Sokcho tempura stall with squid good cold next day: Ddogi-ne Twigim

Today I'm introducing the original spot that started squid nurungji sundae (rice-crust stuffed squid) in Sokcho's Jungang Market — 'Ddogi-ne Twigim'~

Ddogi-ne Twigim hours and info

• ⏰ Sun–Thu 09:30–21:00 / Fri–Sat 09:30–22:00
• 🙏🏻 Groups welcome, takeout, reservations, pet-friendly
• 🅿️ Use the nearby public parking lot

Sokcho Jungang Market on a weekday evening — how long's the wait?

Even though it was a weekday evening, Sokcho Jungang Market was packed with people, probably because it's vacation season๑˚₊‧ You all know if you come to Sokcho Jungang Market, dak-gangjeong (sweet crispy chicken) and squid sundae are a must, right~~? While searching hard for the best spot, I found the original squid nurungji sundae place! That was 'Ddogi-ne Twigim'.

As expected of a famous spot, it was packed with people! I was wondering where on earth to even order with so many people around, then realized all those people were actually the waiting line,, The moment I realized it was a line, I went straight to find the end and stood in it. They fry and grill right after you order, and a staff member comes to take your order and payment in advance, so when your turn comes you can just pick up the food right away~

Most people take it to go, but there's also a space inside to eat on the spot, so if you plan to eat there, you don't need to wait outside — just go in and order directly~

It's already hot just standing around in summer, but since it's a stall using open flame, even the short wait felt really really hot,, The staff working in front of the fire in this heat are amazing ㅠㅠㅠ And on top of that heat, they were all so kind,,✨

Besides tempura and squid sundae, Ddogi-ne also has gamjajeon (potato pancake), and when you order they actually grate the potato fresh and pan-fry it right there. The potato pancake looked super crispy too🥔

Gamjajeon, memil jeonbyeong (buckwheat crepe), memil baechu-jeon (buckwheat cabbage pancake), susu bukkumi (sorghum pancake) — so many kinds of jeon, plus king prawn, nude shrimp, red snow crab tempura, squid tempura, crab tempura, pepper tempura, and gaennip (wild sesame leaf) tempura — feels like every tempura in the world is here🍤🧡

Egg-battered squid sundae vs. nurungji squid sundae — what's the difference?

Ddogi-ne has two kinds: egg-battered squid sundae and nurungji squid sundae. The egg-battered version gets dipped generously in egg before grilling, so it comes out moist and glossy — visually, a pass! It's a familiar taste so it made my mouth water ㅠ

What I ordered was the nurungji sundae🍘 For this one, they take the squid sundae as is and grill the outside until it's crispy like nurungji (scorched rice). Standing in front of it, the smell was insane,,

Smelling it while waiting in line and watching it get cooked right in front of me made the wait fly by! All I could think was hurrying to pack it up and run back to the accommodation to eat it,,🏃

Ddogi-ne Twigim menu and how to eat nurungji squid sundae

⭐How to enjoy Ddogi-ne's nurungji squid sundae⭐ It's best eaten hot right away before it gets soggy — if it cools down, microwave it for 2 minutes.

They also sell makgeolli (rice wine), sikhye (sweet rice drink), and juice, so those would go great with the tempura too. I tried the cheonhyehyang (sweet citrus) juice and it was fresh and delicious🍊 They give a free zero-sugar cola if you leave a Naver review, and sikhye if you leave one on both Naver and Google Maps!

Squid tempura + king prawn set 15,000 won, nurungji sundae 15,000 won, taken to go

After waiting, I packed up my order from Ddogi-ne Twigim neatly ˖ 𖧧 ָ࣪ They included chopsticks, soy sauce, and wasabi, plus an info sheet. Turns out they even ship frozen nationwide, so you could grill it up at home too!

With so many tempura options, what I ended up picking that day was~~ squid tempura + king prawn 15,000 won, and nurungji squid sundae 15,000 won.

How does the nurungji squid sundae taste?

They said it's best eaten warm before it cools down, so I opened the package and took a bite right away ୧ ·₊˚ True to being the original, the taste was also the real deal ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ The outside was crispy just like nurungji as the name promises, and the inside was packed full of glass noodles and fillings, filling my whole mouth with happiness. Add the chewy texture of the squid on top, and it's crispy + chewy + moist — total perfection✨ Everyone should try Ddogi-ne's nurungji squid sundae,,

Are the squid tempura and king prawn tempura still good cold the next day?

From the very first bite, I could tell they use clean oil with no stale oil smell at all — pass! The king prawn tempura, fried whole head and all, had plump shrimp meat that burst and had a springy bite — so delicious. The squid tempura, with a whole squid inside, was also soft and chewy without being tough — the kind of taste that keeps your hand reaching back for more!

After eating like that, I woke up the next day and popped the leftover tempura in my mouth — wow,, it was still so good even cold,, I cleaned out every last bit of the leftover squid and shrimp tempura. A place that's still good cold is a truly real find,, everyone go to Ddogi-ne!!🤎

If you're looking for a squid sundae spot in Sokcho Jungang Market, or shrimp tempura and squid tempura, I recommend 'Ddogi-ne Twigim'.