Cheongdam pufferfish restaurant, whole live octopus soup: Bogi-o Boguk

I really, really love pufferfish dishes and eat pufferfish very often. Whenever I see a new menu item, I can't resist trying it — I want to eat pufferfish cooked every way possible.

Today I found a place serving a creative and delicious pufferfish soup with whole live octopus and a bogkatsu (pufferfish cutlet), so I went to check it out. It's Bogi-o Boguk (복이오복국), located in Cheongdam-dong. Haha.

What kind of restaurant is Bogi-o Boguk near Cheongdam Station?

Bogi-o Boguk is a pufferfish specialty restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Deokyoung building in Cheongdam. Besides pufferfish soup, they also serve bogkatsu, pufferfish karaage, pufferfish sashimi, pufferfish bulgogi, and pufferfish skin salad — a really diverse pufferfish menu.

Such a cute pufferfish cushion. Haha.

What we ordered at Bogi-o Boguk

The side dishes at Bogi-o Boguk

Every single one of the banchan was delicious! Kkakdugi (radish kimchi), stir-fried fish cake, stir-fried anchovies, and pickled perilla leaves came out.

How does the pufferfish cutlet (bokkatsu) taste?

Bogi-o Boguk's bogkatsu comes as four large fried pufferfish pieces, served with a balsamic lettuce salad, bogkatsu sauce, and pickled chili. It was freshly fried for us, so the outside was very crispy and the inside chewy and clean-tasting.

Pufferfish, with its mild clean flavor, is actually a beautiful ingredient that suits any cooking method — except that not just anyone can prepare it because of its deadly toxin. Haha. I've had plenty of fried pufferfish, pufferfish donkatsu, and pufferfish karaage before, but 'bogkatsu' sounded different somehow, so I got excited and ordered it. Haha. Let's look closely at the generous plate of four big pieces.

Freshly fried for us, so the batter is super crunchy... >.<

Dipped in the mild sauce... the outside is very, very crispy and firm, while the inside is chewy and clean-tasting. It's that combination I love, haha. Pufferfish really works well as a cutlet too. That bogkatsu sauce isn't salty at all, so you can dip generously without any guilt — so good.

And all the banchan were delicious too, especially the kkakdugi, which paired so well. You know how well kkakdugi goes with donkatsu, right? Haha. So imagine how well it goes with clean, mild bogkatsu. Haha. It was really delicious. T.T So satisfying.

Milbok soup with a whole live octopus inside

Bogi-o Boguk's live octopus pufferfish soup is a complete restorative meal with one whole live octopus in it. The pufferfish used is milbok, and the staff prep the live octopus into easy-to-eat pieces for you. So nice, right? Haha.

First, I try the broth. Wow... it's clear and deep... this is why you eat pufferfish soup. T.T Somehow it feels healing, this pufferfish soup... my number-one healing food! It's ironic and kind of cool that something with such deadly poison becomes this clear, healing broth once the toxin is removed entirely. I love pufferfish soup. Haha.

Even though octopus is in it, octopus isn't really a seafood with a strong flavor or personality. Haha. It adds a beautiful color and a nice texture!

Moving some to my small plate to taste...

Changing up the broth with kelp vinegar

The vinegar on the far left is kelp vinegar. Adding a little gives you a different flavor — a nice treat. Haha. Honestly though, I still prefer the plain pufferfish soup more. Haha. I only use the vinegar for a little twist at the end. Haha. Still, it was impressive that they put thought into even the vinegar.

Plump live octopus. Live octopus really is on another level, haha. I loved its clean taste and chewy, springy texture! It went really well with the milbok too. And I thought it was so unique and great that it's such a good-for-you restorative dish that's not heavy at all.

Rice comes with the pufferfish soup too. I'm usually not that particular about rice, but this was cooked so glossy and sticky... I even wrapped a bite in the tasty perilla leaf. >.< And then a sip of the pufferfish soup broth... ahh...

The chewy, clean-tasting, mild milbok flesh was delicious too... there were three pieces of pufferfish flesh plus one bony head piece, and plenty of bean sprouts and minari (water dropwort), so it was a satisfying bowl.

Is Bogi-o Boguk worth a visit?

Bogi-o Boguk is a great pufferfish restaurant that offers not just delicious pufferfish soup, but a diverse range of pufferfish dishes including karaage, bogkatsu, sashimi, bulgogi, and skin salad. It was lovely to eat clean, deep pufferfish soup and feel healed.