Gangdong Korean restaurant with sweet potato cheese: Jjuksami

We visited Jjuksami near Cheonho Station with our baby. This Cheonho jjukkumi (spicy webfoot octopus) spot has cheese and sweet potato mousse that are a work of art!

Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch in Cheonho-dong’s jjukkumi alley

I was craving something spicy, so I went to Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch in Cheonho-dong’s jjukkumi alley. Among the many jjukkumi specialists in this Cheonho food spot, Jjuksami is known for its distinct fire-charred flavor and generous portions.

It has been doing business in the same spot since 2006, so it is already famous as a longtime Cheonho-dong jjukkumi institution. It was also selected as a Safe Restaurant by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which made this Gangdong restaurant feel even more trustworthy. Jjuksami accepts orders through delivery apps and by phone, too. Inside, I kept hearing the ding-dong sound of delivery orders. It must be a place people order from a lot as well.

Sofa seating that worked well with a baby

The dining room has plenty of regular round tables as well as comfortable sofa seats along the wall. We went with our baby, and while there were no separate baby chairs, the sofa seating let us sit our baby down safely while we ate.

There is storage under the chairs for outerwear or bags, so I worried less about them picking up the smell of meat. As soon as we sat down, a staff member thoughtfully brought us aprons, too.

Jjukkumi, pork belly, shrimp, and a cheese plate

There was a basic jjukkumi option, plus jjukkumi with pork belly and jjukkumi with shrimp. After much deliberation, we ordered two portions of jjukkumi, pork belly, and shrimp. I just could not give up any of them, haha.

To fill the edge of the grill in a more spectacular way, we added the Rich Gold Cheese Plate (₩2,000) and a chewy cheese rice-cake topping. Among Cheonho jjukkumi restaurants, this special grill ringed with cheese and sweet potato mousse is Jjuksami’s uniquely irresistible feature.

When we ordered the main dish, the fluffy steamed egg seemed to come as a complimentary side, and sweet corn cheese with popping kernels was included too. The steamed egg is essential for resetting your palate now and then, haha. And the corn cheese was so good as well.

One edge of the grill came piled high with crisp stir-fried bean sprouts, while the other was filled appetizingly with salty cheese and sweet potato fondue. The Rich Gold Cheese Plate in particular contains sweet potato mousse, and mixed with the spicy jjukkumi sauce, it was seriously delicious.

I put refreshing pickled radish on a fragrant perilla leaf, then added plump jjukkumi and nutty cheese all at once to make a wrap. It was truly a dream combination. No wonder it is such a great Gangdong restaurant—the flavor is excellent and addictive.

There was a really generous amount of shrimp and pork belly in it.

Jjuksami’s sweet-and-spicy jjukkumi sauce and savory Rich Gold cheese were such a delicious match. Seeing how the cheese stretched, it really seemed like they use real cheese. It stretched and stretched, and was so tasty—I think I would have regretted not ordering the cheese plate.

Jjuksami’s unmistakable fire-charred flavor

What sets it apart from other places? The fire-charred flavor is unmistakable.

When you are craving appetite-awakening Cheonho-dong jjukkumi and want to enjoy properly fire-charred jjukkumi, I recommend Jjuksami among the many jjukkumi restaurants!