All-you-can-eat curry cutlet and vegetable tempura at Jeju Island — side dishes piled up to the brim

▲ A table covered with 12 side dishes can easily make you forget what your main dish even was.

Reported and photographed by reporter Hsiao Wan-ning / Jeju Island

The table is filled with an impressive spread of side dishes right from the start. In Seogwipo City on Jeju Island, there’s a well-known restaurant called Pyeon?JuBong (tentatively translated as Eagon Cloud Pavilion). Just order a main dish, and you’ll be served 12 side dishes all at once — and these aren’t just simple cold appetizers,including not only staples like kimchi and seaweed that Koreans eat with every meal, but also more filling and great-value options like curry cutlets, sliced pork trotters, and vegetable tempura..

▲ Miso-braised mackerel (left), pan-fried horse mackerel (right).

Aside from the overwhelming amount of side dishes, this placealso serves dishes often seen in Korean dramas, such as miso-braised mackerel and pan-fried horse mackerel.The bright red miso-braised mackerel isn’t spicy; its mild soybean flavor pairs perfectly with the tender yet firm texture of the perfectly braised fish. The pan-fried horse mackerel has delicate fibers and a firmer bite than those commonly found in Taiwan, plus it has fewer bones, making it easier to eat.

▲ This is one of the local hot spots for dining.

▲ %夹〔擞兄斫徘衅?ㄗ笊希?⒖о?ㄖ砼牛ㄓ疑希?④衤罄涿妫ㄗ笙拢?⑹卟颂旄韭蓿ㄓ蚁拢┑纫还脖2道。

This restaurant is also a top choice for locals when it’s time to eat. During mealtimes, you’re guaranteed to wait in line. Mr. Ko, a local, said,the dishes here are creative yet authentic in taste, and the prices are very reasonable, which is why he often comes here..

▲ The restaurant is located in Seogwipo City in western Jeju Island.

The accompanying tour guide, Ms. Fu, added that this restaurant isone of the few in Jeju Island that offers so many side dishes and allows unlimited refills,including main-dish-worthy items like curry cutlets and sliced pork trotters — you can even ask for an extra serving.

【Pyeon?JuBong】
Phone: (064)792-8833
Address: 359-4, Gamsan-ri, Ande-myeon, Seogwipo-si
Price: Main dishes start from 15,000 KRW (approx. NT$437)