Sangsu Japanese restaurant: wasabi salmon ochazuke, broth last, Ochaya

Ochaya near Sangsu Station: a Japanese restaurant with no break time

Ochaya (오차야) is on the 2nd floor at 49 Wausan-ro 13-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and it is open from 11:30 to 20:30. There is no parking.

I had an errand in Hongdae, and by the time I was done it was a little past lunch and I was looking for somewhere to eat! At awkward hours, so many restaurants are closed for their break time T_T (my stomach runs on a very exact clock, so this makes me so sad). I went looking for a place with no break and ended up at Ochaya :)

If you want a light meal near Sangsu Station, it's worth a stop! It's a bit of a walk from the station, but it wasn't hard to find. It's on the 2nd floor of a building, and at mealtime it felt clean and comfortable for a relaxed meal.

Seating and solo dining at Ochaya

Ochaya has tables for two and four, plus counter seats along one side. The interior is tidy, and the restroom was clean too, which I liked~! It works for a meal with a friend, and the layout isn't awkward if you come alone.

When I went, there was someone eating alone, and a table of friends as well. You order at a kiosk, so you can take your time with the menu and pick what you want. It wasn't complicated.

What I ordered at Ochaya and the prices

That day I ordered the salmon ochazuke (sake chazuke) for ₩15,000 and shiitake tempura for ₩5,000 :) If it's your first time, you may wonder what ochazuke on the menu actually is~!

What is ochazuke?

Simply put, ochazuke is a dish where you eat rice with toppings and then pour warm broth over it at the end. Ochaya has instructions on how to eat it, so even first-timers know the order, which I liked.

The salmon ochazuke was rice topped with salmon, flying fish roe and more. I like salmon, so I thought about other dishes for a moment, but I ended up ordering the familiar one haha.

Salmon ochazuke: pile on the wasabi and eat the salmon first

I have my own way of eating salmon ochazuke! Instead of pouring the broth in from the start, I add a generous amount of wasabi and eat the rice and salmon first. I eat more than half that way, and pour in the broth when a little rice is left.

This time I ate it my usual way again, and it was delicious as always. The sharp kick of the wasabi goes well with the salmon, and pouring in the warm broth makes the whole thing much mellower.

It's seasoned well enough that adding the broth didn't make it bland. Rather than eating it one way from start to finish, I personally liked switching halfway to get two different flavors!!

Side dishes and refills at Ochaya

The salmon ochazuke came with seaweed, seasoned dried radish strips and namul (seasoned vegetables) on the side. The sides were better than I expected, and eating them one by one with the rice, they went together surprisingly well.

The seaweed especially felt like something you'd miss if it weren't there with the chazuke, so I kept reaching for it haha. When the basic sides suit the main dish, the whole meal feels more satisfying.

Besides the side dishes, you can get more seaweed, rice and broth if you need it, so it looked good for anyone who wants a generous portion. I also tried the shiitake tempura I ordered with the ochazuke.

How was the shiitake tempura (₩5,000)?

The shiitake tempura was crisp outside and moist inside, so it was nice to alternate with the chazuke!! Eating only warm rice dishes can feel a little monotonous, but adding the tempura in between changed the texture, which I liked.

A good meal near Sangsu Station when your mealtime is off

When you look for a Japanese restaurant around Sangsu Station, some days you don't want something heavy, just a warm bowl of rice, right~ For those days, a chazuke-focused menu like Ochaya's seems like a good fit!

I first found Ochaya while searching for ochazuke in Hongdae, and having visited, I think it's perfect if your mealtime has slipped a bit and you need a place with no break time haha.

Small conveniences at Ochaya

There are power banks on one side of the restaurant too, which could be a small help if your phone battery runs low while you eat.

Water, aprons and wet wipes are set out so you can help yourself when needed. If Japanese food around Sangsu Station feels unfamiliar, starting with ochazuke seems like a good idea.

If you're searching for a Japanese restaurant near Sangsu Station and want something different, a bowl of chazuke at Ochaya is worth trying haha. I was looking for ochazuke in Hongdae that was warm and not too intense, and this was a good meal for me :)