Sokcho Korean restaurant for two shrimp tempuras: Hwangbuja Twigim

On the first day of my two-night, three-day trip to Sokcho, I got squid sundae and shrimp tempura from Hwangbuja Twigim to go at the central market. After swimming, I tried some in the car on the way to my accommodation, then had the rest for dinner there with sashimi and clam ramyeon.

Where is Hwangbuja Twigim, and what about parking?

Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) is in Units 26–27 of Dakjeongolmok, the central passage of Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. I found it on the left after entering the alley. I visited before 10 a.m. on a weekend, and it was less busy than usual because it was early.

The original post lists its hours as 08:00–20:30 from Wednesday through Monday, with regular closure on Tuesdays. It also states that purchases of ₩15,000 or more receive a 30-minute free parking voucher for the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market parking lot, and that up to two vouchers can be used.

The shop had a generous display of assorted fried foods, squid sundae, and jeon (pan-fried dishes). There was also a small dining space inside if you wanted to eat there.

Which menu items and half-and-half sets can you choose?

I chose from the menu board at the front and the printed menu. Individual items included king prawn tempura, squid sundae, nurungji squid sundae, Abai sundae, baby crab, and seed shrimp gangjeong (sweet crispy shrimp). There were also half-and-half sets combining fried foods and squid sundae in several ways.

There were also kimchi jeon, potato jeon, buckwheat jeonbyeong (buckwheat pancake rolls), sorghum bukkumi (filled rice cakes), and assorted tempura with gim-mari (seaweed rolls), peppers, perilla leaves, and sweet potato. Drinks included pumpkin sikhye and omija sikhye, while corn dongdongju, soju, and beer were also sold.

Display models modeled on the actual packaged portions of squid sundae, Abai sundae, and buckwheat jeonbyeong helped with choosing.

The counter had king prawn tempura with the heads and tails on, peeled prawn tempura with them removed, fried squid, and shrimp gangjeong. I chose the king prawn and peeled prawn half-and-half set so I could try both shrimp tempuras.

There were also red snow crab meat tempura, baby crab, sweet potato tempura, perilla leaf tempura, and pepper tempura. You could sample the baby crab before choosing.

How much was the squid sundae half-and-half set, and how was it packed?

Along with the shrimp tempura, I ordered the squid sundae and nurungji squid sundae half-and-half set. According to the original caption, the squid sundae half-and-half set was ₩20,000.

After ordering, I could watch the squid sundae being grilled. The egg-battered squid sundae and nurungji squid sundae were cooked on separate griddles. The nurungji squid sundae was browned until a scorched-rice crust formed, so it took a little longer than the regular squid sundae.

They added the nurungji squid sundae to a pack already half-filled with egg-battered squid sundae. The food was placed in a sturdy yellow plastic bag, which made it easy to carry around.

Were the king prawn and peeled prawn tempuras still good after cooling?

After swimming and catching clams at Sampoh Beach, I opened the packaged tempura and squid sundae in the car on the way to my accommodation.

The shrimp tempura half-and-half set included king prawn tempura with the heads and shells intact, plus peeled prawn tempura with the heads and shells removed.

The peeled prawn tempura had tender, springy shrimp and a clean flavor. With the king prawn tempura, I could feel the texture of the shell and the prawn’s nutty richness.

I ate the remaining tempura at my accommodation with sashimi and clam ramyeon. The prawns were plump and the batter was not thick, so the shrimp flavor came through clearly. When I ate it, it had not gone soggy after cooling and tasted clean and nutty.

How did the egg-battered and nurungji squid sundae differ in texture?

Whenever I come to Sokcho, I usually have egg-battered squid sundae, but this time I also tried nurungji squid sundae for the first time. The half-and-half set let me compare both together.

I tasted a few pieces in the car and finished the rest at my accommodation. It came with two packets of seasoned soy sauce, but it was seasoned well enough for me without using them.

The egg-battered grilled squid sundae had the familiar combination of chewy squid and a pleasantly sticky filling. It was clean and nutty, making it easy to eat.

The nurungji squid sundae was grilled crisp on the outside, adding a texture like biting into scorched rice. The crispness came together with the sticky filling and chewy squid, making it distinctly different from the egg-battered version.