Raw shrimp sashimi set with butter-grilled shrimp heads in

It's shrimp season these days! My Instagram stories are all shrimp shrimp shrimp..🦐 Everyone kept posting shrimp, so I went and had some myself haha

A pocha-style raw fish restaurant in Wolsan-dong: Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch

Here it is — I heard there was a clean, delicious pocha in Wolsan-dong, so I went to check it out. This is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch.

There's parking in the alley behind the building, but not many spots!!

There's a fish tank outside so you can see the shrimp and fish right away haha. Apparently this place is also famous for its hamo (pike conger) shabu shabu in Gwangju. If you're looking for a good raw fish restaurant in Wolsan-dong, go here!

Seating and table spacing

Inside, there were quite a lot of seats and it felt spacious. And best of all, the gaps between tables were wide so I could sit without feeling cramped. The menu was pretty diverse, but since I came for shrimp, I ordered the raw shrimp sashimi + grilled shrimp set!!

Self-serve chive pancake corner

There's also a corner where you can make your own pancake, so you can enjoy as much chive-packed buchimgae (savory pancake) as you want!

There were way more chives than I expected, super generous haha. Such a good deal, right?!!

What the table setting looks like

The table setting was ready. Seaweed soup, vinegar salad, grilled fish, sushi rice, salad, and the grilled shrimp I ordered came out first. The spread was so generous that this place would also be great if you're looking for a mixed sashimi platter in Gwangju!

Salt-grilled shrimp — keep the lid on!

Shrimp and egg are placed on top of salt. As the shrimp cooks it wriggles around, so make sure to keep the lid closed!!! The tak-tak sound and the way they flip and spring up made it feel insanely fresh…hahaha. Watching the shrimp slowly turn a lovely red is quietly satisfying to witness firsthand🦐

How fresh is the raw shrimp sashimi?

The raw shrimp sashimi I'd been waiting for arrived!! Freshness is everything for raw shrimp sashimi, and this place felt full of life just looking at it.

Just looking at it makes it look so plump and delicious..💙 It said they'd give a refund if it wasn't fresh or tasty, but it was so fresh there was no chance of that happening hahaha

Whoa, look at it move!! Poor thing… but it's cooking up deliciously, so I'll look away..

Wasabi soy sauce vs. cho-jang

To really taste the natural sweetness of the raw shrimp, wasabi soy sauce was definitely the best. But dipping it in cho-jang (spicy vinegar sauce) once in a while was also delicious!

On the plate, plump, translucent raw shrimp were stacked neatly — doesn't the look alone make your mouth water haha. The moment I dipped a piece of raw shrimp sashimi lightly in soy sauce and popped it in my mouth, the springy texture that bounced back before I even chewed was pure art… 💚 The more I chewed, the more a not-artificial, fresh sweetness burst out, and it made me crave soju. I was going to the gym after eating, so I barely held back..

Eating it as raw shrimp sushi too

It's also delicious placed on the rice that came with it, made into raw shrimp sushi!!

Even after peeling off the shell, the flesh stayed plump instead of shrinking, and you could feel that firm, full texture right through your fingertips. Thank you to my dining partner for peeling the shrimp for me..🥹 If you set the peeled heads aside and ask the staff, they'll turn the shrimp heads into a butter-grilled dish haha

Shrimp sushi! haha

How the butter-grilled shrimp heads taste

The butter-grilled shrimp heads arrive! If the body is sweet and springy, the head is pure nuttiness. Just pluck off the horn and eat it — salty and nutty, the kind of taste that calls for beer and soju..✨✨

Seriously crispy, nutty, salty, and delicious hahaha👍 Enjoy this fall's shrimp at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch 🦐🦐💜