Hello Boiling Crab in Jeju: American Seafood Boil
I think one of the things Seoulites shouldn't do when visiting Jeju is eat Western food like Italian or French. This includes Japanese food, too. Since Seoul's culinary infrastructure is so outstanding, I don't see the need to go out of your way to eat pasta or rice bowls in Jeju.
However, American-style seafood boils are a slightly different story. After tasting something at 'Gla Gla Hawaii' that's hard to find even in Seoul, I found that 'Hello Boiling Crab' also serves crab dishes comparable to what I used to eat in Itaewon (a diverse district in Seoul).
Reminiscent of 'Boiling Crab & Shrimp' in Itaewon, 'Hello Boiling Crab' focuses on steamed crab, just as the name suggests. I came here because a younger friend visiting Jeju—who looks like a physical education major—insisted we go. The interior is neat and uncluttered, and all the eating gear is perfectly prepped, building anticipation as soon as you walk in. Since it was our first visit, we ordered the signature 'Boiling Crab & Shrimp Original' at the mildest spice level.
Because it's a steamed dish, cooking takes a long time. It actually takes so long that they sometimes turn away walk-ins due to a lack of cooking time, even when there are plenty of empty tables. Especially these days in the COVID era, it's best to consider this a reservations-only spot. If you don't book ahead, you might not get to eat no matter how empty the restaurant is, so you absolutely must make a reservation to get them steaming the crab in advance.
Perhaps because we reserved in advance, the food came out without a long wait. The portion was much larger than I imagined. Looking at the origin board, everything except the crab is imported—which is unusual for Jeju—but seeing the sheer size of the dish makes it understandable. If you want a seafood boil made with local Jeju ingredients, go to 'Gla Gla Hawaii'; if portion size is your priority, come here.
As with crab dishes anywhere, extracting the meat takes forever, but eating it happens in a flash. The flavor needs to hit you right away with each bite, and this place's sauce delivers exactly that. I don't know how much butter they used, but it's full of buttery aroma, and the slightly spicy kick keeps you coming back for more. However, whether it's the sugar or the butter, it makes you crave a drink intensely.
This place is really delicious, but I hesitate to recommend it because of one drawback: digging out the crab meat. Extracting the meat is so exhausting, tedious, and annoying that you just wish someone else would do it for you. If you come here with a girl you're dating and pick the crab meat out for her, I guarantee it will lead to marriage. It's that much of a hassle, making it feel like you're barely even eating.
When you finish the food and tell the owner, they boil some pasta noodles for you. The sauce is so good that this final pasta course is a real delicacy. I thought I wasn't very full because I had been eating in tiny, hard-earned bites, but when I stood up, I was so stuffed I could barely walk.
Both quantity and taste pass with flying colors. But the eating process is a fail. I recommend it as long as you aren't so hungry that you'd just chew through the crab shells. Or, if you're going with someone who will extract the meat for you, I highly recommend it.
