Yeonggeum Mulhoe 영금물회

Yeonggeum Mulhoe specializes in chilled raw-fish soup on Yeonggeumjeong-ro in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The assorted mulhoe arrives as a bowl of sliced fish, seafood, and vegetables with a separate icy broth poured over the contents. The broth carries its own savory depth rather than functioning only as a vehicle for vinegared gochujang, and that cool, umami-led character remains noticeable after the red seasoning is mixed through the bowl. Abalone mulhoe brings together firm abalone, resilient sea cucumber, and the briny aroma of sea squirt, separating the ingredients through texture as much as flavor. Orders may omit sea squirt or sekkosi, allowing the bowl to focus on abalone and the remaining seafood. Sekkosi consists of small fish sliced thinly with fine bones intact. It has a stronger chew than boneless sashimi and plays an important role in both the mulhoe and rice dishes here. Sekkosi bibimbap mixes a generous portion of the sliced fish with vegetables, seasoning, and rice, putting toasted grain notes and the bone-in chew ahead of the volume of cold broth. Seafood rice bowl is a lower-priced alternative to mulhoe and gathers fish, vegetables, seasoning, and rice into one integrated dish. The two bowls use overlapping ingredients but produce distinctly different meals: mulhoe emphasizes icy liquid and refreshing acidity, while the rice dishes emphasize grain, mixing, and a denser bite. Partway through the mulhoe, a small addition of vinegar sharpens the acidity without changing the core seafood. A piece of fish dipped separately in vinegared gochujang moves closer to a dressed raw-fish salad and leaves the surrounding broth less seasoned. Ojingeo-sundae, a Sokcho specialty made by filling a squid body and cooking it in slices, supplies a warm, savory counterpoint to the chilled fish and may also be packed for takeaway. Two diners have room to share assorted mulhoe with seafood rice bowl or sekkosi bibimbap, then add ojingeo-sundae for another temperature and texture. A diner sensitive to sea squirt's marine aroma has a clear omission request, while someone unfamiliar with fine bones should understand that sekkosi is a defining part of the standard style. The restaurant's menu is most coherent when treated as a comparison among icy broth, seasoned rice, bone-in fish, firm shellfish, and warm stuffed squid near Yeonggeumjeong.