Sokcho Korean restaurant takeout: Jin Seiromushi crab lunchboxes

During my trip to Sokcho, I got takeout from Jin Seiromushi: a red snow crab marinated in soy sauce (honggejang) lunchbox and a soy-marinated shrimp (saeujang) lunchbox for a meal at the hotel. I ordered by phone before arriving, and the prepared lunchboxes were ready for me to pick up right away.

Where is the restaurant, and was parking convenient?

The restaurant is at 13 Seonsa-ro 2-gil in Joyang-dong, Sokcho. It is near Cheongcho Lake and Sokcho Beach, and there was plenty of parking when I visited.

What are the hours and interior like?

The hours listed in the original post are 10:30 AM to 9 PM, with regular closure every Tuesday. There is a break from 3 PM to 5 PM, and last orders are at 2 PM and 8 PM.

The interior was spacious enough for groups. I chose takeout and ate at my hotel.

What do the takeout lunchboxes cost and include?

The takeout set meals listed in the original post are below. The red snow crab and soy-marinated shrimp sets I chose included nine basic side dishes, rice, and soup.

• Korean set meal, ₩15,000: rice, soup, nine side dishes, grilled fish, and pork bulgogi
• Red snow crab set meal, ₩23,000: one red snow crab, nine basic side dishes, rice, and soup
• Soy-marinated shrimp set meal, ₩25,000: soy-marinated shrimp, nine basic side dishes, rice, and soup
• Soy-marinated abalone set meal, ₩25,000: three abalone, nine basic side dishes, rice, and soup
• Soy-marinated blue crab set meal, ₩30,000: one soy-marinated blue crab, nine basic side dishes, rice, and soup

The prepared lunchboxes felt quite heavy when I picked them up. Once I opened both, the containers took up so much room that they extended beyond the table.

It was difficult to put all the food on the table at once, so I set it out in portions. In addition to the marinated seafood, rice, soup, and basic side dishes, my order also included japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and grilled fish.

I was told that the side dishes are made in-house every morning. The meal let me have small portions of several dishes alongside the main items.

How were the seasoning and portions?

Overall, it felt like eating a home-style meal. The side dishes were lightly seasoned, which suited my taste, and it was nice to alternate among the different dishes. Still, there was so much food that I could not finish everything.

What did the red snow crab and shrimp taste like?

The red snow crab is said to be one of the restaurant's signature dishes. According to the restaurant, it receives live Sokcho red snow crabs from fishing boats, keeps them in tanks, and marinates them while monitoring how much of the dish is being used.

As described, the red snow crab I tried was not overly salty. Its sauce went well with rice.

The red snow crab was full of meat, and I was especially struck by how full of roe the soy-marinated shrimp was. It felt like a different kind of seafood meal to try in Sokcho besides sashimi.

I was happy to be able to have a hotel meal with several side dishes. The restaurant also has a reservation-only hinoki-steamed dish, but this time I only ordered the red snow crab and soy-marinated shrimp lunchboxes.