Magok Seoul restaurant, octopus with cheese unmixed: Songjjujip Magok

A full pan of octopus at Songjjujip Magok, near Magoknaru Station

Two guys in our 20s trying to figure out dinner in Magoknaru turned out to be more of a decision than expected. We were hungry, but just meat felt too predictable, and we definitely didn't want to start the evening with something so spicy we'd end up chugging water all night. That's how we landed on Songjjujip Magok.

It's located on the 2nd floor of Central Tower 2, 158 Magokseo-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. About 263m from Exit 1 of Magoknaru Station — around a 4-minute walk — so it was easy to get to by subway. It's also about a 6-minute walk from LG Arts Center and about 5 minutes from Magok Coex, making it easy to pair with other plans in the area.

For some reason, I always double-check the map screen when heading to places like this. It clearly says 2nd floor, but I still have a habit of scanning the ground floor for a sign first. Same thing happened this time — I lingered outside the building looking around. First mishap of the day. I didn't need to get this serious about navigation before even eating any octopus.

We went up to the 2nd floor of Central Tower 2 and there was Songjjujip.

What we ordered: snow cheese octopus + sari-mongttang, 20,300 won

What we ordered was the snow cheese octopus + sari-mongttang.

It's 20,300 won, ordered as a two-person portion. The name alone is a mouthful. But once the food actually arrives, you understand exactly why "sari-mongttang" (loaded with extras) is in the name.

It's not just octopus sitting there alone. There's pork belly mixed in with the octopus, plus assorted vegetables, cheese rice cake, and a mix of noodle/side extras. On top of all that, snow cheese is piled on.

When I eat spicy food, I'm always fairly careful with the first bite. I've had a meal where I bit off way too much too soon and ended up losing control of the whole dinner to a glass of water.

So I picked up the first piece of octopus.

The first bite hits with that signature octopus chewiness. Then the seasoning spreads through your mouth, and a few chews later, the savory cheese flavor trails in behind it. The chewy texture of the octopus and the soft texture of the cheese take turns coming through.

The snow cheese especially acted as a buffer between the spicy hits, making it a combo that even spice-shy people could approach fairly comfortably.

Then I grabbed a piece of the cheese rice cake. This one's quietly dangerous. You come here for octopus and end up getting weirdly serious about rice cake.

"Don't mix the cheese in" — the owner's way to eat it

The real expert of the day was the owner. They kindly walked us through how to eat everything, and the tip that stuck with me most was about the cheese. As the snow cheese starts melting, you don't immediately stir it all together. Instead, you pick up just as much melted cheese and octopus as you need together.

I'm the type who wants to mix everything the second I see a stir-fry. I mix fried rice, I obviously mix bibimbap, and when cheese shows up, my chopsticks move on instinct. But today, I held back. The owner's instruction had a reason behind it.

Rather than mixing all the cheese together, scooping melted cheese from one side along with the octopus let me control the amount of cheese in each bite. First I'd taste the octopus's own seasoning, then load up generously on cheese for a rich, savory bite — the flavor kept shifting.

You shouldn't go against the expert's advice for no reason.

Building a wrap on a single perilla leaf

What was fun at Songjjujip was the way you eat the wraps.

• Spread out one perilla leaf (kkaennip).
• Lay a piece of seaweed (gim) on top.
• Add bean sprouts and chives.
• Top with octopus, a bit of flying fish roe, and finish with the sauce.

From here on, it's not really a wrap — it's an assembly.

Get too greedy with the ingredients and the perilla leaf won't close. The first time, I piled on way too much octopus and vegetables and had to hold the sides together with my fingers to eat it. I learned my lesson from the very first wrap: greed has a surface-area limit.

From the second wrap on, I adjusted the amount. The perilla scent comes in first, followed by the seaweed's saltiness. Once you start chewing, the octopus's springy bite comes through between the crunch of bean sprouts and chives. Then the flying fish roe pops, changing the texture once more. The sauce fills in the last gap.

Was I always this meticulous about the order of wrap ingredients? Somehow, here, I get weirdly serious with every single leaf.

Don't skip the octopus and pork belly bite

My personal favorite combo in the sari-mongttang was octopus with pork belly.

Octopus alone is all about that springy texture and the seasoning. Add pork belly and the whole vibe changes. The richness from the pork belly's fat meets the seasoning and the flavor gets a bit heavier and more satisfying.

In between, I'd grab some vegetables too. Crunchy. Then the octopus. Springy.

Then the pork belly comes in. Savory. The texture kept shifting within one pan, so there was fun in hunting for the next combo with my chopsticks. Add the cheese rice cake and a chewy texture comes back in.

Rather than just eating octopus on its own the whole time, rotating through the ingredients suited this dish much better.

Is Songjjujip Magok good for a group dinner in Magok?

I also liked that Songjjujip Magok is about a 4-minute walk from Magoknaru Station. Taste matters for a dinner spot, but if even one person starts getting lost, the group chat fills up with map screenshots.

Hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with last order at 10 p.m. Reservations, group visits, and takeout are all available, and there's parking too. Using the Central Tower 2 building parking lot, you can register for up to 2 hours of parking.

It's also on a decent route if you're looking for a meal after visiting Seoul Botanic Park, LG Arts Center, or Magok Coex.

One nice thing especially if you're going with a group is that everyone can eat one shared dish however they like. Someone eating the octopus spicy and straight, someone piling on the cheese, someone constantly assembling perilla wraps — they can all coexist at the same table.

I was the third type.

The moment I was spreading out a perilla leaf, I was pretty busy.

Would we order sari-mongttang again at Songjjujip Magok?

At first, I figured with a name like "snow cheese octopus," the cheese would basically dominate the flavor. Having actually eaten it, though, depending on how you combine the octopus, pork belly, vegetables, cheese rice cake, and cheese, each bite tastes different — that's where the fun was.

I especially liked eating it the way the owner taught us — not mixing all the melted cheese together, but scooping just as much as needed with each bite. The wrap, layering perilla leaf with seaweed, bean sprouts, chives, octopus, flying fish roe, and sauce in order, is also worth trying exactly as instructed at least once.

If you're looking for octopus near Magoknaru, the location is convenient, and if spicy food makes you nervous, this snow-cheese version is a good place to start. Next time I go, I still won't mix the cheese. You have to respect the expert's teaching.