Sokcho Korean restaurant for pressure-cooker pollack soup: Bigeumdo

Pressure-cooker dried pollack soup in Sokcho

On the way back from Sokcho! I wanted to leave early in case of traffic, but after walking around the market, I was starting to get hungry. I searched for a good Korean restaurant in Sokcho and found Bigeumdo (비금도), which serves pressure-cooker hwangtae gukbap (dried pollack soup with rice), so I headed straight over.

Bigeumdo apparently operated in Cheongdam for 18 years before settling in Sokcho. They make a refreshing hangover soup with Yongdaeri dried pollack and jjaebok, a local East Coast clam, in a hot pressure cooker. I wondered what jjaebok was, and it turns out it is a dialect term for one of the East Coast's three native clams; one theory says it got the name because it is smaller than other clams.

There was plenty of dried pollack, and it had a slight perilla-seed flavor too, which made the broth feel wonderfully deep. Bigeumdo felt like a great Sokcho breakfast spot for a family meal, from little kids to adults.

The side dishes were not flashy, but they looked neat and seemed to be made with good ingredients. If you are looking for a hearty, easy-on-the-stomach meal with family in Sokcho, I think you would enjoy a meal at Bigeumdo.

• Address: 5 Sinheung 2-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon State, South Korea (강원특별자치도 속초시 신흥2길 5)
• Hours: 08:30–20:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Regularly closed every Wednesday

Bigeumdo’s location and hanok-style restaurant

Bigeumdo is near Plaza CC Seorak, Seorak Pine Resort, and Sokcho Sports Complex. It is about 15 minutes from Sokcho Beach and Sokcho Jungang Market, so it seems convenient to visit on your way into Sokcho or back up to Seoul.

The hanok-style building looked so lovely. They say you can see Seoraksan when the weather is nice, too.

Parking was easy on either side of the restaurant. If you are visiting as a group, it would probably be best to contact them in advance.

Waiting and the spacious interior

I arrived around 10 a.m., so there was no wait, but they do use Tableling for waiting. Only on-site waitlisting is available, so keep that in mind.

The interior was much bigger than I expected. There were high chairs, so it looked fine for visiting with children, and there were private rooms in an upscale setting that seemed suitable even for a formal family meeting, making it a good choice for groups too.

They had a variety of options, from single-serving dried pollack hangover soup, spicy pork stew, and mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup) to pressure-cooker dishes that require at least two orders. There were also plenty of special dishes, including borigulbi (dried yellow corvina with barley), skate pancake, abalone pancake, and raw skate, so it was easy to choose according to your taste.

Neat side dishes and pressure-cooker dried pollack soup

The basic side dishes were seasoned cucumber, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), seasoned eggplant, salted seafood, and stir-fried shredded potato. Each one looked neatly homemade. They were not overly seasoned and pleasantly mild, so I think adults would enjoy them too.

I debated between the pressure-cooker abalone porridge and dried pollack soup, but thought I should have dried pollack soup while on the East Coast, so I ordered it. Pressure-cooker dried pollack soup, bubbling hot! I think it was my first time eating food served in a pressure cooker, haha.

The mild dried pollack soup was cooked with rice and dried pollack, served gukbap-style with the rice already mixed in, so I could simply scoop it up with a spoon. The deep broth, full of dried pollack, bean sprouts, and scallions, was so refreshing and delicious. A faint hint of perilla seed seemed to lift the flavor even more.

If you had quite a bit to drink, this would be a great place to properly recover before heading back up.

If you are looking for Korean set meals or great dried pollack soup in Sokcho, try a hearty meal at Bigeumdo near Sokcho Pine리즈CC and Plaza CC.