Sokcho Korean fried snacks: squid and king prawn at Hwangbuja Twigim

While traveling in Sokcho, I stopped by the Central Market and found Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김). There were many customers inside, and the air smelled of savory frying oil. This time, I took away fried squid and king prawn tempura.

Where is Hwangbuja Twigim in Sokcho, and what about parking?

The address is 16 Jungang-ro 147beon-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, South Korea, in Units 26–27 of Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. The original post lists its hours as 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM, with regular closure every Tuesday.

The post says you can use the public parking lot across from the market. Based on the original post, parking costs ₩900 per hour, and purchases of ₩15,000 or more at Hwangbuja Twigim come with a 30-minute parking voucher.

Inside the market, enter Dakjeongol Alley and the shop is immediately visible on the left.

What is available, and can you eat at the restaurant?

I heard it originally began as a sundubu restaurant in Nohak-dong. The owners made fried foods, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and mandu (dumplings) as snacks for athletes visiting Sokcho for training, and the positive response led them to turn it into a fried-food specialty shop.

When I arrived, nurungji ojingeo sundae (crispy-rice squid sausage) was browning on a griddle.

Baby crab and many kinds of fried foods were piled high as well. I wanted to eat them right away, but I took mine away this time.

In addition to takeout, there were dine-in seats where you could eat hot fried food before leaving.

What did I take away, and how much did it cost?

The menu included king prawn tempura, peeled prawn tempura, red snow crab meat tempura, fried squid, and baby crab. It also had squid sundae, nurungji ojingeo sundae, and Abai sundae, along with kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake), gamja jeon (potato pancake), memil jeonbyeong (buckwheat crepe), and susu bukkumi (sorghum rice cake). Half-and-half sets combining fried foods and sundae are introduced in the original post as costing around ₩10,000–₩20,000.

This time, I ordered ₩20,000 worth of fried squid and ₩10,000 worth of king prawn tempura.

They left the packaging open and loose so the hot fried food would not turn soggy.

How were the takeaway fried squid and king prawn tempura?

When I put the takeaway fried food on a plate, the portion was generous. The fried squid was long and plump enough to cover my palm. There was plenty of squid inside the batter, and I liked its chewy bite.

The king prawn tempura was crisp from head to tail, and I thought it would pair well with beer. To my taste, it was savory without becoming overly rich. Even as takeaway, the squid's chewiness and the prawns' crispness stayed with me.