassfish, Abalone and Black Pork
We had not decided where to go in Jeju yet. My husband wanted to try Jeju local food and regional dishes, so part 3 of our Jeju food route planning covers local flavors. Part 1 covered gogi-guksu noodle spots. This time I looked into cutlassfish, abalone, and seafood ttukbaegi, the foods that come to mind when I think of Jeju.
Braised Cutlassfish
Jeju is famous for its silver cutlassfish. After seeing Kim Gun-mo eat cutlassfish on TV, I wanted to dig in too. Here is our Jeju food shortlist for braised cutlassfish.
- Matna Sikdang (Seogwipo): great value braised cutlassfish, 12,000 won per person. Closes early, so go before it shuts.
- Dongyang Sikdang (Dongmun Market): a Dongmun Market braised cutlassfish spot. On the pricey side. My husband would shake his head at the 40,000 won small galbi.
- Dokgae Mulhang (Hallim): serves representative Jeju local food. Signature menus are seafood ttukbaegi, abalone ttukbaegi, and braised cutlassfish. The priciest braised cutlassfish of the bunch.
- Cheongjin-dong Ttukbaegi (Seongsan): Jeju silver cutlassfish and grilled tilefish, with the obunja-gi ttukbaegi as the signature.
- Sambo Sikdang (Jungmun): made famous by a food TV show. Known for its three treasures: ttukbaegi, jari mulhoe, and grilled tilefish. Also serves braised cutlassfish.
- Duruchigi spot (Seogwipo): my husband wanted duruchigi in Jeju. Serves only one menu. Last time we tried to eat here but left without trying. Always packed with locals and tourists. Duruchigi 7,000 won.
- Okdom Sikdang and Bomal Kalguksu (Daejeong): another food-TV-show pick for bomal kalguksu. Never tried it, very curious. 8,000 won.
Abalone Dishes
Abalone is another star of Jeju food, with many fusion and local preparations. I am not a huge abalone fan, but in Jeju you have to try it at least once.
- Myeongjin Jeonbok (Gujwa): runs a restaurant and an abalone farm together. Famous for grilled abalone and abalone dolsot-bap. Long waits, but I am curious. Grilled abalone 30,000 won, abalone dolsot-bap 15,000 won, abalone porridge 12,000 won.
- Jeju Kim Man-bok: budget-friendly abalone rice. Whole abalone kimbap, abalone cup-bap, squid salad, sea urchin seaweed soup, all affordable.
- Odette (Aewol): abalone fried rice, abalone cream udon, and other fusion abalone dishes. Not cheap, but a good pick for fusion abalone.
- Abalone risotto house (Pyeongdae): my sister’s recommendation. A mood-hitting restaurant, with abalone risotto the priciest at 23,000 won. Closed Wednesdays.
- Haenyeo-chon (Gujwa): gives off strong restaurant vibes. Known for abalone porridge, plus sea urchin noodles and hoe-guksu. My husband would probably love this one.
Jeju Black Pork
Another Jeju food specialty: Jeju black pork. We tried it on our last trip at Heukdonga, so skipping that this time. The taste of Jeju pork dipped in meljeot.
- Donsadon: made famous as Big Bang G-Dragon’s favorite. Black pork needs no long explanation. I was shocked that pork cost as much as beef. Still, the visuals were drool-worthy.
- Sea and land spot (Hangyeong): the meeting of sea and land, with lots of variety. Popular with locals and tourists.
Jeju food prices in general felt steep, even with the mouthwatering visuals.
Snacks: Kimbap
Lastly, why snacks in Jeju, you might ask, but as a snack maniac I had to include them in this Jeju food route planning.
- Oneunjeong Kimbap (Seogwipo): why eat ordinary kimbap in Jeju? Because people line up even for phone orders. No fried items, but a crispy texture. I am so curious since everyone says it is delicious.
For tteokbokki, Pyeongdae Snack was under renovation through June, sadly. Pyeongdae Blues does seafood tteokbokki, and Haengdeureum Tteokbokki is known for mombasta tteokbokki. Oh well. Tteokbokki will have to wait for next time. Even then, there was already so much Jeju food to eat. Next post will cover pretty cafes and dessert spots in Jeju.