Cheonan spicy webfoot octopus lunch: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

I used to be terrible with spicy food. But after eating things like fire-grilled jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) and octopus, I started to enjoy spicy food. I had a reason to visit Cheonan Galleria Department Store, so my friend and I decided to have lunch in Cheonan. I searched like crazy for good restaurants in Baekseok-dong, where my friend lives, and the glowing reviews for fire-grilled jjukkumi made me want to visit, so off we went!

Getting to Bulnaneun Jjukkumi and parking

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi (불나는쭈꾸미), a Baekseok-dong favorite, is on Handeul 2-ro in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, diagonally across from Handeul Elementary School. Several popular restaurants are gathered here, and above all, the parking situation is great, making it an easy place to come when you are craving jjukkumi in Cheonan. The lot is shared with neighboring restaurants, but it is so spacious that parking never felt like something to worry about, no matter when you visit. There are lots of restaurants nearby serving samgyetang, grilled mackerel, Jeonju bibimbap, and more, but after parking, people seemed to be heading toward Bulnaneun Jjukkumi—the place that gives jjukkumi a seriously proper smoky fire flavor.

An interior built around four-person tables, great for groups

At the entrance, there is a cooking master certificate and several award plaques, so you can tell the restaurant did not earn its Baekseok-dong favorite status for nothing. There was also a notice saying they are starting a franchise business. In Cheonan, there is the main branch we visited and a directly operated Yuryang branch in Dongnam District. You can probably choose whichever is closer to home. Seeing that there is also a franchise location in nearby Asan Tangjeong, it looks like the word is really getting around about this jjukkumi place. There are around 15 tables, perhaps even more. Most are four-person tables, but the layout also makes group gatherings very easy.

Jjukkumi lunch menu and four spice levels

• Stir-fried jjukkumi + pot rice + shrimp tempura (lunch) ₩17,000
• Stir-fried jjukkumi + perilla seed kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) + rice ₩16,000
• Stir-fried jjukkumi + pot rice ₩13,000
• Jjukkumi pork belly ₩17,000 / jjukkumi only ₩17,000
• Seafood pajeon (Korean scallion pancake) ₩17,000 / whole fried squid ₩15,000 / jumbo fried shrimp (4) ₩10,000
• Handmade pork cutlet ₩10,000 / cheese pork cutlet ₩12,000 / jjukkumi dumplings or galbi dumplings ₩6,000

The stir-fried jjukkumi comes in four spice levels too, which gives you plenty of choice. And I really recommend the Bulnaneun Jjukkumi lunch because it is such a solid deal for the price. Even with pot rice and shrimp tempura included, you can have a very satisfying meal for under ₩20,000.

Banchan and the self-serve bar

At first, five side dishes arrived: chilled seaweed soup, lettuce, cabbage salad, seasoned shredded radish, and bean sprouts. You can get more side dishes at the self-serve bar. It is best to take small amounts often so that no food goes to waste. I am a tofu lover, and when I spotted soft tofu and seasoning sauce at the bar, I quickly filled a dish!

The Level 3 Original stir-fried jjukkumi

There were four spice levels for the stir-fried jjukkumi, and we ordered Level 3 Original. Wherever I go, the most basic option somehow ends up being the best choice for me. A moment later, as the plate of jjukkumi was set on the table, that mouthwatering smoky aroma swept right across it—I really could not wait. I quickly picked up a piece with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth... Oh my goodness... how can the flavor and aroma be this good? It is not just smoky: the seasoning and fire flavor have soaked deeply into the plump jjukkumi. It looks thick and chunky, but it is not tough at all; it is tender, and the texture when you chew is amazing.

The huge shrimp tempura included with lunch

When you order lunch, shrimp tempura is included too. Oh my goodness... the shrimp tempura looked almost 20 centimeters long! It was crispy, yet when you bit into it, the inside was unbelievably tender. I love all fried food anyway, but it had been such a long time since I had shrimp tempura this perfectly crisp outside and tender inside. The jjukkumi was wonderful, of course, but honestly, the shrimp tempura alone made me want to come back.

Chewy pot rice and bibimbap

Pot rice came with the meal too. Can you see how chewy it looks in the photo? Unlike pot rice at other places, the pot rice at Bulnaneun Jjukkumi has a lovely sheen and such a pleasantly sticky chewiness—as if it includes glutinous rice—that parents would really enjoy it if you brought them for a meal. I came with a friend this time, but next time I definitely need to return with my parents, who love sticky pot rice.

This is the whole spread on the table—so generous, right~~

Throw in all kinds of namul (seasoned vegetables) and shake, shake—mix it all up well before eating. They gave us bean sprouts, shredded radish, and fresh lettuce as well, so I was so happy to have a truly proper bibimbap (mixed rice) meal.

When you are craving something spicy in Cheonan, do visit Bulnaneun Jjukkumi, a Baekseok-dong spot that truly knows how to make jjukkumi properly. You will immediately feel the little happiness that delicious food brings.