Friday night waiting for flying fish roe octopus wraps: Jju Baksa

I'd been craving webfoot octopus for a while, so I went back to Jju Baksa Magok Branch!!

Whenever I eat webfoot octopus, I always look for flying fish roe wraps. I love wrapping spicy octopus with flying fish roe and cheonsachae, so I search for places that have at least one of the two — and near Yangcheon Hyanggyo there's a place that has both haha. I'd been here once before, but this time I was craving octopus again so I went back!!

How long was the wait on Friday night?

I went straight after work on a Friday night, and maybe because the weather was nice, the outdoor patio was already packed with people 🫢 There were about two groups ahead, so I figured it would move fast, put my name down, and waited haha.

While waiting I already had my menu picked out lol — decided on the fried rice set, took a lap around the Daebang shopping complex, and by the time I came back it was our turn!!

The weather had turned so nice I actually thought about sitting outside on the patio, but an indoor table opened up first so we went in! In the end, no mosquito bites and it was pretty windy outside anyway, so I was happy with how it turned out 😏

Banchan with both flying fish roe and cheonsachae

These banchan (side dishes) are exactly my personal taste! Spicy octopus absolutely needs radish kimchi, white sauce, and cheonsachae ☺️

Maybe it's age, but I've been getting weaker with spice, yet I still crave spicy food like webfoot octopus. I quickly ordered the jjusam (octopus with pork belly) I'd been eyeing while waiting, and just waited for the main dish to arrive haha.

Jjusamgyeop on the griddle, grilled entirely by the staff

Finally, the jjusamgyeop arrived. Octopus alone is already delicious, but adding pork belly brings a nutty richness, so I'm personally a fan of the jjusam combo! Both the octopus and pork belly came out looking incredibly appetizing.

A staff member grilled the whole thing for us. They told us to wait a bit until it cooked, then came back at exactly the right moment and flipped it carefully haha.

The extra cornbutter is bigger

Meanwhile, the cornbutter that comes with the set showed up. Everyone loves this, right? This place really nails every side dish I love — I mean it, seriously haha.

I even ordered a second cornbutter for ₩2,000 haha. If you order it separately as a side, they bring you a much bigger portion than the one included in the set — very satisfying!!!

And here's the star of the show... flying fish roe!!! For me, webfoot octopus without flying fish roe is like a bun with no filling. I'm so happy there's a place in the neighborhood that lets you wrap octopus with flying fish roe.

How was the octopus texture and seasoning?

The octopus wasn't too chewy — it had a nice springy texture — and the pork belly added a nutty richness, so eating them together worked really well!! The seasoning especially soaked evenly into both the octopus and the pork belly, getting tastier the more you ate. I remember enjoying it on my last visit too, but this time it genuinely tasted even better to my palate.

The staff asked if we wanted bean sprouts added too, and I said yes right away! Wrapping the octopus and pork belly with sauce in a perilla leaf and radish kimchi, then adding cheonsachae and flying fish roe — the best combo 😉

The set side dish and flying fish roe cheese fried rice

The set also lets you pick one side dish, and we went with cheese steamed egg! The rosé pasta, made using the leftover octopus sauce, sounded delicious too, but since we had to save room for fried rice, we went with the steamed egg haha.

You can't skip the fried rice when eating webfoot octopus, right!! That's included in the set too haha. I ordered the flying fish roe cheese fried rice, which comes loaded with both flying fish roe and cheese lol. The octopus itself was great, but finishing with the fried rice made the whole meal feel really satisfying.

Around ₩40,000 for two — was it worth it?

By the time we got to the fried rice, we genuinely felt like we'd burst! The set already includes several side dishes, and with cold soju-beer cocktails on top, the whole thing came to around ₩40,000 — great value!!

If you're near Magok or Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station craving something spicy, I highly recommend Jju Baksa Magok Branch. If you're like me and specifically look for flying fish roe or cheonsachae with your webfoot octopus, you need to visit here. It actually tasted even better this time than on my first visit, so this was a genuinely happy repeat trip. If you're looking for good food near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, give the spicy webfoot octopus a try!