Gwangmyeong jjukkumi restaurant with sesame leaf wraps: Jeongipum

Stumbled onto it after a Costco run

I went to the Gwangmyeong Station Costco to do some shopping a while back and figured I'd grab lunch nearby before heading in. But browsing around took longer than expected, so by the time I was done I was starving and started looking for somewhere to eat nearby.

That's when I found a place serving jjukkumi (spicy stir-fried octopus). I love spicy food in general, so I decided to just walk right in. You'd think a jjukkumi restaurant only serves jjukkumi, but here you can also choose pork belly or beef brisket to go with it, plus a bunch of noodle add-ons — the menu setup was pretty solid.

Two servings of jjukkumi with black pork belly

Looking at the menu, you could choose either pork belly or beef brisket to eat alongside the jjukkumi. After some thought, I went with the black pork belly.

Ordering two servings of jjukkumi along with black pork belly felt like it would make for a pretty filling meal. I also liked that you could adjust the spice level, so people who love spicy food can go all-in while those who can't handle heat can order it mild — whatever suits your taste.

With orders of two servings or more, you get a free steamed egg (gyeranjjim), so I got to enjoy that too.

Piled high with minari, generous portion of jjukkumi

The first thing that caught my eye as soon as the dish arrived was the huge pile of minari (water dropwort) on top. There was way more than I expected, and its fragrant aroma hit right away.

Underneath, there was a good amount of jjukkumi too, along with the black pork belly mixed in, so the whole thing looked generous right from the start.

The jjukkumi had a great chewy texture, and the spicy sauce blended in really well, pulling my appetite right in. Eating it together with the pork belly added a savory, mellow flavor that gave it a totally different character than jjukkumi alone. And with the minari mixed in too, the fragrant note made the whole combination click perfectly.

A wide variety of side dishes

The basic side dishes that came out were also quite varied — seaweed, flying fish roe, sesame leaves, seasoned bean sprouts, cabbage salad, cold seaweed soup, and pickled radish, a nice generous lineup.

Since the jjukkumi itself is spicy, having the cold seaweed soup or the salad in between helped cleanse the palate each time, which I appreciated. Personally, my favorite part was the sesame leaf wraps.

Placing jjukkumi and pork belly on a sesame leaf, adding a bit of bean sprouts or flying fish roe, then wrapping it all up in one bite was genuinely delicious. The distinct aroma of the sesame leaf, the spiciness of the jjukkumi, and the savory pork belly all hit at once — I'd recommend eating it as a wrap rather than just plain. Wrapping it in seaweed was tasty too, so there was fun in mixing and matching the different side dishes.

Don't skip the noodle add-ons

After finishing the jjukkumi, you can add noodles to the leftover sauce — and it would be a real shame to skip this part.

I'd recommend either the ramen noodles or the jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles). The ramen noodles soak up the jjukkumi sauce really well, giving a familiar flavor you keep going back for. The jjolmyeon has a chewy texture that pairs nicely with the spicy sauce. If you like a chewy noodle texture, go for the jjolmyeon; if you prefer the familiar taste of sauce-soaked noodles, go for the ramen. After the jjukkumi and pork belly, finishing off with noodles left me completely full.

A great place to eat near Costco

The jjukkumi portion was generous and being able to eat pork belly alongside it made for a completely satisfying meal. Being able to adjust the spice level and choose the meat to your liking also made putting the meal together fun.

This is a great spot to visit when you're not sure what to eat near the Gwangmyeong Station Costco. If you're hungry after grocery shopping, getting to eat spicy jjukkumi along with meat makes for an even more satisfying meal. Next time I'm at the Gwangmyeong Station Costco, I want to try a different noodle add-on.