Sunae Station sashimi restaurant in Bundang: Haeseon's ₩40,000 course

Saturday evening. My wife and I were trying to figure out what to eat, and out of nowhere I was craving sashimi. A plate of flounder sounded good, but that day I wanted to eat a little of everything slowly, with a drink on the side.

So we headed to Haeseon, a sashimi restaurant in Bundang. I found it while looking for somewhere near Sunae Station that serves aged sashimi (숙성회), and the menu setup turned out to be a little different from what I expected. Usually at a sashimi place you spend ages staring at the menu deciding between an assorted platter or straight flounder. Haeseon basically runs on a single aged sashimi course. ₩40,000 per person.

It starts with porridge, then moves through aged sashimi, seafood, warm dishes, fried food, and finally spicy stew — in order, so there's no menu-deciding stress, just slow enjoyment. If you're looking for a sashimi restaurant near Sunae Station for a couple to sit, talk, and drink slowly, this one's worth a look.

Where is Haeseon, the aged sashimi course restaurant near Sunae Station?

Haeseon is a few minutes' walk from Sunae Station Exit 1. It's on the 1st floor of Daedeok Glory. Walk around the back of the building and you'll spot the tank in front of the shop, so it's not hard to find.

The entrance had a sign listing what was in that day's course. The fish tank was kept clean overall, which made for a decent first impression. The place isn't a huge sprawling sashimi restaurant, but it has a duplex layout, so there's more seating than it looks from outside.

The overall mood was cozier than a loud, big sashimi restaurant — it felt like a good Sunae Station spot for a couple's drink or date. We visited on a Saturday evening, and customers kept coming in the whole time we were eating.

On weekends it seems worth booking ahead.

• Haeseon / 11 Sunae-ro 46beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 112
• Mon–Fri 16:00–23:00, Sat 16:00–22:00
• Closed Sundays
• Aged sashimi course ₩40,000 per person
• Building basement parking available, 3 hours supported on weekends

What comes first in Haeseon's course: beef and vegetable porridge

Once you sit down, the Haeseon course starts with warm beef vegetable porridge (소고기야채죽) and a light broth. It's a way of warming up your stomach with something hot before the sashimi comes. The porridge wasn't overly seasoned — soft and savory, easy to eat without any weight.

The sea squirt (멍게) served alongside had a clear ocean smell and a firm, springy texture — a solid first bite to go with drinks. After this light start, the main aged sashimi arrives.

Flounder, red seabream and rockfish: Haeseon's thick-cut aged sashimi

That day the Haeseon aged sashimi was centered on flounder, red seabream and rockfish. The fish on offer can apparently change depending on what's fresh that day. Overall it was mostly white-fleshed fish, but each had a noticeably different texture.

The cuts were pretty thick, above all. Rather than the style where you get several thin slices, each piece had real chewing satisfaction. Since it's aged sashimi, the flesh wasn't overly firm — more chewy and tender at the same time.

The flounder was clean-tasting yet chewy, and the red seabream had a subtle sweetness and nuttiness that grew as you chewed. The rockfish was the firmest of the three. It was good with wasabi and soy sauce, or a bit richer dipped in makjang (spicy fermented sauce).

After a few bites, my wife and I both said the same thing at the same time.

The amount of sashimi is actually pretty good, huh?

With some sashimi courses, you barely get a few pieces of raw fish and fill up on side dishes instead — Haeseon wasn't like that. The portion of the main aged sashimi itself was plenty for the two of us. If portion and texture of aged sashimi matter to you, this is a sashimi restaurant in Bundang worth trying at least once.

Corn cheese and grilled fish head break up the sashimi courses

While we were eating the aged sashimi, warm dishes kept coming in between. Corn cheese and grilled fish head arrived.

After the cold sashimi, the warm, savory corn cheese changed the mood in your mouth. The grilled fish head came out with a nicely browned surface, and there was more meat on it than I expected.

The outside had a grilled aroma while the meat inside stayed moist. Having warm dishes mixed in kept the course from feeling monotonous, unlike eating sashimi non-stop. This suits people looking for a Sunae Station restaurant to enjoy several dishes slowly rather than just one plate of sashimi.

Live octopus with beef tartare, best eaten in one bite

Next came live octopus (산낙지) and beef tartare (육회). The octopus was springy and the tartare tender, so eating them together made for a good combination. The tartare seasoning wasn't too sweet or sharp, so it didn't cover up the octopus flavor.

Personally, this was my favorite drinking snack of the whole Haeseon course. Fried potatoes and fried shrimp followed. By this point we were starting to fill up, but the freshly fried shrimp still had us reaching for more. Fried potatoes might seem like an odd fit for a sashimi course, but for a slow drinking session it wasn't bad at all.

Haeseon's course ends with hot spicy fish stew

The Haeseon course ends with spicy fish stew (매운탕) in a stone pot. After sashimi, you inevitably start craving something hot and spicy at the end. The broth wasn't extremely spicy or heavily seasoned — more on the clean, refreshing side.

Since we'd already had sashimi, octopus tartare, grilled food and fried food, this made for a comfortable finish rather than a heavy one. Having finished the whole course, Haeseon's strengths were clear. Rather than a sashimi place that piles on a ton of banchan, this feels more like a course built around aged sashimi with several dishes alongside it. So even though we came for sashimi, I never felt like there wasn't enough of it. That said, if you prefer the very springy texture of live fish, the softer, chewier texture of aged sashimi might not match your taste. If you like eating a little of several dishes while drinking slowly, like we do, you'll probably be more satisfied.

Is Haeseon worth it for a sashimi dinner in Bundang or near Sunae Station?

If you're looking for somewhere to have sashimi with a drink on a weekend evening near Sunae Station, Haeseon is the kind of place you'll think of again. Above all, the price and structure are clear: ₩40,000 per person. It goes in order from aged sashimi through sea squirt, grilled fish, live octopus tartare, fried food, and finally spicy stew. The portion of sashimi wasn't lacking either.

This suits days when you want to slowly enjoy several dishes as a course in one sitting rather than just eating a few pieces of sashimi and leaving. If you're after a sashimi restaurant in Bundang that runs an aged sashimi course, a Sunae Station restaurant for a date and a drink, or a sashimi restaurant near Sunae Station where you can have everything from sashimi to spicy stew in one place, it's worth a visit. We'll probably be back the next time we're craving sashimi and want to eat a bit of everything together.