Seongnae-dong octopus restaurant with steamed egg custard: Jjuksami

Every time I walk through Cheonho's octopus alley, that spicy smell makes it impossible to just pass by, doesn't it? I really wanted proper octopus with pork belly, so I went to Jjuksami in Cheonho's octopus alley.

From the spicy octopus-pork belly combo to the signature sweet potato cheese mousse, we cleaned the whole pan and finished it off properly with flying fish roe cheese fried rice. It was also a good spot for a Cheonho date with a drink or two.

Where is Jjuksami? Inside the Cheonho octopus alley in Seongnae-dong

Jjuksami is located inside Cheonho's octopus alley. Even deep in the alley, the yellow octopus character and the big Jjuksami sign stood out, so it wasn't hard to find.

What Jjuksami looks like inside on an early weekday evening

Inside, the seating was mostly round tables, and the spacing between tables was more comfortable than I expected. We went early for dinner and could eat at a relaxed pace, but by the time we left the place had filled up completely!

We visited in the evening, and I noticed other guests sipping soju with their spicy octopus, so the vibe suited both a Cheonho date and a casual drink. You know this is the kind of place that counts as a real old-school gem, right?! Having been in Cheonho's Seongnae-dong octopus alley for decades, it's earned that status.

Jjuksami menu prices, from 15,000 won octopus to fried rice

Looking at the menu, plain octopus was ₩15,000, octopus + pork belly ₩16,000, and octopus + shrimp ₩16,000. The octopus + shrimp + pork belly combo was ₩18,000, a good pick if you want to try a bit of everything. The add-ons (sari) were varied too — pork belly and shrimp were ₩8,000 each, cheese and egg custard were ₩3,000 each. For fried rice, cheese fried rice was ₩3,500, flying fish roe fried rice was ₩3,500, and cheese + roe fried rice was ₩4,500.

And of course, the essential Rich Gold cheese plate was ₩2,000.

Octopus + pork belly with the Rich Gold cheese plate on one hot plate

We picked octopus + pork belly! Spicy-seasoned octopus came out in the middle of a large hot plate, topped with pork belly and enoki mushrooms — it looked plenty hearty even before it was cooked! We came straight from work and were so hungry that waiting for it to cook was rough, haha.

What I liked most was the edge of the hot plate — bean sprouts piled up on one side, and on the other, the Rich Gold cheese plate with cheese and sweet potato mousse looked seriously delicious.

As the octopus and pork belly cooked, the seasoning blended in perfectly, and eating the spicy dish with the stretchy melted cheese made the heat much gentler. With the pork belly added in, it had a richer, nuttier flavor than octopus alone, and the texture was great too.

Mixing in bites of the fluffy egg custard along the way paired perfectly with the spicy octopus-pork belly combo. The egg custard we ordered separately also came out nice and soft, great for cutting through the spice.

Finishing with flying fish roe cheese fried rice, the "K-dessert"

We were pretty full, but you can't have hot plate food without fried rice afterward, right? Haha. As our K-dessert, we ordered the flying fish roe cheese fried rice!! Frying rice in the leftover octopus sauce meant the spicy seasoning soaked into every grain, and the flying fish roe added a nice popping texture.

With the cheese melting in, you got both spicy and savory flavors at once, and even though we were full, our spoons kept going back for more. Scraping up the crispy bits stuck to the pan is really the true taste of fried rice.

Who should book a table at Jjuksami in Cheonho?

From octopus + pork belly to cheese, egg, and bean sprouts, we got to enjoy a wide variety off one pan, and finished it off properly with fried rice. If you're craving something spicy in Cheonho's octopus alley or looking for a Cheonho restaurant for a date with a drink, I definitely recommend having the octopus + pork belly and finishing with the flying fish roe cheese fried rice at Jjuksami~~