Gangdong octopus restaurant with corn cheese refills: Jjuksami

Today I'm introducing Jjuksami, a Cheonho favorite located right on the octopus alley!! 💕 Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch is open daily from 12:00 to 01:00, and there's no parking available.

The weather's gotten pretty chilly lately, so I've really been craving spicy food!! And when I crave spicy food, the first thing that comes to mind is octopus! Cheonho-dong even has its own dedicated octopus alley, that's how many great octopus restaurants there are!! Among them, Jjuksami is the one I've been to over and over 💛

How to find Jjuksami on the octopus alley at Cheonho Station Exit 6

Jjuksami is the shop with the yellow sign right as you enter the octopus alley from Cheonho Station Exit 6. The name itself basically screams octopus and pork belly combo!! Once you're on the alley there's a long row of octopus restaurants one after another, but the yellow sign really stands out among them!! In the evening it gets even busier, and the whole place has such a lively atmosphere! 👍

Walking inside, you immediately feel that signature lively octopus-restaurant vibe!! It was already packed and buzzing with people, and the spicy octopus sauce smell wafting through the air really got my appetite going!! It's a comfortable spot for a regular meal, and it's already famous as a Cheonho drinking spot too, so it's perfect for an evening out with friends over a drink! 💛

What we ordered at Jjuksami: jjusamsae plus the Rich Gold cheese plate

This time I picked the jjusamsae, which comes with octopus, pork belly and shrimp all together, and added a Rich Gold cheese plate on top. Jjuksami has all kinds of combos starting from the basic octopus dish! But since I wanted pork belly and shrimp too, jjusamsae was the obvious order!!! 👍 And adding the Rich Gold cheese plate on top of that? Non-negotiable haha. I doubt there's a single person who skips adding it!! Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jjuksami's free side dishes: scorched rice soup, steamed egg and corn cheese

At Jjuksami, the free side dishes come out first!! Perilla leaves, cucumber, carrot, garlic, radish wrap, and a mayo-garlic-ish sauce?? Ha, dipping the spicy octopus into that sweet sauce is just so good!!!! 👏

Finally, our jjusamsae and Rich Gold cheese plate set arrived!!! Hehe. Gorgeous just to look at 💛 A visual that's clearly packed with spicy seasoning, the combination of spicy octopus with pork belly and shrimp!! Words fail me…

While the octopus was cooking, the free side dishes came out too 💛 Scorched rice soup, steamed egg, and my personal favorite, corn cheese! I can't believe they give you this much for free!!!! They even gave me more corn cheese when I asked!!!! 👍

As the ingredients start cooking well on the pan, the octopus sauce soaks into the pork belly and shrimp, and that delicious spicy smell rises up!!! Watching the octopus bubble away on the sizzling pan makes my mouth water automatically!!! Haha

How does jjusamsae taste? Octopus, pork belly and shrimp textures compared

Jjuksami's jjusamsae is fun to eat because every ingredient has a different texture. I took a perilla leaf, piled on pork belly, octopus, bean sprouts and sauce, and took a bite! The octopus has an irresistibly bouncy, chewy texture, the pork belly is savory and rich in a way that pairs perfectly with the spicy octopus, and the plump shrimp rounds it all out perfectly!! Since each ingredient has a different texture, taking turns eating them one by one is such fun and so delicious!!

Is the Rich Gold cheese plate worth adding?

And the Rich Gold cheese plate that you absolutely must add on and eat together!! ⭐️⭐️ Adding cheese to spicy octopus is a combination that needs no explanation!!! The spicy sauce gets a savory, sweet boost from the cheese, giving you a much smoother kind of spicy!! Putting a bit of octopus, other ingredients and Rich Gold on a radish wrap is absolutely delicious 💛

Once the sauce really soaks into the octopus, the first bite hits you with spice, and right after, the bouncy texture of the octopus comes through!! That chewy bite is so appealing — I loved that Jjuksami lets you enjoy octopus in so many different ways!! Hehe

Finishing with spaghetti noodles at Jjuksami, fried rice next time

Ta-da!! When you're almost done eating, Jjuksami will add glass noodles or spaghetti noodles into the sauce if you ask!! Every time I come to Jjuksami, I always go for spaghetti noodles!! 💛 If you visit, I highly recommend the spaghetti noodles. It transforms into spicy octopus spaghetti, totally, haha. At first, octopus with spaghetti noodles?? sounded unfamiliar, but once you actually try it, it's really different!! The spicy octopus and spaghetti noodles go so well together, haha, it's a flavor you'd want to pay extra for.

Wow!!!!! I cleaned my plate again today!! Fried rice is supposed to be a must, but sadly I was way too full to even attempt the fried rice!!! T_T Next time I'll definitely have the flying fish roe fried rice!!!!! Haha

Who should try Jjuksami in Cheonho?

If you love spicy food, I definitely recommend coming to Jjuksami in Cheonho!! Honestly I'm super weak with spice, but I could still eat this happily 👍 Jjusamsae lets you enjoy octopus, pork belly and shrimp all at once, so you get a full range of textures — I highly recommend it!! And don't forget to add the Rich Gold cheese plate and the spaghetti noodles 💛 If you're in Cheonho craving something spicy and octopus comes to mind, definitely stop by Jjuksami, a Gangdong favorite! Highly recommend!