After three nights at Jeju Shinhwa World Marriott, we moved to the Osirokheon Pension near Geumneung Beach to really feel Jeju. After a great day at the beach, we went looking for breakfast the next morning at one of Geumneung's most talked-about restaurants, Seongasi (성아시).
A Small Place with Powerful Food
Seongasi was one of the nearby restaurants the pension recommended, a small shop on the beach road. Despite its small, worn-looking exterior, the food here is seriously powerful.
Geumneung Beach, Jeju
The Walls: The first thing that catches your eye when you walk in is the wall-to-wall record of visitors. Lots of people have packed the walls with signs that they'd been there.
The Celebrity Link: The shop is also known for visits by actors Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-wook of the drama Goblin. Gong Yoo was the first guest on Lee Dong-wook's talk show I Want to Talk, and this restaurant was the filming location. You'd expect them to advertise it loudly, but Seongasi quietly keeps to itself. Only a poster for Terra beer makes its presence known.
Mulhoe Noodles (Cold Raw Fish Noodle Soup)
We ordered mulhoe noodles, ramyeon, and bomal porridge, and while we looked at the wall graffiti, the food began to arrive.
I asked myself whether cold mulhoe noodles for breakfast was the right call. But many reviews recommend Seongasi's mulhoe noodles, and it was one of the four items marked "strongly recommended" on the wall menu, so I ordered it.
After a big letdown with a mulhoe noodle dish in Sokcho, I hoped this bowl might heal the damage. The bowl is visually perfect, with a generous seafood topping and orange broth with floating ice crystals.
The Taste: The noodles are chewy and firm. I picked up an octopus topping with them and took a big bite. The sweet-sour, cold broth runs down the noodles into your mouth while the springy noodles fill it. The seafood toppings play a big part in focusing the flavor. This was the ideal mulhoe flavor I'd imagined.
Seafood Ramyeon
The menu lists it as ramyeon, but one look at the photo tells you it's seafood ramyeon. Packed with abalone, ddaksaeu shrimp, blue crab, and mussels, the pot is so full you can barely see the noodles. I hadn't been drinking the night before, but this spicy, cooling seafood ramyeon had a magic that gave me energy first thing in the morning.
Tip: Scoop out the seafood before the noodles get soggy and eat the noodles first for the right firm bite. After finishing the noodles, enjoy the seafood slowly and add a bowl of rice if needed. I think that's the proper way to treat the ramyeon at Seongasi.
Bomal Porridge
The bomal porridge is a smooth, light-green porridge with bomal (small sea snails) in it. My five-year-old twins, who haven't liked porridge since their baby-food days, slurped this up without a word of complaint. I'd worried about breakfast with the kids, but with mulhoe noodles and seafood ramyeon for us and bomal porridge for them, everyone was fed and I was relieved.
The porridge itself is nutty and goes down smoothly, and the occasional bomal gives a nice texture. Seeing the kids eat it, I'd say the porridge passes with flying colors.
Essential Visitor Info
- 📍 Location: A small shop on the roadside at Geumneung Beach, Jeju
- ⭐ House favorites: Four items marked "strongly recommended" on the wall menu, including mulhoe noodles
- 🍜 What we ordered: Mulhoe noodles, seafood ramyeon, bomal porridge
- 👶 For kids: Bomal porridge went over well with my five-year-olds
- ☔ When we went: A drizzly weekday morning
Final Verdict
The name Seongasi reportedly means something like "elder and younger brother together." The owner looks gruff but is very kind, and the food, made with delicious seafood, made our first morning at Geumneung Beach a satisfying one. I still think about the mulhoe noodles I had on that rainy weekday morning.
Would you eat cold mulhoe noodles for breakfast? Tell me in the comments!
