Cheonan Korean restaurant pot-rice lunch: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch (불나는쭈꾸미 본점) in Baekseok-dong was where we went on a day when we were craving something spicy. If you love jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), it is a place worth trying at least once. We love it so much that we visit often.

What I liked most was how easy the parking was and how spacious the restaurant is. Of course, the taste comes first :)

A jjukkumi restaurant with easy parking in Baekseok-dong

These days, even when you find a good restaurant, parking can be stressful. This one is nice because it is not a hassle to visit by car.

The dining hall was more spacious than I expected, with plenty of room between tables, so it looked suitable for a family meal or a visit with a larger group. There are also partitioned areas that feel a bit like private rooms.

Stir-fried jjukkumi, pot rice, and fried shrimp lunch set

The menu we ordered that day was the stir-fried jjukkumi + pot rice + fried shrimp lunch set shown in the photo. The lunch menu is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs ₩17,000.

What I especially liked was being able to choose from several spice levels. Choosing a menu can be surprisingly tricky when someone loves spicy food and someone else cannot handle it well, but there were enough levels to pick the heat that suited our tastes.

The basic side dishes were set out right away.

Crispy, springy fried shrimp

The fried shrimp came out first. It was nicely crisp, making it a good appetizer, and it was also great to have a piece now and then between bites of spicy jjukkumi. Spicy food and crispy fried food are such a good combination, right? :) And dipping jjukkumi in the tartar sauce is tasty too. Give it a try~

The shrimp were nicely plump. Crispy and springy.

Before long, all the main dishes arrived. Once the table was set, it felt much more generous than expected—like a proper lunch meal.

Spicy, chewy jjukkumi with pot rice

The main dish: stir-fried jjukkumi. Just looking at the richly coated spicy sauce made my mouth water! The jjukkumi's naturally springy, chewy texture with that spicy seasoning really woke up my appetite.

And here is the pot rice that came with the stir-fried jjukkumi. Put spicy jjukkumi over warm pot rice and you simply cannot go wrong with this combination. I scooped out the rice and poured in water.

Chewy, spicy jjukkumi with the sticky pot rice is the best. I mixed it all together and took a big bite.

Self-bar sides between spicy bites

I went to the self bar for more side dishes and found young-radish napa water kimchi and soft tofu that had not been among the basic sides. Mild, refreshing water kimchi and soft tofu between spicy bites! Such a good combination. Be sure to get some.

After finishing the main dishes, it was time for nurungji (toasted rice crust). My younger sibling cannot handle spicy food very well, so we ordered the less-spicy level, but they still said it was a little spicy and ate the nurungji rice now and then. The bottom was properly toasted, so it was wonderfully nutty. Phew—the lunch set was so generous that I was full.

Overall, having pot rice and fried shrimp alongside spicy jjukkumi made this a nicely composed, satisfying-value lunch. Personally, I especially liked the easy parking, spacious hall, and multiple spice levels. Those things are more important than you might think when dining with children or taking your parents out, right? If you want a hearty, spicy meal, I think Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch in Baekseok-dong would be worth a visit. I recommend it 😆