Seven-Eleven Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong [Korean Food]

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Today’s new lunchbox from Seven-Eleven is a Chinese-cuisine special created with Chef Hu Deok-juk: the Hu Deok-juk Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong. Seven-Eleven’s collaborations with Chef Hu Deok-juk — a Michelin-starred Chinese chef — haven’t been one-offs; they’ve rolled out in surprising variety. Today’s is an unusual pairing of a soupy white jjamppong (baek jjamppong) and spicy squid bulgogi, so I bought it right away. As unusual as the makeup is, the flavor was genuinely good. So let’s take a look at what it’s like.

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Hu Deok-juk Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong set
Store: Seven-Eleven (Chef Hu Deok-juk collaboration)
Price: 5,900 won (approx. $4.30 USD)
Weight: 411g
Calories: 710 kcal (sodium 81% of daily value)
Main components: Pork bulgogi (mala and char), squid bulgogi (Peruvian giant squid), white jjamppong broth, fried dumplings, squid nuggets, zhacai, stir-fried potato strips
Verdict: ★4.0 — A hearty Chinese meal spread with a soup too, and great mala-scented pork; the giant-squid texture is the only slight letdown.

Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong Set: Price and Highlights

Since 2026, Seven-Eleven’s basic menus have been getting a fairly sweeping renewal, with very basic items launching anew one after another. Amid all that, the collaborations with Chef Hu Deok-juk keep coming with quite distinctive concepts. This one launched under the concept of “a harmony of mala-flavored bulgogi and smoky squid with the deep, rich flavor of white jjamppong broth.” The price is 5,900 won.

Hu Deok-juk Chinese-style meal-set lunchbox

Anticipating spice, char, and savory salt at once

This menu comes in at 411g and 710 kcal, with sodium at 81% of the daily value — about the same as a typical lunchbox. To cook it, you set aside the side compartment, cover the lid, and heat it; the white jjamppong broth needs no separate step of adding water. The pork is domestic and the squid is Peruvian.

Chef Hu Deok-juk collaboration lunchbox review

A full-spread lunchbox with squid bulgogi

Since this menu includes baek jjamppong, it comes with a spork by default. Chopsticks aren’t provided separately, so it’s worth grabbing a pair when you buy it.

Seven-Eleven's signature Chinese seasoning

What’s in the Box

Let’s take a quick look at the makeup. This menu is a 6-plus-1-side spread including the mains and sides. The baek jjamppong sits in its own bowl-style tray, and when cooking, it looks like you just separate out the zhacai. Since there’s bulgogi, it can spatter in the microwave, so you’ll want the lid on.

The Two Mains: Pork and Squid Bulgogi

The mains of this lunchbox are two: squid bulgogi and pork bulgogi. From looks alone it’s hard to tell which is which. Haha. Top-left is the pork bulgogi, bottom-right the squid bulgogi. The sauce looks like a fairly spicy, thick type. The portion isn’t as big as I’d expected.

Chinese-Western Seven-Eleven lunchbox feature

The sides come as four: fried dumplings, squid nuggets, zhacai (also called jjasai), and stir-fried potato strips. Instead of simple stir-fried kimchi they chose zhacai, and instead of deep-fried mini boiled dumplings they went with a dumpling type, plus squid nuggets — quite an unusual combination, right?

And a Soup Too: Baek Jjamppong

And finally, there’s the baek jjamppong! As mentioned, the white jjamppong is the kind made by setting the broth with gelatin, so there’s no separate step of adding water. It has a decent amount of vegetables too, so the makeup looks solid. Overall the volume of sides is substantial, so it should be quite filling.

Seven-Eleven new lunchbox consumer review

Char-scented squid as the main protein side

Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong Set: The Taste

Now let’s dig right in. I cooked it for two minutes in a 1000W microwave with the lid closed. The broth melted quite well, right? Haha. There’s a bit of red oil in the white broth — I’m not sure whether that mixed in from inside the box or was originally in the broth.

The Taste of the Pork and Squid Bulgogi

First I tasted the pork bulgogi, one of the mains. Unlike the ordinary spicy stir-fried pork we know, its flavor seems to have a hint of mala mixed in, with a touch of char aroma too. The sauce is fairly rich and spicy, the kind where one bite makes the rice go down fast. It handles the basics quite well.

Next I tried a bite of the squid bulgogi that comes with it. Since it uses giant squid, the texture is hard to call great compared to using fresh squid. The sauce was quite good, though! That’s a slightly disappointing part. Still, given that it’s a convenience-store lunchbox, it was reasonably edible.

Hu Deok-juk squid bulgogi baek jjamppong layout

The Baek Jjamppong and the Sides

I gave the baek jjamppong a stir and a taste. The flavor is definitely quite deep, a refreshing jjamppong taste with slightly less heat. That said, like similar menus, eating it on its own can feel a bit salty, so after a taste, it’s fine to add some boiling water to adjust the seasoning.

The remaining sides tasted fine and easy to eat. The dumplings and squid gangjeong are fried, so they could make things feel a bit greasy — but unexpectedly, since the pork and squid bulgogi are spicy, it didn’t feel that greasy overall.

Introducing the Seven-Eleven new lunchbox

Still, if you need a little something to cleanse the palate, there’s the stir-fried potato strips and the zhacai, so pairing them in when needed works just right. Overall this menu felt quite satisfying. The identity of a menu put together by a Chinese chef came through clearly, too. Haha.

Final Verdict

With a soup dish like jjamppong included, this menu made for a pretty filling meal. The rice portion is substantial too, and thanks to a more-than-adequate number and amount of sides, it was more than good enough as a single meal. If you’re after a hearty meal replacement, it’s a menu you can pick without hesitation. For readers abroad, it’s a fun way to try a Michelin-chef-designed Chinese spread from a convenience store when you’re in Korea.

Lunchbox recommended for Chinese-food fans

For more on the collaboration between Seven-Eleven and Michelin-starred Chinese chef Hu Deok-juk, you can read the (Korean source) Electronic Times (ET News) report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is Seven-Eleven’s Hu Deok-juk Squid Bulgogi & Baek Jjamppong set?

It’s 5,900 won. It comes to 411g at 710 kcal, with sodium at 81% of the daily value — about the same as a typical lunchbox.

Q. What’s in the squid bulgogi and baek jjamppong set?

The two mains are mala-and-char pork bulgogi and squid bulgogi made with Peruvian giant squid, plus a white jjamppong broth set with gelatin. The sides round it out with fried dumplings, squid nuggets, zhacai, and stir-fried potato strips — a 6-plus-1 spread.

Q. How does the Hu Deok-juk set taste?

The pork bulgogi carries mala and char notes, rich and spicy, so it pairs beautifully with rice. The white jjamppong broth is deep and less spicy, though the giant squid makes the squid bulgogi’s texture a slight letdown.

Q. Is the squid bulgogi and baek jjamppong set worth it?

Yes, with a soup included it’s a filling, recommendable meal. The rice and sides are generous and the Chinese-chef identity is clear, so it’s an easy pick as a meal replacement.

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