Sokcho market snack shop, first Abai sundae, ₩20,000 set: Hwangbuja

Why we went to Hwangbuja Twigim in Sokcho Central Market on the Hangeul Day holiday

Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) is a squid sundae (stuffed squid) and fried food shop at stalls 26 and 27 of Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market). We came for a late-night snack on the first evening of our 2-night, 3-day Hangeul Day holiday trip to Sokcho. We left the day before the golden holiday started, so the roads weren't as jammed as I expected and we reached Sokcho safely. Great weather, great mood! We unpacked, had an early dinner, took a look at the Sokcho Eye, walked around a bit, and then this big-eater polar bear was hungry again, haha. A Sokcho trip is honestly a food trip, and Sokcho Central Market is a holy land of eating, so off we went.

• Address: Stalls 26 and 27, Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market, 16 Jungangno 147beon-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: 8:00–20:30 (closed every Wednesday)
• Parking: Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market (Sokcho Central Market) parking tower (30-minute parking ticket with purchases of ₩15,000 or more)

Where do you park for Hwangbuja Twigim?

Park in the Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market car park. If you buy ₩15,000 or more at Hwangbuja Twigim, they give you a 30-minute parking discount ticket. A food tour of Sokcho Central Market is a must in Sokcho, and in this market full of food, Hwangbuja Twigim was where we headed. The ticket is only 30 minutes, so hurry hurry!!

How are the wait and the takeout line at Hwangbuja Twigim?

Hwangbuja Twigim was crowded and had a wait, with separate lines for people eating in and for takeout. Squid sundae is a Sokcho food you can't skip, and the long line felt like proof of the taste. You could enjoy squid sundae with makgeolli (rice wine) inside, or take it away and eat at your lodging. We decided to try the squid sundae and fried food at our lodging.

Hwangbuja Twigim menu

Hwangbuja Twigim had fried items like shrimp tempura, squid tempura, baby crab and shrimp gangjeong (sweet crispy shrimp), sundae items like squid sundae, nurungji squid sundae and Abai sundae, and jeon (savory pancakes) like kimchi jeon, potato jeon and buckwheat jeonbyeong (buckwheat crepes). There are also set menus for Sokcho visitors who want to try a bit of everything, which I liked.

Three kinds of sundae at Hwangbuja Twigim

Instead of the glutinous-rice sundae commonly eaten in Incheon, Hwangbuja Twigim has three kinds: Abai sundae, squid sundae and nurungji squid sundae, so you can choose to taste. Abai sundae takes its name from a North Korean dialect word for father; it's a sundae made by stuffing pig intestine with glass noodles, vegetables, meat and so on. It uses pig intestine as the casing instead of squid, and Sokcho is so famous for it that it has an Abai Village. Squid sundae is squid body stuffed with glass noodles, vegetables, egg and other filling and cooked, and sometimes it's dipped in egg wash and pan-fried. The hottest right now, nurungji squid sundae, adds a crunchy texture to squid sundae, and apparently you get extra nuttiness too.

Seafood fries and jeon too

As befits Sokcho, a city on the sea, Hwangbuja Twigim also had a variety of seafood fries: baby crab, shrimp tempura and squid tempura. There was also susu bukkumi (sorghum pancakes) that suit grown-up tastes, and potato jeon made with Gangwon potatoes, so I fell into a happy dilemma: which one should I pick to be told I ordered well?!! (I'm an old soul, lol.)

What we ordered today and the prices

• Baby crab, 1 box ₩10,000
• Nurungji squid sundae + Abai sundae ₩20,000

Wanting a bit of everything, we ordered the nurungji squid sundae and Abai sundae set plus baby crab from Hwangbuja Twigim. As the line got shorter, we could watch the squid sundae cooking right in front of us in real time, which gave a homey market feeling, and my heart was bouncing with happiness, bounce bounce.

Heading back to the lodging with Sokcho food

The takeout bag from Hwangbuja Twigim in Sokcho Central Market was heavy in both hands!! I carried it carefully against my chest so it wouldn't get cold.

How does the Abai sundae + nurungji squid sundae set taste?

The Hwangbuja Twigim set pairs Abai sundae, so famous that Sokcho has an Abai sundae village, with nurungji squid sundae, which adds the crunch of scorched rice to the chewiness of squid sundae. It's best eaten piping hot! They even poke holes in the packaging in case the sundae gets soggy, and I was so touched by that thoughtfulness! A trip can't go without a drink, so we stopped by a supermarket and bought a can of beer too. Hehe, lol.

Nurungji squid sundae: chewy meets crunchy

The nurungji squid sundae at Hwangbuja Twigim was packed with vegetables and meat inside chewy squid, with no fishy taste at all. You first get the chewiness and nuttiness, and at the end the nuttiness of the scorched rice. It was like scraping up the crispy stuck-on rice when you eat dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and then fried rice... similar to that. Top-notch savoriness, haha.

My first Abai sundae: impressions

I tried Abai sundae for the first time at Hwangbuja Twigim, and together with squid sundae it's the twin star of Sokcho food. They say it's a love-it-or-hate-it sundae, but I love it! Love love love it! You get a soft texture and a chewy texture at once, and the vegetables and meat inside the Abai sundae crumbled softly in my mouth. So darn appealing, lol.

Baby crab: a crunchy, sweet beer snack

The baby crab at Hwangbuja Twigim is tiny crabs fried and seasoned, ₩10,000 for a box. I'd wanted to try baby crab for ages, and finally!! I got to eat it in Sokcho, and wow... crunchy and sweet, perfect as a beer snack. Insanely delicious, I tell you! Lol. It was a tiring day, but with cold beer and Hwangbuja Twigim snacks, the first-day fatigue just melted away.

Who we recommend Hwangbuja Twigim to

• People looking for a good place to eat at Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market)
• People who want to try a variety of fried dishes like crunchy nurungji squid sundae, crab fries and squid tempura
• People who want to try different kinds of sundae, like Abai sundae, squid sundae and nurungji squid sundae
• People looking for good food on a Sokcho trip