Yuseong, Daejeon restaurant with whole octopus agujjim: Seommaeul

The weather's been all over the place lately and I've been feeling a bit low on energy, so I was craving something spicy and hearty•• So today I went to a famous Yuseong spot that anyone who loves agujjim (spicy braised monkfish) in Daejeon has probably heard of!! Seommaeul Agujjim••

Parking at Seommaeul: two free lots, front and back

You can park right in front of Seommaeul at 1163 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon••

There's also a second Seommaeul parking lot behind the restaurant — just follow the signs. Having two lots made things really convenient..!

Inside Seommaeul: a wide hall and homemade sikhye by the door

The moment I walked into Seommaeul, the clean, spacious hall caught my eye•• Near the entrance there was even homemade sikhye (sweet rice punch), simmered like mom used to make! I had it after the meal, so check the bottom for that 🫶

The tables were spaced generously, too, so it'd be great for family gatherings, work dinners, or drinks with friends! Everything was neatly kept and it just felt good to be there••

Seommaeul's menu and what three people ordered

Seommaeul's menu includes agujjim, agu-munuh-jjim (monkfish and octopus braise), seafood braise, abalone-octopus braise, nakji-bokkeum (stir-fried octopus), abalone galbitang, bone soup, plus fried rice, add-in noodles (ramyeon/somyeon/kalguksu), and steamed egg as an extra. Since there were three of us, we ordered a medium agu-munuh-jjim, two bowls of rice, and one fried rice!

They also give you a free canned drink if you write a Naver receipt review, so give it a try••

Side dishes and the steamed egg at Seommaeul

The banchan (side dishes) at Seommaeul were stir-fried potato strips, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), gim-jaban (seasoned seaweed flakes), black sesame salad, and fish cake — perfectly seasoned and the kind of sides everyone likes••

They also gave us dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) and a dipping sauce for the agujjim!

Along with the basic sides, steamed egg came out too, and it was so soft and delicious! A total steamed-egg destination 🫢

Medium agu-muneo-jjim: how the whole octopus tastes

Finally, the medium agu-munuh-jjim arrived, and the moment it landed on the table, the sheer volume and overwhelming visual made us gasp•• A whole, plump octopus sat right on top of the dish!

It's really huge.!!

They cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces right there, and I could feel the springy texture through the scissors as they snipped••

Octopus can easily turn rubbery if it's boiled wrong, but the octopus at Seommaeul was genuinely tender and soft! I want to eat it again…😌 The more you chew, the more you taste that distinct octopus umami and cleanness, and it paired perfectly with the spicy sauce••

The monkfish under the octopus: how thick is it?

The monkfish hiding underneath the octopus was seriously substantial too•• This wasn't an agujjim that's all bones — there was plenty of thick, meaty monkfish packed in!

The sauce wasn't artificially spicy — it had that addictive, savory-hot flavor you keep wanting more of, and it went so well with rice••(this place is a sauce destination) Crunchy bean sprouts, monkfish meat, and white rice together were absolutely amazing lol

Fried rice to finish the agujjim

Of course, the finishing dessert for Koreans is fried rice! Even stuffed full from the agu-munuh-jjim, you can't skip the fried rice, right?

You know the drill — mix it once, then press it down ㅎㅅㅎ

Fried up in the leftover sauce, the rice came out mingled with fragrant roasted seaweed flakes and minari (water dropwort), and even though we were full, we scraped the plate clean••

I love eating it like this, topped with more sauce! The moisture makes it even tastier••

Seommaeul's house-brewed sikhye after the meal

The real finish was the homemade, mom-style sikhye••

I tried it, and it was just sweet enough, with that clear homemade taste•• Tasted like the kind grandma used to make back in the countryside — it was so good I drank two cups! You've got to try it 👍🏻