Fugu restaurant in Cheongdam: chewy-fin wild milbok soup, Bogi-o Boguk

Why I chose pufferfish soup for a solo dinner in Cheongdam-dong

I had errands in Cheongdam-dong for the first time in a while, and going home to eat dinner felt awkward, so I decided to eat at Bogi-o Boguk (복이오복국), a pufferfish place nearby! Haha. It's somewhere I really love.

I'm a huge pufferfish fan, but most pufferfish restaurants seem to be in Gangnam. I've been to one in Euljiro too, but I almost never see any near where I live. T_T So when I'm in Gangnam, I have to eat it :) A colleague told me a few days ago that they'd gone for pufferfish and I was SO jealous T_T Today I finally get to go!

Bogi-o Boguk location: 8 minutes on foot from Cheongdam Station Exit 13

Bogi-o Boguk is an 8-minute walk from Cheongdam Station Exit 13. It's on the second floor of the Sinseon Seolnongtang building, right by the main road.

Bogi-o Boguk exterior and the lunchtime kkachi-bok soup discount

The restaurant uses the entire second floor of the building, so it looks really big even from the outside.

At lunchtime, kkachi-bok (striped pufferfish) soup is 50% off, which makes it around ₩10,000. Best value ever. T_T My only regret is that I never have a reason to be out this way for work...

Just as it looked from outside, the sheer scale hits you the moment you arrive on the second floor!!

Is Bogi-o Boguk comfortable for eating alone?

Inside, there are lots of tables and it's very spacious. The tables are spaced apart and divided by high backrests, so you can hardly see the people next to you. The layout makes for a private, comfortable meal.

The lighting is bright and the whole place has a lively feel.

There are small seats by the window for solo diners and small groups, and that's where I sat!

Bogi-o Boguk menu and price range

For meals, there's the most popular pufferfish soup (boguk), plus pufferfish skin salad, pufferfish karaage and course meals. Chambok (tiger puffer) is the priciest, then milbok, and kkachi-bok is the cheapest.

• Price order: chambok > milbok > kkachi-bok
• Meal: pufferfish soup
• Sides: pufferfish skin salad, pufferfish karaage
• Course meals are available too

Clear wild milbok pufferfish soup for ₩24,000: how did it taste?

I ordered the basic meal, the clear wild milbok pufferfish soup (jiri, ₩24,000). It came piping hot in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot). It's loaded with minari (water dropwort) and enoki mushrooms, and the broth is so clear~

They also set out basic rice sides like stir-fried anchovies, stir-fried fish cake and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi).

Milbok pufferfish meat: tender, clean and savory

This wild milbok soup is packed with meat. I could really taste the milbok's texture, much more tender and soft than ordinary pufferfish.

Dipped lightly in wasabi soy sauce, the milbok's clean savory flavor is outstanding~ It's really chewy and delicious!!

A broth packed with minari, bean sprouts and radish

Generous vegetables are what give the broth its deep, refreshing flavor!

Not just fragrant minari but also enoki, bean sprouts and radish go all the way down to the bottom of the pot, so the broth stays cool and clear to the end without any heaviness. I think it would be perfect for curing a hangover too.

Chewy milbok pufferfish skin and fins

There are tons of big pieces of milbok in the pot, lol. These are the skin and fins, with a different charm from the meat. Full of gelatin and collagen, they have a properly chewy, bouncy bite!

Dipped in soy sauce with wasabi stirred in, it's really delicious. Apart from the bones there's nothing to throw away, and from the meat to the skin each part has a different texture and all of it was tasty!

Sipping the broth now and then, boiling hot and rich with vegetable stock from the pot, was really refreshing. The minari had wilted just right, tender with no toughness, so it was easy to keep fishing it out and eating it.

Who should eat at Bogi-o Boguk near Cheongdam Station?

A bowl of rice just vanished!! There was plenty of milbok in the soup, so it was a really filling dinner. The place is clean and the food feels upscale, so I think it would be good for bringing guests too.

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Cheongdam Station for a get-together, or a place for a hangover cure, I recommend having a special meal at Bogi-o Boguk!