Sokcho Korean restaurant for fresh-fried seafood: Hwangbuja Twigim

The scent of frying that stopped me in Sokcho Central Market

When I travel to Sokcho, sightseeing here and there is fun, of course, but I simply cannot leave out the fun of tracking down delicious food~~ haha. I feel this every time I come, but Sokcho Central Market is seriously a place that is hard to just walk pastㅜㅜ From the moment you step inside, wonderful smells rise from every direction and tempting food keeps appearing right in front of you 🤤 This time, among all the food at Sokcho Central Market, I visited Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김), a spot fried-food lovers should stop by at least once!

As you wander further into the market, you see so many places selling fried food! Each shop has similar yet slightly different offerings, so even looking around and deciding where and what to eat is so much fun. We were browsing this and that around the market when we stopped in front of Hwangbuja Twigim!! The reason? That fried-food smell was just too powerful, haha. Phew.... The savory scent from food being freshly fried drifted up, and there was no way to simply pass it by 😆

Seafood fritters and sundae chosen as an assortment

Plus, there were so many kinds of fried food on display that at first I thought I would just try king prawn tempura and squid tempura. But you know how it is, right?? Watching each piece get fried right in front of me made me want this and that~~ So in the end, I chose an assorted platter!

Hwangbuja Twigim has all sorts of options, from shrimp tempura and king prawn tempura to squid tempura and fried blue crab. Since I was in Sokcho, I could not leave out squid sundae (stuffed squid) either!!!! They sell Abai sundae (a local blood sausage), squid sundae, and nurungji squid sundae too~ The name nurungji squid sundae made me curious from the start. It is regular squid sundae with nurungji—scorched rice—added, so you get chewy squid sundae and crispy nurungji together~~ The owner really knows good food, doesn't she?!

If you have come to Sokcho Central Market, you have to try this kind of local food at least once, haha. There are seafood options such as fried blue crab and baby crab too, so you can choose something a little different from the fried snacks at your usual bunsik place. I have so much fun looking at market food like this! Even if I set out intending to eat just one thing, my plans keep changing once I see all the food in front of me 🤣

Fried to order

At Hwangbuja Twigim, they fry what you order right away, so you can have it truly warm?? No, hot! While waiting, you keep watching the food cook in the oil, and from the moment it turns that golden color, the drooling is no joke. Such a strange phenomenon: I had not even received my food yet, but I was already hungry, haha. The shrimp tempura had long, plump shrimp inside; it looked delicious just watching it get coated in batter and fried crisp!! The squid tempura was generously sized too, so with one bite, it looked like you could enjoy the squid's chewiness and the crisp batter at once.

There is also space further inside where you can eat in~

Opening the assorted fried-food takeaway straight in the car

Takeaway complete!

Once I had the assorted fried platter in hand, the takeaway container was so packed that it felt satisfying just to look at~ It would have been nice to eat in the market, but it was so crowded that we decided to take it back to our accommodation. But then there was a problem. The smell kept rising while we carried the fried food to the car, haha. I had to resist, but I kept wanting to pick one up and eat it. In the end, we opened it as soon as we got into the car.

Opening the lid revealed a container full of beautifully golden fried pieces! They had just come out, so they were warm and the batter was still wonderfully crisp—eating them right away really is best~ First you bite through the crispy outside, then chewy squid comes through inside. This is exactly the kind of thing where you mean to have one, then keep reaching for more, haha 😆

Absolutely loved the nurungji squid sundae

Nurungji squid sundae is a popular item too! Lots of people look for squid sundae when they come to Sokcho Central Market, right? At Hwangbuja Twigim, you can find Abai sundae, squid sundae, and nurungji squid sundae. The nurungji squid sundae in particular has nurungji added to the outside, making it fun to chew. The chewy texture of squid sundae paired with the savory, crispy nurungji makes it something well worth trying at least once. I absolutely, totally loved the nurungji squid sundae!! An unconditional, huge recommendation! Next time I go to Sokcho, I need to come back and check off the rest of the menu too, haha.