Stroller-friendly mulhoe spot in Pohang, weekday 4 pm squid: Ppwang

Why a Pohang local who couldn't eat raw fish came to Ppwang Mulhoe

Ppwang Mulhoe is a squid-focused raw fish restaurant in the Seolmeori Mulhoe District in Pohang. The writer, who back in the days of not eating raw fish ate only squid sashimi, heard there was a squid specialist mulhoe place and went to see for themselves.

I'm a Pohang citizen now! I eat mulhoe in summer and in winter! I can't believe it myself, but I originally couldn't eat raw fish at all. Then I moved to Pohang for work and got really into it. The only raw fish I could eat back then was squid sashimi. I bet there are lots of people like me. Squid is so expensive these days, unlike before! Squid mulhoe used to be something hardly anyone sold, and I heard there's a squid specialist raw fish restaurant in the Seolmeori Mulhoe District, so I went.

Finding Ppwang Mulhoe in the Seolmeori Mulhoe District, and parking

You can spot Ppwang Mulhoe right away once you get to the Seolmeori Mulhoe District, and pink is the main color of the interior. There's room for about 6 cars in front, and a public parking lot is right across the street.

Ppwang Mulhoe is easy to find once you reach the mulhoe district! Pink seems to be the main interior color. So cute, haha 🦑🦑🦑

There's plenty of parking right in front, about 6 spaces, and a public parking lot directly across the street!

Can you bring kids to Ppwang Mulhoe? High chairs, strollers and private rooms

Ppwang Mulhoe has high chairs, and when the writer asked the owner ahead of time, bringing a stroller was gladly allowed. It was quiet around 4 pm on a weekday, and there were lots of indoor seats plus private rooms.

I went around 4 pm on a weekday, when there weren't many people. There are tons of indoor seats and private rooms too. I think you could book one in advance.

They have high chairs too. And I asked the owner ahead of time whether I could bring a stroller in, and they answered so kindly that it was no problem at all. Thank you 🥲

Ocean view..🐳🌊 The seats were roomy, which was really nice.

What we ordered at Ppwang Mulhoe: Ppwang mulhoe and squid mulhoe

That day we ordered two: the squid mulhoe with only squid, and the signature Ppwang mulhoe with squid plus flounder and other seafood. The mulhoe comes in brass bowls along with squid soup.

• Ppwang mulhoe
• Squid mulhoe

Ta-da, our mulhoe has arrived! To start, I tried the squid mulhoe with just squid, and the Ppwang mulhoe with squid + flounder + seafood.

It comes in brass bowls, which looks kind of classy. And it comes with squid soup.

The soup is nicely seasoned and the squid soup is so good. I finish the squid soup before I start the mulhoe. Yum yum yum

Ppwang mulhoe ₩25,000: abalone, sea cucumber, squid and sea squirt

The Ppwang mulhoe (₩25,000) has abalone, sea cucumber, squid and sea squirt, so you don't even need to order extra seafood. Before adding the broth, the writer mixed it with chopsticks first.

Abalone + sea cucumber + squid + sea squirt. All the really healthy guys are in there. No need to order seafood separately.

I mixed it first before adding the broth. Using chopsticks mixes it best. Chop chop chop

Squid, sea squirt and sea cucumber in one bite, off it goes~ What a luxurious bite, haha. There was plenty of pear in it too.

Squid mulhoe ₩20,000: long-cut squid and a spicy sauce

The squid mulhoe (₩20,000) is packed with squid, along with pear, seaweed flakes and sauce. The squid, pear, cucumber and vegetables are all cut into long strips, which gave it a great texture, and the flavor is on the spicy side.

I'm a squid lover, so I ordered the one with only squid. It's loaded with fresh vegetables and raw fish. After eating just regular mulhoe for so long, having squid mulhoe for the first time in a really long while got me weirdly excited, haha.

The squid is cut into long strips, and the pear, cucumber and vegetables are too, so the texture when you eat it is really good!! And it's on the spicy side.

So glossy. Who was the first person to think of mixing raw fish with gochujang (red chili paste) and vegetables?.. They deserve an award. It looks super delicious too.

How do you eat Pohang-style mulhoe? Mix it first, then pour in the broth

Pohang-style mulhoe originally has no liquid: you mix it with gochujang, and water comes out of the ice. At the famous mulhoe places in the Seolmeori Mulhoe District the broth comes separately, so at Ppwang Mulhoe you can eat it as gochujang mulhoe first, then pour in the broth partway for two different flavors.

Pohang-style mulhoe has no water, haha. At first you add gochujang and mix, and when you mix it with ice, water comes out of that. But at the famous places in the mulhoe district the broth comes separately, so the feature seems to be that you eat it as gochujang mulhoe and then add the broth at the end to taste it two ways.

No need to order seafood separately, right~ Partway through eating, you pour in this slushy broth with ice floating in it.

This is just personal taste, but some people add rice and eat it like soup, or keep the rice separate like ttorogukbap, dipping it in the broth and topping it with raw fish.

Saving some raw fish to eat with your rice is what makes you a true food connoisseur. (I like my rice separate.) TMI, sorry

What's in the self-serve side dish corner at Ppwang Mulhoe

Ppwang Mulhoe has a self-serve side dish corner, and it goes beyond basic side dishes, with shrimp and even tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). The tteokbokki tasted like the kind at a Korean buffet.

There's a self-serve side dish corner. But calling it just basic side dishes doesn't quite cover it

There's shrimp, haha.

There's tteokbokki too. It tastes like Korean buffet tteokbokki.

My picks,,, a mulhoe place just wouldn't be right without side dishes~

Why pick Ppwang Mulhoe in the Seolmeori Mulhoe District

Pohang has everything from old-school mulhoe places to modernized ones, but Ppwang Mulhoe felt more unique as a squid specialist. This time the writer ate only two bowls of mulhoe, and says they want to try the steamed squid next time too.

There are so many mulhoe places in Pohang. It's a must-do in Pohang. Some are really old, and some are modernized. But Ppwang Mulhoe felt more unique because it's a squid specialist. I wanted mulhoe so badly that I ordered only two bowls of it, but next time I definitely want to have the steamed squid too. I recommend it when you want squid mulhoe in Pohang❤️