Ulsan Chinese restaurant after Daewangam trek: whole-squid jjamppong

Daewangam Park is one of the must-see stops on any Ulsan trip.

After an early-morning trek at Daewangam Park, my stomach started growling. Once exercise has drained all your energy, you have to recharge with something hearty and delicious, right? So this time we headed to Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong (울산대왕암돌짬뽕), where jjamppong comes bubbling on a hot stone plate, a sight that's special from the first look. Even though we went at opening time on a weekend, there was already a wait, that's how popular it is. Here's my first-hand review.

Where is Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong, and what's the parking like?

Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is on Ilsanjin 5-gil in Dong-gu, Ulsan, so it's easy to stop for a meal after Daewangam Park. There's a large parking area right in front, which I really liked. We went straight there after finishing our morning trek at Daewangam Park.

When you're traveling, you often lose time hunting for parking, so being able to park right in front makes things so much easier.

Weekend opening run: how long is the wait?

Maybe because it was a weekend, there was already a wait even though we arrived right at opening time. It's amazing how everyone knows where the good places are!

Luckily, you can register on the waitlist through Tabling, so you can put your name down and wait for your turn. If you're planning a walk or trek at Daewangam Park, this makes a perfect meal stop. It's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for good eats in Dong-gu, Ulsan.

Inside the restaurant: tablet ordering and the self-serve bar

The restaurant is split into two sides, and it's spacious and very pleasant.

Inside, you check the menu and order on a tablet, which was very convenient. Browsing the menu was fun too. The tablet screen even explains how to enjoy the stone jjamppong and jjajang (black bean noodles) even more, which is handy for first-timers.

There's also a self-serve bar on one side. You can help yourself to sides like danmuji (yellow pickled radish), onions and green onion kimchi, which was great. With parking out front, tablet ordering and the self-serve bar, everything is set up so you can just focus on eating. On weekends there can be a wait even at opening time, so it's a good idea to come with time to spare or register on Tabling in advance, haha.

What did we order? Medium whole-squid stone jjamppong and handmade macaron menbosha

We ordered these two items that day.

• Whole-squid stone jjamppong (medium)
• Handmade macaron menbosha (shrimp toast)

After ordering, the thing I was most looking forward to was of course the stone jjamppong. Jjamppong served in a hot stone plate looks nothing like an ordinary bowl. At the next table, a group had ordered one stone jjamppong and one stone jjajang, and I got curious about the jjajang too, haha.

How does the whole-squid stone jjamppong taste?

And here it finally comes, the squid stone jjamppong! Red broth boiling away on a huge stone plate, a heap of bean sprouts piled on top, and a whole squid sitting on it too! Just seeing the steam rising made my mouth water.

Sizzling and bubbling on the hot stone plate, it looked so appetizing. With the squid sitting on top whole, it looked generous and my expectations shot up before I even took a bite. When I cut the squid into bite-size pieces, it was seriously plump, haha.

Springy squid plus crunchy bean sprouts, with the spicy broth clinging to the noodles, so good in every mouthful. There are plenty of bean sprouts, so the crunch is satisfying, and eating it with the hot broth warms you right through.

Slurping noodles in that rich, spicy broth, my husband and I went quiet, chopsticks flying. Best of all, because it's served on a stone plate, it stays piping hot throughout the meal.

Stone-plate nurungji and free rice refills

Another fun part of Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is what waits after the noodles! Once you've eaten a fair amount of noodles, you can scrape up the nurungji (scorched rice) stuck to the bottom of the stone plate. Scraping up the nurungji soaked in the spicy seasoning is surprisingly a treat. You don't just finish the noodles; you get crispy, nutty nurungji too, so the meal stays rewarding to the very end.

On top of that, rice is free to refill here. Amazing! Our portions were so big that after the nurungji we couldn't mix in any rice. I bet stirring rice into the leftover jjamppong broth would be delicious, with the spicy seasoning soaking into every grain. Starting with noodles, finishing with nurungji and adding rice, it was properly filling. Worth it after a morning trek at Daewangam Park.

How was the handmade menbosha we ordered as a side?

We ordered handmade menbosha with the stone jjamppong! If you feel like jjamppong alone isn't enough, a side dish is worth adding.

Eating menbosha between bites of spicy, hot jjamppong gave me a nice contrast of textures and flavors. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a side to enjoy alongside the jjamppong broth and noodles.

Is Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong worth visiting after a Daewangam Park trek?

We went to Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong after an early-morning trek at Daewangam Park. What stuck with me was how varied the meal was: the generous whole squid, the jjamppong boiling on the hot stone plate, crunchy bean sprouts and chewy noodles, then nurungji and rice at the end!

There's a large parking area right in front, and tablet ordering, the self-serve bar and Tabling waitlist registration all made things easy. Just keep in mind that on weekends there can be a wait even if you do an opening run. If you want a hearty meal after a walk or trek at Daewangam Park, I'd recommend it. One more tasty memory added to our Ulsan trip!