VISIT JEJU

The cost of living seems to skyrocket every day.

This makes it difficult to find places that serve good, well-portioned food at reasonable prices.

However, even before it became famous on social media, Sangmyeong Sikdang in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, was already packed at lunchtime.

It was, as people say, the island’s best-kept secret.

Perhaps because of this, the restaurant still attracts more locals rather than tourists.

Sangmyeong Sikdang offers a lunch buffet for KRW 9,000, which is hard to imagine in this day and age.

As a Korean buffet, it serves a full range of steamed rice, meat, fish, and side dishes.

In fact, the wide variety of side dishes such as toast, breakfast cereals, fried eggs, and others means that you have to think about how you want to portion your meal before you dig in.

The eggs, like others, are all-you-can-eat.

The same goes for the cup ramyeon.

You can choose from a variety of cup ramyeon here.

But be aware that there is a KRW 2,000 surcharge for cup ramyeon in the evening.

There may be a wait during lunchtime, but the wait is usually short.

Sangmyeong Sikdang is quite spacious, but there are tables outside, so you can choose to sit there if the weather permits.

With a price tag of KRW 9,000 for an all-you-can-eat buffet, you might be forgiven for thinking that the quality of the food might be lacking.

But once you eat here, there’s no excuse.

Nothing is not fresh, nothing is bad.

All the dishes show the care that has gone into them.

You can really feel the love and care that went into them.

Looking at the ingredients list, the restaurant uses some imported ingredients for kimchi, but both the rice and pork used in the restaurant are sourced from Korea, especially the latter, which is comes from Jeju.

There’s even pork cutlets and other dishes that kids might like, so you can enjoy a good meal regardless of your age.

In fact, the pork cutlets served at this restaurant are comparable to those served at restaurants specializing in pork cutlets.

Because there is such a great variety of side dishes and desserts, you can have a complete meal by trying everything in small portions.

Visitors say that it feels somehow wrong to pay only KRW 9,000 for the meal. 

Sangmyeong Sikdang is also open for dinner.

The catch is that it turns into a barbecue meat joint in the evening.

For example, you can have grilled skin-on Jeju pork belly, including Jeju black pork, and Jeju buckwheat noodles or kimchi jjigae for the main course.

You can also have whole chicken soup or duck soup by reservation.

The meat served here is also succulent and fresh.

If you have time, it is definitely a good idea to come here for both lunch and dinner.

The restaurant is located near Geumak Oreum (Geumoreum) Volcanic Cone and children’s cafe, so take that into consideration when you planning your trip.