Asan seafood stew restaurant: extra fish roe algonijjim at Sinseong

It was one of those days craving a spicy-hot seafood stew — as soon as the weather cools down, I can't stop thinking about roe, shellfish, shrimp, all that stuff. Since I was in Asan, I stopped by Sinseong Agujjim!

A few spots come to mind when people mention good seafood stew in Asan, but this is the local place everyone in the neighborhood goes to 😋

Where is Sinseong Agujjim Asan Branch, and what are the hours?

Sinseong Agujjim Asan Branch is at 55-14 Samdong-ro 28beon-gil, 1st floor, Asan, Chungnam. They're open a generous stretch from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM, so it works for lunch, dinner, or a late-night bite (✿◡‿◡)

Here's the exterior. It's clearly been running for a long time, so it has that local-favorite look right from the outside!

It's clean, bright, and comfortable inside. I visited a bit late, and sure enough there were a lot of people enjoying a soju with their meal — makes sense for this kind of food hahahahahaha

The menu and our order: algonijjim for two with extra cod roe

This is the menu at Sinseong Agujjim. Alongside the main agujjim (monkfish stew), they also serve seafood stew, algonijjim (egg and roe stew), and monkfish clear soup! I like both seafood and monkfish, but soft, pillowy roe is really my favorite, so I ordered algonijjim for two with extra gonyi added. Takeout gets you a ₩2,000 discount 👀 just between us

How spicy is level 2 at Sinseong Agujjim?

One of the great things about Sinseong Agujjim is that you can choose your spice level. Usually places just have one fixed spiciness, but here it's broken into levels almost like mala tang, which I really liked!

I'm pretty weak with spice, so I hesitated between level 1 and 2, but went with level 2 since it's supposedly only moderately hot...... it's pretty spicy!!!! To me level 2 felt just a touch below buldak (fire chicken noodles), so if you're a fan of the mild version of yeoptteok, please just order level 1 hahahahahahahahaha

Side dishes: white kimchi, salad and seaweed soup

As soon as I ordered, the basic side dishes were set out quickly. My beloved white kimchi and salad arrived, and I was crunching happily on those even before the main dish came out. The soft, savory-salty seaweed soup was good too!

Honestly, before the main dish came out I was thinking 'oh, nice' — but once the spicy-hot flavor hit, these sides paired with it perfectly hahahahaha

The algonijjim for two arrives at the table

Here comes a genuinely generous two-person algonijjim! Even accounting for the extra gonyi, the bowl itself is just huge, so there's a real visual satisfaction hahahahahahahaha there's a bed of crunchy bean sprouts underneath, and roe and gonyi packed in beneath that.

One bite in, it was head-spinning spicy but in a stress-relieving way, so I thought — okay, today I'm just going to let go and eat. But since I love myself, I also ordered a Cool Piss soda hahahahahahahaha it seems like a lot of hardcore spice lovers come here, since — Cool Piss at a monkfish stew place!! The owner clearly has good taste!!

Cheese and sweet potato rice cakes come included

I'm a tteokbokki lover, so wherever I go I reach for the rice cake add-ins first. Here they're included by default, no need to add them on, and it's cheese rice cake no less ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ chewy, savory cheese rice cake soaked in that delicious Sinseong Agujjim sauce is pure bliss.

Cheese rice cake alone would feel incomplete, so there's sweet potato rice cake too hahahahahahaha

How were the fish eggs and the cod roe?

The main ingredients need to be high quality, and here the roe and gonyi were nice and firm, which I loved. The roe all had that classic sac shape, and everything from the pop of the membrane to the savory way it scatters apart bite by bite was perfect ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Eating a lot of roe can sometimes get sickening, but the spicy sauce here means it never does!

There's a sauce served alongside for dipping. But honestly, eating it plain and then cleansing my palate with salad or white kimchi was the tastiest way to go (❁´◡`❁)

And then there's my beloved gonyi, soft and pillowy, scooped up in a full mouthful. I really love eating things packed into my mouth, and a spoon piled high with gonyi hits the spot perfectly hahahahahahahaha soft, zero fishy taste, the ultimate gonyi.... I went back and forth on whether to add extra roe or extra gonyi, but I'm so glad I chose gonyi in the end

Finishing the meal with fried rice

I was already full and hesitated, but couldn't pass it up, so I ordered the fried rice right away. They take a bit of the leftover sauce and ingredients back to the kitchen and stir-fry it for you. Nothing seems specially added, yet it's savory, salty, and just a bit spicy — simply delicious. Topped with a little leftover sauce or some gonyi on top, it's pure bliss 💓

If you're craving spicy monkfish stew, seafood stew, or algonijjim, I'd recommend Sinseong Agujjim Asan Branch!