The friends I was travelling with had read that Sokcho was one of the best places too try out special types of Soondae. We decided to wander about a small section of restaurants just off main drag of the coast but the first one we came across looked solid and we thought of no reason not to sit down there.

The lady was deep frying fresh shrimp and frying up different dishes right on the side of the street, like street meat with a sit down area.

We ordered a plate of the mixed Soondae with some corn makoli. Made fresh right next to our table, we didn’t wait long at all before we had a full plate infront of us.

The squid was the body of the squid, emptied and then stuffed with more seafood meat, crab, shrimp, spices etc… It’s then sliced and grilled. To the right of the squid is blood sausage with rice and spices. Both of these things are something I never would’ve considered a few months ago, but when in Rome.

The squid itself tasted incredible, nothing over powering and grilled to the perfect level. It gives meaning to the old saying “Good seafood shouldn’t taste like seafood”. The blood sausage was just in the same, perfect amount of spices, nothing too over powering, and with the rice and being cooked, it tasted almost like actual meat. In fact had you not told me it was blood sausage, i wouldn’t have questioned it.

The day we left we went for round two at another shop down the path not to far. The entire restaurant area was more like a network of alleyways more than anything else. With almost every resto smattered with pictures of seafood interlaced with screenshots of Korean reality/food shows that’d been filmed at that restaurant.

It isn’t something I’d have for every meal, but none the less, taste is incredible. Although the second restaurant, depsite having more realty tv screen shots postered around the place, didn’t taste as good as the small mom & pop shop down the way from the first day. This sort of dish also strikes me as something that when it’s good, its so good, but if done badly, could turn you off of it altogether.

So if you ever find your self on the north eastern coast of South Korea in Sokcho, find one of these with lots of Koreans already in there, and you’ll know you found a proper one, and you won’t be disappointed.

Until next time, stay well fed and free on the sea my friends.