Bongmyeong-dong grilled hagfish and shellfish set: Jinppae

While looking for somewhere in Bongmyeong-dong where I could have dinner and a drink, I visited Jinppae (진빼이). I liked that I could eat hagfish and shellfish in one place.

This time, I chose the set that came with hagfish and sample shellfish. I also ordered the hagfish in two flavors, salt and seasoned, so I could alternate between them.

Where is Jinppae, and is parking available?

The address is 21 Oncheonbuk-ro 13beon-gil, 1F Unit 102, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The hours provided at the time of my visit were 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. the following day, every day, and the underground parking garage was free for two hours. A corn cheese benefit was also advertised for writing a review.

How much are the hagfish and shellfish dishes?

Set menu No. 1, which I chose, consisted of hagfish and sample shellfish. The listed price was ₩51,000. I chose it because I wanted to eat other seafood along with the hagfish.

• Live hagfish salt grill: ₩17,000
• Live hagfish seasoned grill: ₩18,000
• Conger eel salt grill: ₩17,000
• Live conger eel stone-plate stir-fry: ₩18,000
• Eight grilled live scallops: ₩15,000
• Hagfish + sample shellfish: ₩51,000
• Mulmil-myeon (cold wheat noodles in broth): ₩6,000
• Odeng ramen and soy sauce egg rice: ₩4,500 each
• Soju: ₩5,000; beer: ₩5,500

What is the atmosphere like for a casual drink?

The restaurant had yellow tables and round stools. The atmosphere reminded me of the pojangmacha I saw on a trip to Busan, so it felt like a comfortable place to have a drink without dressing up or being formal.

Since it stays open until late, I thought it would also work as a second stop after dinner in Bongmyeong-dong.

There was also a television in the restaurant. I liked being able to enjoy hagfish and drinks while watching baseball.

How is the live hagfish prepared?

I could see the live hagfish in a tank in front of the restaurant. Seeing them alive gave me an impression of freshness.

When an order was placed, the hagfish was prepared immediately from the tank. This may be worth noting if you prefer live hagfish.

What comes with the basic side dishes?

The basic side dishes served with the set were varied.

There were fresh kimchi, perilla leaves, and aged kimchi, along with quail eggs, vegetables, garlic, and chili peppers. A hot bean sprout soup also came with the meal.

It was nice to have spoonfuls of bean sprout soup between bites of grilled food. I especially liked eating the hagfish with perilla leaves and aged kimchi.

Do you grill the hagfish yourself?

I put the hagfish on the grill and cooked it myself. A staff member helped with the initial grilling. I was told to grill small portions because putting too much on at once could cause it to burn.

Following that advice, I put on only as much as I was going to eat and grilled it. This let me keep enjoying it while it was warm.

Can you order it half and half? How did the salt and seasoned flavors taste?

I had trouble choosing just one flavor, so I asked whether I could order them half and half. It was possible during my visit, so I ordered both the salt-grilled and seasoned versions.

The salt-grilled hagfish I tried first was mild. Because the seasoning was not strong, it was easy to appreciate the hagfish's distinctive chewy texture.

Grilling it directly over the fire brought out a savory aroma. It also went well dipped in sesame oil with salt, or wrapped in a perilla leaf with aged kimchi.

The seasoned grill had a much stronger flavor than the salt-grilled version.

The seasoning had soaked into the hagfish, making it a good accompaniment to drinks. Alternating it with the milder salt-grilled version kept the meal from becoming repetitive, so I was happy I ordered it half and half.

How was it to have the sample shellfish with the hagfish?

The sample shellfish included in the set was served as well.

While eating the hagfish, I added the grilled shellfish one at a time.

It was nice to enjoy a different flavor in between. For me, the set felt substantial because I could have hagfish and shellfish together in one place.

Can you order fried rice after having the grilled dishes?

I was told that I had to choose the stone-plate stir-fry in order to have fried rice. Because I ordered the grilled dishes, I could not have fried rice this time. The owner also recommended it, so I was disappointed that I did not get to try it myself.

If you plan to have fried rice as well, it would be useful to know this condition when choosing your menu at the start.

What I enjoyed most about this visit was eating live hagfish that I grilled myself in two flavors, along with grilled shellfish. I had dinner and a drink in a relaxed pojangmacha-style atmosphere, and if I crave hagfish in Bongmyeong-dong again, I would like to return.