The Most Famous House for Saengtae Stew in Suwon

If you're pondering what to have for family dinner in the evening or what to order for a company dinner, how about saengtae stew? Fresh saengtae is newly caught and simmered in a pot with gochugaru, gochujang, and various seasonings along with radish. After one sip of the broth, all the troubles of the world simply vanish. As the weather grows hotter these days, why not beat the heat with spicy food?

'Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk,' located in Ingyeong-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, is praised for excelling in both saengtae and dorumuk dishes. In fact, it's rare to find restaurants that prepare saengtae jiri—a dish seasoned only with salt without any seasonings—even among those claiming to be saengtae specialty restaurants. However, Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk's saengtae jiri is as popular as its saengtae stew, demonstrating the restaurant's confidence in its fish.

Representative Lee Yang-bae, who leads Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk, is meticulous when selecting fish. The most important factor for Lee when choosing fish is freshness. He says you can tell everything by slicing open the fish's belly. Saengtae is procured directly from Seoul's Garak Market or Busan 2 to 3 times daily, and up to 4 times when customer traffic is high.

The restaurant has about 200 seats. There are separate private rooms that can accommodate groups from 10 to 40 people, making it suitable for company gatherings. Additionally, there are individual dining tables with ample space between them, allowing diners to enjoy their meal without being disturbed by others. This establishment boasts the largest scale (600㎡) among related businesses nationwide. Therefore, it is capable of securing large quantities of saengtae and dorumuk.

The main menu items are saengtae stew, saengtae jiri, dongtae tang, and braised dorumuk. Among these, saengtae dishes account for 60 to 65 percent of customer orders. Abalone must not be overlooked either. Additionally, flounder jeotsal has gained considerable popularity.

Saengtae contains high protein, low fat, low-calorie amino acids including methionine and niacin, with benefits similar to those of milk and eggs. It also contains vitamin A, which helps improve eyesight. Moreover, it contains abundant essential amino acids such as methionine, lysine, and tryptophan, showing excellent effects in alleviating hangovers and helping lower cholesterol.

Dorumuk contains abundant natural collagen. It is already well-known that collagen is highly effective for skin regeneration. Dorumuk with plump roe during the month of November is purchased in full for the entire year's supply. This is the prime fishing season when the taste is at its best. Fresh from the waters off Geojin, Daejin, and Myeongpa-ri in the northernmost part of the East Coast of Gangwon Province, a clean maritime region, the dorumuk is instantly flash-frozen at minus 80 degrees Celsius. Even after thawing, since it has been flash-frozen, it tastes as if freshly caught live dorumuk was cooked immediately.

Some restaurants prepare all their dishes—whether stew or grilled—too spicy or too salty, diminishing the taste. However, this restaurant seasons its food perfectly, neither too spicy nor too salty, making it just right for consumption.

Side dishes such as kimchi, spinach namul, bottarga, and olbanggae jelly that come with the meal are all made in-house and served to customers. Nothing is done without care and attention.

Additionally, this establishment pays considerable attention to cleanliness. It is not merely clean—it is truly spotless. For burners used when serving stews or soup dishes, the ones purchased when the restaurant opened four years ago are still in use. However, the shine makes them look as if they were just purchased.

While many Korean citizens have become hesitant to eat fish due to the Japanese nuclear accident, there is no need to worry about saengtae. Saengtae is hardly caught domestically at present and is mostly imported from Russia.

This restaurant has been introduced as a Suwon saengtae stew specialty restaurant on KBS, SBS, MBC, and cable channels alike. Consequently, customers pour in from all over the country, including Bundang, Suji, and Busan. If you search on the internet, you can discover its true value. Customers who have visited this place have written posts on their blogs introducing it as an Ingyeong-dong restaurant, saying "It's really delicious." Many customers also visit after hearing word-of-mouth from such posts.

If you want to enjoy clean indoor surroundings, refreshing broth, and saengtae and dorumuk known as seasonal delicacies year-round, visit Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk, a Suwon specialty restaurant.

Location: 952-11, Ingyeong-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon
Phone: 031-222-2381~2
Website: http://www.gjdorumuk.com/

The Secret to Winning Customer Trust?
'Taste, Cleanliness, and Kindness' – These Three Things

Lee Yang-bae (50), the representative, opened the current Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk in 2007 with an acquaintance. However, a partnership proved to be no easy task. Due to differing business and operational methods, his partner withdrew just six months after opening, and Lee took full responsibility. Lee first expanded the restaurant. He created group seating areas and now boasts the largest scale (600㎡) among related establishments in South Korea.

"To captivate customers, you must continuously conduct research."

What Lee prioritizes most is 'taste, cleanliness, and kindness.' These three elements have earned him customer trust and brought many regular customers to Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk. Not only from Bundang and Suji but also from other regions like Busan, customers come after hearing word-of-mouth to experience 'this taste.'

It took a long time to become known as a specialty restaurant. Before running this business, Lee is someone who, once he starts something, sees it through to completion, or abandons it quickly if he decides it won't work. He has worked as a taxi driver, real estate agent, and operated a hoHap bar and a noraebang. But he discontinued these ventures one after another. However, this time was 'different,' he says.

He was confident in the differentiated menu of saengtae and dorumuk, and by proceeding without excessive greed, he even earned the title of 'Suwon specialty restaurant.' He has appeared on broadcast television and cable channels eight times regardless, and has been covered in newspapers numerous times. There is truly no specialty restaurant quite like this. His contributions to hygiene and dietary improvement were recognized, and he received commendations from Suwon City and the Gyeonggi Provincial Chapter of the Korea Restaurant Association. As a renowned specialty restaurant in eastern Suwon, he has recently been recommended by Gyeonggi Province for registration as a selected specialty restaurant.

"I plan to operate Saengtae Dorumuk franchise chains nationwide."

In 2009, Lee registered the store's name as a trademark and is awaiting a response from the Korean Intellectual Property Office. If approved, the names Geojin-po and Geojin Saengtae Dorumuk cannot be used by other businesses for the next 10 years. Through trademark registration, Lee is planning to recruit franchise branches nationwide. A second location is expected to open by year-end at the earliest.

Lee is a native of Suwon and a father of twins. His wife runs the shop with him, and his two daughters are studying abroad in Japan. Most of the money he has earned from this business has been spent on his two daughters' tuition. He, who mentions that his children speak Japanese well and received scholarships at school, is clearly a devoted father. With dreams of a second leap forward, we look forward to his wonderful performance as a franchise manager.