Spicy sundubu and hwangtae haejangguk breakfast in Sokcho: Jinsol

When you travel to Sokcho, don't you just want a hearty breakfast with warm soup and a bowl of rice~ This time too, while looking for a breakfast spot, I went to Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu, famous as a sundubu place in Sokcho. But we went there less than an hour after it opened that day?

And yet there were already quite a lot of people, which surprised me a bit haha. "Really this many people this early?" I thought — but after eating, I understood why people come so early. Let me tell you about Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu, a place people flock to for good reason as a Sokcho breakfast spot~

Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu in Sokcho's Sundubu Village — crowded even early in the morning?

Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu is located in Sokcho's Sundubu Village area. If you're looking for a breakfast spot while traveling in Sokcho, you may have heard of this place before. We were on an early-morning schedule, so we timed our visit for opening, and there were more customers than I expected.

Even though it was still early, I saw people already eating, and thought — of course, a famous place is different. I wondered if I'd have to worry about waiting in line for breakfast on a Sokcho trip, but luckily we got seated right away when we arrived. A hearty meal from the morning!

What we ordered — hwangtae haejangguk and spicy sundubu

In the morning, warm soup with rice is better than anything too intense, right? Especially if you ate well and had a drink or two the night before your Sokcho trip, haejangguk (hangover soup) really calls to you the next morning haha. So that day we ordered hwangtae haejangguk and spicy sundubu.

Since we came to a sundubu restaurant, we had to try the sundubu, and I was also curious about the hwangtae haejangguk, so we picked both haha.

• Hwangtae haejangguk (dried pollack soup)
• Spicy sundubu (soft tofu stew)

Silky spicy sundubu — was it too heavy for morning?

We started with the spicy sundubu. It came out bubbling in a stone pot, and my appetite shot up even though it was morning. The red broth was packed with silky sundubu — just looking at it made me feel warmer!

Taking a spoonful of the broth, it was spicy but not heavy — cleanly spicy. In the morning, something too intense could feel like a lot, but this broth was cleaner than I expected, so it went well with rice. Scooping up soft sundubu with the broth just melted in my mouth~

If you come to a sundubu place in Sokcho, you really have to eat a stone pot of this haha. A spoonful of rice, a spoonful of spicy broth, and some kimchi on the side — the rice just kept disappearing from the morning.

Hwangtae haejangguk — a perfect Sokcho breakfast

And the dish I was actually looking forward to more! The hwangtae haejangguk. Eating hwangtae haejangguk in the morning on a Sokcho trip just feels extra delicious for some reason haha. The warm stone pot of hwangtae haejangguk had dried pollack, tofu, bean sprouts and more — easy on the stomach in the morning.

The broth wasn't overly spicy or salty — more savory and refreshing, which went well with rice. The pollack flesh was soft too, and tasted great scooped up with the broth. Especially having visited so early, one spoonful of the warm hwangtae haejangguk just melted the tiredness away!

If you ate a lot the day before and are looking for a Sokcho breakfast menu the next morning, hwangtae haejangguk seems like a solid choice too. It's also a good reason to come here even if someone in your group doesn't like sundubu.

How were the side dishes?

You have to eat the banchan too~ Several side dishes came out with the main dishes. Maybe because it was morning, but eating these neat side dishes with hot soup felt just like a home-cooked meal.

With a spoonful of rice each time with the hwangtae haejangguk or spicy sundubu, plus a bit of banchan, before I knew it the whole bowl was gone haha. We often skip breakfast while traveling, but that day we ate properly and could head off to our next stop feeling good.

We visited less than an hour after opening, and there were already quite a few people eating. It made me realize there are more people than I thought looking for an early breakfast spot while traveling in Sokcho.

Seeing how busy it was from the morning, it seems like this place is already well known among people looking for a breakfast spot in Sokcho.

+++ Side dishes could be freely refilled!

If I come back to Sokcho, I'd like to try other sundubu menu items too~ We ate really well and left properly full!!