Ganghwa Sikdang 강화식당

Ganghwa Sikdang is a Korean restaurant on the Beopseongpo gulbi street at 9-2 Gulbi-ro, Beopseong-myeon, Yeonggwang, with a forty-year history centered on dried croaker and soy-marinated crab. The gulbi set places grilled salted croaker, spicy croaker soup, rice, and numerous southern Korean side dishes on one table. The grilled fish has brown marks across its skin and firm white flesh that separates along the backbone in defined flakes. Bori gulbi uses a more thoroughly dried croaker. Grilling leaves less moisture in the flesh and a denser grain than the standard gulbi. A bowl of green-tea water accompanies it: warm rice is loosened in the cool tea, and pieces of the dried fish are laid over each spoonful. The special bori-gulbi set extends the table with both bori gulbi and regular grilled gulbi, spicy croaker soup, soy-marinated crab, soy-marinated shrimp, gochujang-seasoned gulbi, steamed skate, yukjeon, zucchini jeon, and salad. The soy crab is divided into its shell and body, preserving the roe and seasoned liquid within the shell. Shrimp remains in its shell while absorbing the soy marinade. Gochujang gulbi removes the flesh from the fish and mixes it with red seasoning, creating a compact banchan rather than another whole grilled fish. The spicy soup cooks croaker with radish, chile, and vegetables in a red broth. Steamed skate pulls apart along longer fibers. Yukjeon coats thin beef slices in egg before pan-frying, while zucchini jeon browns both faces of round squash slices. The dining room uses square tables capable of carrying the complete southern-style setting at once. Grilled fish plates, crab and shrimp dishes, a soup pot, jeon, kimchi, vegetables, and seasoned banchan cover the center. Rice and soup bowls remain in front of each person, with an additional small plate for fish bones. Dry grilled fish, cold soy marinades, hot stew, pan-fried beef and zucchini, green-tea water, and fermented side dishes occupy distinct vessels across the same table.