Ilpum Haemultang 일품해물탕

Ilpum Haemultang is an East Coast seafood restaurant at 30-26 Jinju-ro in Samcheok, Gangwon State. Its octopus seafood hot pot places one whole common octopus caught that day into the cooking vessel without cutting it beforehand. Flower crab, shrimp, sea raven, and bean sprouts enter the same pot, producing layers of seafood and vegetables different from a broth based on only shellfish or one fish. Once the pot boils, the octopus is cut and eaten at the point that keeps it from becoming firm. Crab, shrimp, and the remaining ingredients follow according to their cooking time. The broth gains concentration as the seafood and bean sprouts cook, so the meal proceeds through the ingredients rather than reducing the liquid for a long period at the beginning. One large pot and its remaining broth fit a multi-person table when the quantity of octopus and other seafood is considered. Octopus bibimbap places sliced octopus over rice with seasoning and functions as an individual meal without the shared vessel. Spicy seasoned octopus is served on a plate and differs from the hot pot in temperature and cooking format. A single diner can choose the rice bowl, while a table ordering the soup can add the seasoned plate for a cooler, chili-dressed preparation. The kitchen relies on the daily supply of wild seafood. When enough common octopus is not landed, the restaurant either closes for the day or reduces the dishes it sells. Catch volume therefore determines opening and the number of available hot pots instead of a fixed frozen inventory producing the same menu every day. The interior includes floor seating where shoes are removed and room-like divided spaces, allowing several diners to sit around one vessel. A dedicated area beside the restaurant holds about nine vehicles. When those spaces are occupied, the Samcheok Central Market parking tower provides the larger nearby alternative. The restaurant closes every Monday and has a weekday preparation break from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Party size and meal format determine the order among a whole day-caught octopus hot pot, an individual octopus rice bowl, and a spicy plate of seasoned octopus.