Late Korean lunch in Jonggak: fiery octopus, giant cutlet, Bonghyejane

Octopus stir-fry tastes best when it's properly spicy, and there's a restaurant in the basement of Jongno Tower where food comes out fast even in the busy lunch rush. It's "Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch" (봉혜자네주방 종로타워점).

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch: location and opening hours

The restaurant is on the B2 level of Jongno Tower Building, 6 Jongno 2-ga, Seoul, 75 meters from Exit 3-1 of Jonggak Station on Line 1. Since B2 of Jongno Tower connects to Jonggak Station, it's easy to find.

• Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–16:30, last order 20:00)
• Sat, Sun, holidays 11:00–20:00 (break time 15:00–16:30, last order 19:00)

What are Bonghyejane Jubang's signature dishes?

The signature here is clearly octopus. The mainstays are lunch-friendly picks like the octopus stir-fry set, whole octopus stir-fry and spicy webfoot octopus stir-fry.

Late lunch at 1:30 pm: ordering the octopus stir-fry set

I got there around 1:30 for a late lunch, and even then the place was about half full of diners, so I looked around to see what everyone was eating. Sure enough, the octopus stir-fry set, so I ordered that along with the giant pork cutlet.

The set comes with a nice variety, and the octopus stir-fry arrived on top of the rice bowl. As soon as I set the octopus aside, the rice looked a little small, which was a bit disappointing. I need rice power to get through the afternoon, though~ haha

What side dishes come with the octopus stir-fry set?

The set comes with sweet pumpkin porridge as an appetizer, then white kimchi, sweet braised soybeans, perilla mushroom soup and even lunchbox-style seasoned seaweed, so it's nicely varied. The seasoned seaweed and chicory on top of the rice made the colors look appetizing.

How spicy is Bonghyejane's octopus stir-fry if you can't handle heat?

For someone with a low spice tolerance, the octopus stir-fry was beyond spicy, really hot. You pour the octopus over the rice and mix it well; it smelled of oil, and after one bite it was way past spicy, really hot. Haaah~ Octopus stir-fry is supposed to have that heat to taste great, but still, for me... (T_T)

It was too spicy for me. I was going to order more rice, but the giant pork cutlet came out so huge that I ate it with the cutlet instead of rice. If you can't handle spice, keep this in mind~~ If you do like spicy food, I think you'll enjoy it!

How big is the Hyeja giant pork cutlet?

Bonghyejane's giant pork cutlet (Hyeja Wang Donkkaseu) is bigger than a face. What on earth is a "Hyeja giant cutlet"? haha The staff brought it over and it was so enormous I was honestly stunned. hehehe

Compared not with my fist but with my face, the cutlet would still win! I was shocked by the sheer look of it, and then shocked again while cutting it, wondering when I'd ever finish slicing.

The breading on the giant cutlet is thick, seemingly thicker than the meat, but it was so crispy, and with a chewy texture too, which surprised me.

Verdict: is Bonghyejane Jubang a good Jonggak office lunch?

To make good use of a busy office worker's short lunch break, I recommend the quickly served octopus stir-fry set at Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, and if you want to enjoy an overwhelming portion, there's the giant pork cutlet too. It connects directly to Jonggak Station and sits next to the bookstore on B2 of Jongno Tower, so it's a great spot to browse books after lunch.