Joyang-dong restaurant in Sokcho: ginseng seafood shabu for two

When you travel to Sokcho, there's so much fun in hunting down all the good food — raw fish, dakgangjeong (crispy fried chicken), one dish after another haha. But this time I wanted something hot and spicy with a soup broth, loaded with seafood!! So I came straight to Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu.

What we ordered at Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu

What we ordered at Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu was the Ginseng-Boosting Seafood Shabu Jangkalguksu for two~ I thought I was just going for a bowl of jangkalguksu, but it turned out to be a whole spread from seafood to shabu-shabu haha.

Hours, parking and pet policy in Joyang-dong

The restaurant is open daily from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with last order at 7:30 PM~ Naver Reservation is available, and pets are welcome too~ There are high chairs and a room for larger groups, so it looks good for family meals as well~ Private hire is possible for groups of 30 or more, so if you're visiting as a big group, it might be worth inquiring ahead~ Parking is available in the dedicated lot beside the restaurant, which fits roughly 6 to 7 cars~

Wait, they give you ginseng too?? Looks like I'm getting a proper boost today~~

What comes on the seafood platter?

Oh my haha, one platter absolutely piled with seafood — the visuals alone grabbed my attention!! 🤭 Octopus, abalone, scallops, clams, crab, shrimp — such a wide variety packed in~ Plus beef and vegetables prepared alongside, so even before eating I was already debating what to put in first haha.

The abalone was big and chunky, the crab sat there nice and plump, and there were generous portions of scallops and clams too~ Seafood lovers would probably grab their chopsticks the second they see this platter haha. I wanted to eat right after a few photos, but pretty food has to get its photoshoot too!!

After finally finishing the photos, they put the seafood into the pot haha 😋

How to eat it: broth first, then the seafood

With Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu's seafood shabu, they start by bringing the broth to a boil, then you add the seafood piece by piece to cook. The clams start opening up, and as the crab goes in, the broth color deepens. Shrimp and abalone follow one after another, and soon the pot is completely packed haha.

As the seafood cooks, the aroma gets better and better, and the broth gets deeper — richer the more you eat~

The octopus is huge!!!! And lightly blanched, it's so chewy and delicious!! Tears in my eyes~

How does the jangkalguksu broth taste?

I took a spoonful and — spicy yet refreshing, exactly my taste!! 😍 The signature sharp kick of jangkalguksu combined with the umami from the seafood kept me reaching for more spoonfuls haha. It wasn't just spicy — the flavors of crab, clams, and shrimp all blended in, so the broth itself was genuinely enjoyable to sip on its own~

Eating one thing after another, it felt like ordering one menu got us several dishes at once~ Eating only seafood might get a bit repetitive, but then beef goes in and it's a whole new flavor.

A happy cheers with makgeolli (rice wine) too

The finishing kalguksu and its flower-shaped noodles

But even after eating this much, there's still one last step haha — kalguksu (knife-cut noodles)!! Once you've had your fill of seafood, beef, and vegetables, it's time to add noodles to the broth~

They put the kalguksu noodles in and let them simmer, and as the noodles soak up the broth, it gets even richer. And among the noodles, some are shaped like flowers haha. Seeing that, of course I had to pick one out and take a photo first haha. One bite in, and the chewy noodles with the deeply infused seafood broth hit together — too good to be called the closing dish haha. I even wanted to finish with porridge, but I was way too full — porridge had to be skipped!

They're also running a Naver receipt review event! Baskin Robbins ice cream, no less. I thought I'd get a popsicle when they mentioned ice cream, but... whoa. The owner is the best. After eating a whole platter of seafood, slurping up the spicy broth, and finishing with kalguksu, it was a satisfying, hearty meal in Sokcho!! 🥰