Pohang mulhoe restaurant, cold bowls and warm squid broth: Ppwang

It was a hot day and I was craving something cold, so I headed to Ppwang Mulhoe (퐝물회) on Haean-ro in Pohang. I ordered the Ppwang mulhoe and the half-and-half mulhoe (squid + flounder). I'd been looking for a good mulhoe place in Pohang, and I got the cold broth and generous portions I was hoping for.

The cold broth was spicy, sweet and tangy with a deep savory note, and I filled up on somyeon noodles, boiled sea snails, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and more from the self bar.

Where do you park at Ppwang Mulhoe?

Ppwang Mulhoe has a car park in front, and if it's full you can use the public car park across the road. It's open from 10:30 to 22:00.

There was a car park set up in front of the restaurant for vehicles.

It was peak summer holiday season, though, with lots of visitors, and it wasn't easy to find an empty spot right away when I went.

If there's a space in front, you can park there; when there isn't, the public car park across the road was the easier choice.

Was the summer holiday dinner wait at Ppwang Mulhoe long?

Even after the usual dinner hour, guests were still waiting near the entrance during the holiday season. It was a busy time, but tables turned over quickly, so I got in without waiting long.

A busy dining room

Inside, diners filled many of the tables for dinner. The place was lively when I visited, and even at a busy time the staff were friendly, so it was a pleasant meal. Even with guests coming in constantly, seating and meals moved along fairly fast, so the waiting line felt less daunting than it looked.

What did we order at Ppwang Mulhoe, and what's in the self bar?

This time I ordered the Ppwang mulhoe and the half-and-half mulhoe, with squid and flounder.

There was a self-bar notice inside, and the side dishes work on a take-as-much-as-you-like basis.

A banner announcing discounted menu items was also standing near the entrance.

Before the mulhoe came out, I fetched somyeon (thin wheat noodles), boiled sea snails, tteokbokki, salad and bean side dishes from the self bar. Two bowls of mulhoe, self-bar food, tteokbokki and drinks all ended up on the table.

I especially liked that you can take as many somyeon noodles as you want. Rather than piling in a lot at the start, I could add a little at a time to match how much I was eating. I had the boiled sea snails midway through the meal, and the tteokbokki and salad gave me a different flavor to alternate with the cold mulhoe.

How did the Ppwang mulhoe and half-and-half mulhoe taste?

From the very first spoonful, the cold broth wrapped around my mouth. Spicy and sweet with a tangy savory kick, it never got boring to the last bite.

Raw fish, vegetables, shredded seaweed and sesame seeds were generously packed into one bowl, and mixing them well with the broth let me enjoy each ingredient together.

When I added somyeon noodles to the fresh squid mulhoe, the cold broth soaked into the noodles and made each bite even more filling.

Picking up vegetables and fish together, rather than the noodles alone, let me taste the variety of ingredients in the mulhoe better.

I ate the fish picked up with noodles, or with broth and vegetables. Spicy, sweet and tangy flavors all came together in one bite.

After adding the noodles, I kept going with the remaining broth and ingredients to finish the meal.

Do cold mulhoe and warm squid broth go together?

At Ppwang Mulhoe, I also had warm squid broth between bites of the cold mulhoe. The temperature contrast with the cold bowl meant I could sip the warm broth now and then.

The squid broth was clean-tasting, with a subtle squid savoriness that worked well between bites of mulhoe. Alternating the cold mulhoe with the warm broth let me enjoy two different temperatures together.

Overall verdict

It was a summer holiday evening, so Ppwang Mulhoe was crowded and parking wasn't roomy, but tables turned over quickly and I ate without a long wait.

Even at a busy time the staff were friendly, and what stuck with me was alternating the cold mulhoe with the warm squid broth.