Spice level 2 jjukkumi with scorched-rice finish in Cheonan: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

Today I was craving something spicy to blow off some stress, so I went to 'Bulnaneun Jjukkumi,' known as a Baekseok-dong food spot! Fire-flavored octopus paired with pot rice — sounds so good right,, let me leave my honest review after trying it myself! ٩( ˙༥˙ )و

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch exterior and parking

Thanks to the clean, oversized sign, you can spot it easily even from far away 👀 There's plenty of parking space right in front too, so it's convenient to drive there! Not having to worry about parking and just pulling in easily — total pass mark 💯

Inside the restaurant and the self-serve bar

The space overall is wide and comfortable, and the tables are spaced generously so it never feels cramped! ✨ Seems perfect for eating with friends or a family meal out

The self-serve bar was also kept nice and clean, so it was easy to grab extra side dishes whenever you needed! ヽ(〃'▽'〃)ﾉ

Four spice levels — how mild is 'mild-spicy'?

Each table has a tablet for ordering, so it's easy and convenient! The spice levels are split into four: mild / mild-spicy / original / spicy, so even people who can't handle spicy food much can pick without worry! They told us mild-spicy is about as spicy as Shin Ramyun~ good to know! We ordered the jjukkumi stir-fry (mild-spicy) + shrimp tempura + pot rice set (₩17,000) x2 🤤

From side dishes to the jjukkumi stir-fry

The basic side dishes set out were seaweed and cucumber cold soup, salad, seasoned radish, bean sprouts, and lettuce! Cleanse your palate first with the tangy, refreshing cold soup, and keep the vegetables aside since you'll need them for the bibimbap later!

The jjukkumi stir-fry we'd been waiting for finally showed up! The visual alone, glistening with a glossy sheen, was insane...🌶️ Even though it was mild-spicy, the heat crept up subtly the more you ate, and it was addictive 🔥 The octopus pieces were plump and hearty, which made it even tastier! Not chewy at all, nice and tender — total pass haha

Making nurungji from the pot rice, then mixing in vegetables

From the piping-hot, freshly cooked pot rice, I gently scooped out the rice and poured in warm water to make nurungji (scorched rice)! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰

Onto the rice in the bowl, I added the jjukkumi stir-fry, seasoned radish, bean sprouts, and lettuce to my taste. Mixed it all together so the sauce coated the rice well and took a bite — it was seriously honey-tasty. The spiciness of the octopus with crunchy bean sprouts, sweet-and-sour radish, and lettuce made it a flavor I couldn't stop eating! 🧡

Two pieces of shrimp tempura per set

The shrimp tempura comes with 2 pieces per set, and they were huge! Freshly fried and still steaming, crispy outside and juicy inside 🧡 The combo of plump shrimp with crunchy batter was so delicious, and it paired really well with the spicy jjukkumi!!

Finally, finishing off with the nutty nurungji sungnyung I'd poured earlier made the meal complete! It calmed down my spice-hit mouth and warmed me up inside, so I ended up scraping the bowl clean~

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi overall review