A good sushi joint can be hard to find in this wee city, and finding a good one that doesn’t cost a fortune is even harder still. But new kid on the block Sushi Itaewon is certainly a good contender. Situated on the corner of an alleyway just off from McDonalds it’s located in Itaewon’s latest trend spot for new restaurants to come and peddle their wares.
While the restaurant is fairly small in stature with seating for around 20, the menu is more than ample with around 50 different items on the menu. It is broken into categories each with around a dozen options, sushi (3 piece), special sushi (2 piece) sushi roll (8 pieces) and special rolls. Each of the dishes ranges in price depending on the fish but most are between 1,700 and 3,700 with the special rolls costing around 9,000. We picked a selection of our favourites by marking them on the menu and handing it to the waiter.
No sooner had we made our order, when out came the complimentary miso soup. I love a good miso and I was looking forward to tucking into this one, but two spoonfuls in I found a little black hair in mine. Which quickly put me off eating any more. These things happen I understand, it’s just rather icky when it isn’t your own.
Beers were ordered to help me through the turbulent time which was hair-gate. They have a range of Japanese beers and sake available, but on this occasion I and more frankly my wallet was more than happy with a good old Cass. TFB went for the slightly fancier Hite Pale, both were 4,000 each.
Our first platter of sushi came out fairly quickly. I opted for the shrimp sushi (2,000) and the tofu (1,700), and TFB got the salmon with onion (2,700) and the salmon roe (2,600). The shrimp sushi was the standard splayed shrimp on a blob of wasabi and a bed of rice. The tofu rice filled nuggets were sweet and delicious, a steal at the price. Fish lover TFB adored his salmon, soft tender and fresh and the roe sweet balls of salty goodness. Wasabi, pickled ginger, and radish were also on the side, with as much soy sauce as we could handle.
Next up were the sushi rolls. We ordered a tempura shrimp roll (3,500), a tempura salmon roll (3,000) and a scallop roll (3,000). Mine of course were the tempura shrimp, very tasty and I was surprised to get 6 pieces. The rolls were a bit on the skinny side, but since they were so cheap you could easily get two portions. The scallops were fine, nothing special as I couldn’t really taste the scallops past the sauce they had used. TFB liked the salmon, but not as much as the ones he had earlier.
All in all we were rather happy with our meal, 26,000 for the lot which included a beer each. A nice spot for a casual meal or a place to sate those sushi cravings you have been having. Certainly a pleasant addition to the neighbourhood, and I’m sure I’ll be paying them another visit soon.
Sushi Itaewon is located at 59-4 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong station and come out of exit 3. Walk straight until you reach reach the crossing then go across. Walk straight down the main Itaewon street then take the first right after Mcdonalds. Walk straight and you will see Itaewon Sushi on the left hand corner, it’s diagonally across from Bull & Barrel. For more information you can call them on 02-794-3937.
