Mackerel in Okdong

I find mackerel is a love it or hate it kind of thing. It’s one of the stronger tasting fish out there, known for its abundance of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for helping to control inflammation in the body, lower bad fats in the blood, and keep your brain healthy. I’ve grown up in a fish-friendly family, and think mackerel is amazing, so I jumped at the chance to try out this new restaurant in Okdong when my friend mentioned it.

Run by a friendly lady, Lee So Hyun, who is also a yoga instructor,꿉고  쪼리고 (literally “Bake and Marinade”) serves a mackerel stew that is absolutely delicious.

Everything in the restaurant is made on site, from the main courses to the banchan (반찬 – side dishes). The mackerel is brought fresh from Jeolla province, which may seem strange as we live next to the ocean here, but apparently, Jeolla has the best in Korea.

The stew is made with big chunks of mackerel, which unfortunately are served Korean style, meaning they haven’t been deboned first. The good news is that mackerel bones are quite big, and easy to pick out. There are also big slices of daikon radish (무 – moo), carrots and onion, and a few spicy green peppers in the mix. It’s definitely a meal you can pig out on and feel healthy for doing so.

You can also order kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개 – stew) or deonjang  jjigae (된장  – soybean paste – 찌개). As I was with a friend of the owner, we were given deonjang jjigae as “service”. It was one of the tastiest bowls I’ve had, with a rich deonjang broth and plenty of shellfish for added flavour.

There are other options on the menu, including samgyupsal (삼겹살 – pork) and other types of fish (see the translated menu below).

First on the menu is the Baked Mackerel with rice and side dishes (photo above) – 9,000

Baked Yellow Corvina with rice and side dishes – 9,000

Hairtail Cutlassfish with rice and side dishes – 9,000

Marinated Kodari (half-dried pollack) with rice and side dishes – 9,000

Marinated meat with rice and side dishes – 9,000

Mixed plate of fish – 22,000

Spicy fried pork (jay-yuk bok-um)

Marinated mackerel soup- 9,000

Marinated pork rib (galbi) soup – 9,000

Marinated Kodari soup – 9,000

Pork Kimchi Stew (jjigae) – 7,000

(the Dalk Bokum Tang is no longer being served)

Tofu Kimchi – 10,000

Seafood Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) – 6,000

Bibimbap (steamed rice with mixed vegetables) – 7,000

Grilled, seasoned samgyupsal (pork) – 12,000 for 260g

The restaurant is easy to find. On the main Okdong road, heading towards Munsu Stadium, turn right at the GS Gas Station. It’s one block back on your right. Check out this map, or look for the Mackerel Restaurant on the Interactive Map.