Sokcho Korean restaurant for beer snacks: Hwangbuja Twigim

When I travel to Sokcho, I tend to pack up market food to enjoy as beer snacks at my accommodation. This time, I chose nurungji squid sundae and king prawn fritters from Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) at Sokcho Central Market.

Where is Hwangbuja Twigim, and how does parking work?

Hwangbuja Twigim is in the middle of the squid sundae alley inside Sokcho Central Market. Its registered location is stalls 26 and 27 at Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. The shop is fairly large, so it was not difficult to find, and I saw plenty of people waiting in line when I visited.

I was able to use the public parking lot across from the market. At the time of my visit, parking was ₩900 for one hour, and a parking voucher was available with purchases of ₩15,000 or more.

Can you eat in as well as order takeout?

There were seats inside where you could sit down and eat. It looked like a decent spot to have freshly fried fritters or grilled squid sundae right away.

I was also told that outside food is allowed, so you can buy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) or eomuk (fish cake) and eat it together. Since I planned to eat at my accommodation, I chose takeout.

What can you order, and how much does it cost?

The menu board out front had single items as well as sets with every item or half-and-half selections. The sundae options included Abai sundae, squid sundae, and nurungji squid sundae.

There was a wide range of fritters, including king prawn, squid, peeled shrimp, king crab meat, baby crab, and assorted fritters. The king prawn fritters caught my attention because the prawns were plump and large.

The king prawn fritters I packed were ₩10,000, and the nurungji squid sundae was ₩15,000.

How is the squid sundae prepared and packed?

I could see squid sundae being browned on a grill at one side of the shop. They also said it could be packed frozen, which seemed like an option for taking some home before heading back.

They were also making nurungji (scorched rice) at one side. Watching it crisp up made me curious about its texture with the squid sundae.

We packed it to have as drinks snacks at our accommodation. They included soy sauce and chopsticks, which made it easy to eat there.

How were the king prawn fritters and nurungji squid sundae?

I tried a few of the king prawn fritters in the car while we were on the way. They were freshly fried and crisp, with a generous filling in every bite. The plump prawns also had a nice chew.

The nurungji squid sundae had sections pressed and browned on the grill, giving its outside a crisp texture. I could taste tender squid and crunchy nurungji together, and it worked well with makgeolli (Korean rice wine) as well as beer.