Sokcho market snack bar, nude shrimp tempura set: Hwangbuja Twigim

My husband and I went to Sokcho for a one-night, two-day trip on a weekday. This is my visit report on Hwangbuja Twigim, the Sokcho Jungang Market spot I stop by every single time I visit Sokcho. It's the nurungji (scorched rice) squid sundae (squid sausage) place inside Sokcho Tourist & Fisheries Market, so we always make sure to buy squid sundae here. Besides squid sundae, it's a real hidden gem in Sokcho Jungang Market selling all kinds of fried snacks — shrimp tempura, Abai sundae, shrimp gangjeong (sweet-glazed fritters), and more.

Where is Hwangbuja Twigim inside Sokcho Tourist & Fisheries Market?

Whenever I visit Sokcho Jungang Market, I don't bother with anywhere else — Hwangbuja Twigim is the only stop. These days it sells all sorts of fried snacks like squid sundae and squid tempura, but it actually started out as a sundubu (soft tofu stew) place in Sokcho's Nohak-dong. It began making fried snacks, tteokbokki, and dumplings as meals for athletes coming to Sokcho for winter training camps, then switched over to a full-on fried snack shop and has kept running ever since.

Hwangbuja Twigim's menu: nurungji squid sundae and tempura

When I visit Hwangbuja Twigim, a Sokcho Jungang Market favorite, the nurungji squid sundae seems to be what most people walk out with. There's also a huge lineup of other tempura — snow crab meat, nude shrimp, baby crab, and more. You can order items individually or go for one of the set menus.

You can actually see the size and shape of everything before you buy, which makes ordering easier.

There's also an assorted tempura set of sweet potato, perilla leaf, and chili pepper fritters. Watching the people ahead of us in line, a lot of them were buying this combo too. Hwangbuja Twigim says it uses clean oil and good ingredients, so honestly, anything here seems like it would taste great!

Nurungji squid sundae, fried to order and packed to go

Once you order, they prep the ingredients and fry everything fresh on the spot. There's real fun in taking a number and watching your food fry while you wait. We ordered the nurungji squid sundae. The regular squid sundae coated in egg wash is tasty too, but the crispier, chewier nurungji version suits our taste better.

Crispy, beautifully fried squid sundae — we packed it up and started eating as soon as we got back to the lodging. Besides the nurungji squid sundae, we also ordered a nude shrimp + squid tempura set. It's normally a king prawn + squid tempura combo, but you can swap in nude shrimp instead!

I'd been telling myself I absolutely had to eat nurungji squid sundae on this Sokcho trip, and even a little cooled down, the nurungji part was so chewy and delicious.

The squid tentacles are included too. Hwangbuja Twigim's nurungji squid sundae lets you enjoy the crispy-chewy nurungji and the springy texture of the squid all at once. If you visit Sokcho Jungang Market, you have to try this dish. It's definitely on our must-visit Sokcho Jungang Market list, and Hwangbuja Twigim is one we always make time for.

You don't even need soy sauce or any other dipping sauce — the seasoning is spot on as is. And the nurungji isn't just plain scorched rice, either — bits of gim (seaweed), scallion, and carrot are all pressed right into it.

The tempura set at Hwangbuja Twigim, swapped for nude shrimp

This is the extra nude shrimp + king prawn tempura we ordered. Since I'd only ever had the nurungji squid sundae before, I was curious about the other menu items. There are so many kinds of tempura that it was hard to choose, so I went with one from the set menu's best-sellers. Once ordered, they fry it up crispy right away.

The squid tempura is packed with a good-sized piece of squid inside, chewy and delicious. It's nicely salty even without dipping it in soy sauce.

And here's the nude shrimp I'd been curious about. The batter wasn't too thick, and it was really tasty.