Sinpung Nakji 신풍낙지

The whole three-story building on Daerim-ro is given over to octopus: parking and waiting on the ground floor, dining rooms on the second and third. Nakji bokkeum, stir-fried octopus, features long, plump tentacles with a light charred aroma and a springy bite that never turns tough. Solo diners get nakji deopbap with the rice and stir-fry served separately, cutting the octopus with scissors and mixing in sauce and bean sprouts a little at a time. Chilled cucumber soup, plain soft tofu and salad from the self-service bar cool things down between bites. Nakji haemul pajeon, the octopus-seafood pancake, has crisp edges but a rather oily center.