Sokcho dried pollack restaurant: two plump fish & pot rice, Yetgoeul

Yetgoeul Sundubu in Sokcho: location, hours and parking

Yetgoeul Sundubu (옛고을순두부) is at 114 Wonamhaksapyeong-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon. It is open 07:00-20:00 with a break from 15:30 to 17:00. You can park in front of the restaurant, and it works for everything from a Sokcho breakfast to family and group meals.

How busy is Yetgoeul Sundubu at 11:30am?

I visited at 11:30am and only 3 tables were left. The place is big with a ton of tables, and what impressed me was that setups for tour groups were already completely done by then. There were also signs that a wave of customers had already swept through. At 11:30am, which isn't even peak time, I sat at one of the last three seats. I wondered just how famous and popular this restaurant was, and my expectations went up.

A self-serve fridge instead of a self-serve bar

Yetgoeul Sundubu has a great view of Ulsan Rock, and it runs a self-serve fridge rather than a self-serve bar. The banchan (side dishes) sat neatly lined up in the fridge, and you just take what you want. When a self-serve bar is poorly kept it gets messy, so being able to grab just what you need from the fridge was very convenient and hygienic.

The owner is the signature

At the entrance of this Sokcho breakfast favorite hangs a huge photo of the owner with his great mustache. The apron, spoons, chopsticks, haha, all of it is covered in the owner's character! He also works the floor himself. Thumbs up! And the cutlery comes in neat individual packs too!

What does the grilled pollack set for 2 look like?

The grilled pollack set (황태구이정식) at Yetgoeul Sundubu starts at 2 servings, and the table was packed to bending point with freshly cooked rice in a cast-iron pot, grilled pollack and lots of banchan. If you're in Sokcho, you've got to eat hwangtae (dried pollack). The biggest highlight was the rice cooked fresh in a cast-iron pot. The toppings on the white rice made it look even more tempting and delicious.

Two plump pieces of pollack

On the cast-iron plate the pollack for 2 looks like one fish, but it is actually two really big, plump fish. They weren't salty, the balance was good, and they were grilled to a savory finish, served with plenty of banchan. It's grilled pollack, yet the texture was moist, which totally hit my taste.

Hearty banchan, but no refills on the grilled tofu

Besides the basic vegetables, kimchi and namul (seasoned greens), the set comes with protein-rich sides like grilled tofu, jeon (savory pancakes) and white sundubu (soft tofu). That makes it more generous and filling, which is its charm. Be ready to stuff yourself at Yetgoeul Sundubu. Just note that the grilled tofu can't be refilled.

The charm of pot rice with three-color toppings

The pot rice at Yetgoeul Sundubu is piping hot and fluffy, topped with colorful three-color garnishes. Pot rice is a magical dish that boosts your appetite the moment you lift the lid. I scooped rice into a bowl and poured water into the pot right away to make nurungji (scorched rice tea).. Put plump, tender grilled pollack on fluffy white rice and what more explanation do you need. This is what travel is all about.

Soft sundubu instead of soup

When you order the grilled pollack set at Yetgoeul Sundubu, a bowl of soft sundubu comes too. It has a pudding-like moistness, so you don't need a separate soup. The mild, clean flavor of the sundubu was excellent.

Overall verdict on Yetgoeul Sundubu in Sokcho

Yetgoeul Sundubu opens early, so it's good for a simple breakfast, and with hearty meals like grilled pollack and samsaek dubu jeongol (three-color tofu hotpot), it seems like a great family dining spot after lunch too. With so many groups there, it looked sure to win over older tastes as well. Overall the food was clean and moderately seasoned, an easy, no-pressure meal, and I really liked it. Freshly cooked pot rice with tender grilled pollack is the ultimate combo! Thanks to it, I enjoyed a filling, warm meal in Sokcho. I'd go back!