Cheonan jjukkumi spot where a tablet picks your spice: Bulnaneun

Location: 5 Yangjimal 1-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, 1st floor Hours: Daily 11:00–20:50, last order 20:00 No break time, so you can eat here even at odd hours! Parking, reservations, and takeout all available ~

Craving something spicy in Yuryang-dong, Cheonan? Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

There's a place I think of whenever I crave something spicy. It's Bulnaneun Jjukkumi in Yuryang-dong, Cheonan...!

Even though I've already visited several times, on days when I crave jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), my feet naturally head here — a true local favorite in Cheonan. Here, rather than just ordering the jjukkumi stir-fry alone, I often go for the set that comes with shrimp tempura, because the combo of spicy jjukkumi and crispy shrimp tempura is pretty filling and the flavors go really well together.

Parking and what the restaurant looks like inside

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch has a spacious dedicated parking area right in front of the restaurant. Parking is always a bit of a worry when heading to eat around Yuryang-dong, but thanks to this lot, I've never had a hard time parking even after multiple visits!

The inside was decorated in a warm wood tone, and the tables had a decent amount of space between them. I saw families dining together, and high chairs were also available.

On one side there was a self-serve bar where you could take as much as you needed of side dishes like bean sprouts, radish salad, side salad, and lettuce — great to eat alongside the jjukkumi.

Set menu choice: perilla noodle soup or shrimp tempura

This time, too, I ordered the set that comes with jjukkumi stir-fry and hot pot rice. There were two sets total! You could choose either perilla noodle soup or shrimp tempura as the side to go with the main.

The perilla noodle soup was also good, with its nutty flavor, but every time I come here, my heart leans toward the shrimp tempura.

How spicy is mild? Choosing the spice level on the tablet

At Bulnaneun Jjukkumi, you can directly select the spice level of the jjukkumi stir-fry using the tablet. There are three levels — mild, medium, and hot — so you can adjust to your taste for the day. Since I was watching my stomach, I chose mild! It was less spicy than Shin Ramyeon!!!

The jjukkumi stir-fry was coated in a red sauce that looked extremely spicy just from the color, and once I tasted it, there was a subtle smoky fire flavor. The jjukkumi itself was plump with a chewy texture, which paired well with the spicy sauce.

Mixing the hot pot rice, then scraping the scorched rice

Personally, one thing I can't skip here is the hot pot rice. After scooping out the freshly cooked rice, mixing in jjukkumi, bean sprouts, radish salad, and lettuce added the crunchy texture of vegetables to the spicy sauce.

After eating most of the rice, I poured hot water into the empty pot to finish it off like scorched rice. A nice, savory way to cleanse the palate after all that spicy jjukkumi.

Shrimp tempura: big pieces with a springy bite

And the shrimp tempura I chose for the set that day was not to be missed either. Once ordered, it comes out freshly fried and warm, and the shrimp were quite large. The outside was crispy while the shrimp meat inside kept a springy texture.

Eating a bite of shrimp tempura between bites of jjukkumi made the spicy flavor and salty fried crunch flow together naturally. Maybe that's why, even after multiple visits to Bulnaneun Jjukkumi, I keep choosing the shrimp tempura set. Personally, rather than just eating the jjukkumi stir-fry over and over at this Yuryang-dong favorite, adding a different side like this made the meal more fun.

Why Bulnaneun Jjukkumi is worth going back to

I've already visited Bulnaneun Jjukkumi a few times, and once again I left having had a familiar, delicious meal.

Pairing the spicy jjukkumi stir-fry with hot pot rice, and having crispy shrimp tempura in between bites, made for a satisfying, well-rounded meal. The spacious parking and relaxed restaurant were also part of why I keep coming back.

Especially if you're looking for a good restaurant in Yuryang-dong, Cheonan, on a day when you're craving something spicy, I think this combo is worth trying.

This time too, I cleaned my rice bowl completely and finished with scorched rice. As always, on days when my mouth feels a little bored, I'm the type to crave something spicy!