In 2019, Mokpo City was the first in the country to declare itself the 'Capital of Taste'. Mokpo, where the Southwestern Sea meets the Yeongsan River and serves as a gateway where the sea meets the inland, is a gastronomical city where all sorts of seafood freshly caught from the pristine Southwestern Sea and mudflats are collected. These include the well-known octopus, skate, croaker, crab, cutlassfish, blowfish, grunt, blackmouth, and rockfish, which are all prepared as local delicacies, collectively known as the 'Mokpo Nine Flavors'. The first thing that comes to mind when one mentions 'Mokpo' is the octopus, a representative dish and local specialty of Mokpo, which symbolizes the city.

Even before entering, the restaurant seems to have been featured in various TV media, giving off an aura of a famous eatery. Upon entering, you can see numerous banners of TV appearances, photos with celebrities, autographs and more. The dazzling exterior, which seems like a badge of a famous restaurant, makes you feel the pride of the owner in their cuisine.

The octopus, like any other, has eight legs, but it is called a 'thin-legged octopus' because its legs are thin. While octopus is usually caught on the west and south coasts of Korea, the thin-legged octopus is a representative local specialty of Mokpo, caught only in Mokpo, Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan.

The thin-legged octopus is small, so if you roll it up with wooden chopsticks and eat it whole, the taste is exceptional. It is also often eaten as a deep-flavored soup. Other dishes include octopus salad, stir-fried octopus, octopus soup, and octopus bibimbap. There was a menu that caught my eye, seemingly considerate of those who want to try various octopus dishes but can't order them all due to a small number of people. A set menu that allows you to eat octopus tartare and skewers together! After ordering an additional octopus soup for the two-person set, feeling a bit lacking, and completing a perfect 'octopus dish set', a homely set of neat side dishes are served, reminiscent of a mother's home-cooked meal. Then the main dish of the day, the octopus set meal, was served!

The first thing I tried was the octopus tartare, which should be eaten while the freshness of the octopus remains! Although the octopus is finely chopped, the wriggling power of the octopus is tremendous. It's fresh, and they kindly explain that you should eat the sprouted ginseng that comes with the tartare first. The harmony of the 'ginseng from the mudflat' and the sprouted ginseng was unique and thoughtful.

Usually, the octopus tartare I've eaten so far either has fresh octopus or octopus with beef tartare, but it was new and special here because shiitake mushrooms were added. The live octopus, tender and savory beef tartare, and the chewy yet thick texture of the shiitake mushrooms make the texture more abundant, and every bite makes your mouth happy.

Then, one of the dishes I really wanted to try, the octopus skewers! Every time I saw people eating a whole octopus, either raw or seasoned, on a wooden skewer on TV, I was really curious about the taste and promised myself to try it when I go to Mokpo..! I was half excited, half worried that if it was too chewy and didn't cut well, I might have to swallow it in one bite. But the tender octopus, soaked in sauce, filled my mouth and was even juicy enough to drip. The seasoning was moderately spicy and sweet, so it seemed to suit everyone's taste. It's a great skewer that can be eaten as an appetizer for adults or side dish for kids! It even made me want to try eating a freshly caught octopus right on the mudflat, just like people on TV programs, creating a strange sense of challenge(?).

Now it's time for something warm! The soup of the somewhat rustic octopus soup, filled with chunky vegetables and whole octopus legs, flows down the throat with a spicy and hot taste as soon as you take a sip. A mouthful of tartare enjoying the fresh taste, a taste of the sweet seasoning of the skewers, followed by a sip of the spicy and cool octopus soup! This 'sweet, salty, and fresh combination' seems like an endless loop of infinite flavors that you could keep eating.

Just when you start to miss the taste of carbohydrates, the lady owner recommends stir-fried rice with roe. She stir-fries the remaining live octopus and roe in a wok and serves it, and this fried rice is also a special dish. A bite of fried rice, a bite of skewer as a side dish, and to finish off, a sip of octopus soup! There can be no better combination than this. Moreover, the soy sauce crab that came as a side dish is not salty, and it's another delicacy when mixed with the fried rice.

According to the 'Jasan Eobo', written by Jeong Yakjeon during the Joseon Dynasty, 'If you feed a few octopuses to a cow that has collapsed from farm work, it will quickly get up.' This shows that octopus is rich in protein and essential amino acids, especially 'taurine', which accounts for 34% of the nutritional components of octopus. It activates liver function and breaks down cholesterol, making it a high-protein nutritional food and an excellent stamina food.

In particular, the thin-legged octopus of Mokpo is characterized by its thin and long legs, which give it a soft, tender, and savory taste. As befits the 'home of the thin-legged octopus', there are many places in Mokpo where you can taste various octopus dishes. Here are a few of the top restaurants and model restaurants in Mokpo where you can enjoy the delicacy of thin-legged octopus.

[ Restaurants where you can eat thin-legged octopus ]

✔ Top Restaurants [As of 2024]

- Dokcheon Restaurant / 3-1, Honam-ro 64beon-gil / 061-242-6528

- Tteulchae Octopus Specialty Restaurant / 229, Haeyang University-ro / 061-244-9995

- Muan Eateries / 12, Songlim-ro 36beon-gil / 061-279-9101

- Songhak Octopus Hall / 9, Hadang-ro 30beon-gil / 061-283-6707

- Shin Mi-jung / 24, Sanjeong-an-ro / 061-277-5289

- Shinan Ppeol Octopus / 16, Cheongho-ro / 061-243-8181

- Dokcheongol / 197, Mihang-ro / 061-283-9991

- Gaetnaeeum / 11, sinheung-ro 59beon-gil / 061-281-351

✔ Model Restaurants [As of 2024]

- Namdorang / 5, Okam-ro 54beon-gil / 061-285-9353

- Namhae Bapsang / 172, Haean-ro / 061-243-8833

- Dokcheon Restaurant / 3-1, Honam-ro 64beon-gil / 061-242-6528

- Tteulchae Octopus Specialty Restaurant / 229, Haeyang University-ro / 061-244-9995