Hongdae sashimi restaurant: spring flounder on stones, Eosa Chulto

A day I didn't want to go home: flounder at Eosa Chulto in Hongdae

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch (어사출또 홍대점) is a sashimi restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station with a varied lunch menu and fresh fish. That day I just didn't feel like going home, so I decided to go eat flounder at Eosa Chulto.

On boring days~ on days I need comfort~ I, I go to a sashimi place, haha. Only people of a certain age will know this song, ha. Kids these days don't know it, right?

In the tanks, flatfish were swimming around, scallops were all piled up playing, sea squirts and clams were sleeping in their nets, and the sea bream were having an especially fun time.

What's on the lunch menu at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch?

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch is a sashimi restaurant that opens early and has lots of lunch dishes. From hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl) to dongtae-jjigae (pollock stew), mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), nakgopsae (stir-fried octopus, tripe and shrimp), seafood budae-jjigae and kkomak-bibimbap (cockle rice bowl)!!

I bet lots of people who work nearby come for lunch, and if you want a sashimi lunch with your coworkers, Eosa Chulto would be perfect. These days it's hard to find a sashimi place that opens at lunchtime..

How many people can it seat?

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch has roughly ten or more tables. If a whole group gathers for a company dinner or meetup, I think nearly fifty people could sit. It's also really close to Hongik Univ. Station, so it's easy to make plans~

Sashimi menu, maeuntang and mixed sets

The sashimi menu at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch has pretty much everything. I told myself, I have to eat flounder before spring is over! Maeuntang (spicy fish stew) comes free when you order sashimi~ and there are mixed sets too, so if you're a big group, I recommend a mixed set~

You get a bottle of alcohol if you do a review event? Of course I'm doing it then~ Oh, and Eosa Chulto has a draft beer machine! I think this is my first sashimi place with a draft beer machine.. nice~

What free side dishes come out?

The free side dishes at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch include wood ear mushrooms and chicken gizzards. I only tasted them, but they were mild and easy to keep picking at. I don't eat salty side dishes~~

Macaroni, silkworm pupae, white kimchi and more come out as sides, quite a lot of them, so they're great for nibbling before the main dish arrives~

Flounder sashimi served part by part on stones

A little later the flounder sashimi made its entrance~ It was set up like a Japanese restaurant, so it looked classy~ Each part was placed on its own little stone, which made it fun to compare the tastes. I don't really know which part is which, but they all tasted different.

The white part must be the belly, right? The part with the dark skin is as clean and light as can be. But I think flounder is really best as sechosi (thin bone-in slices). I'd only been eating it as sechosi, so eating it as regular sashimi made me think of sechosi~

That's how the whole table was set, and you can order the maeuntang along with the sashimi or have it later.

One piece of chicken gizzard. Haven't had it in a while, so nutty~ It's just seasoned with salt, so a clean taste! No MSG flavor, which I like.

Wasabi soy sauce, and my own makjang

I try the flounder piece by piece. First, dipped in wasabi soy sauce for the natural flavor.. I hear some people eat sashimi without dipping it in anything. What kind of taste buds do they have that they eat it with no seasoning at all? No idea, ha

The jeon (pan-fried pancakes) were so-so~ but generous, which is nice~

I mix chojang (sweet-spicy vinegar chili sauce) with sesame oil and doenjang (fermented soybean paste) to make my own makjang (a dipping paste). It's my own makjang method that I always make when eating sashimi! If the doenjang has lots of garlic and chili in it, the combo is absolutely perfect.

At a good sashimi place in Hongdae, you can't skip the soju. When I see people eating sashimi without soju, I'm kind of jealous.. and also kind of amazed..

Wait, didn't this come out before? Haha. The warm macaroni corn came out again~

My favorite part of the flounder

As you eat flounder, you find the part that suits your taste. For me it was the part right above, with the richest flavor and a chewy texture, so good~

Looking at it now, why is the translucent flounder flesh so beautiful.. Sorry, flounder, but you were a beautiful creature after death, hahaha. I also wrapped some in lettuce~

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch: location and overall verdict

Finally the maeuntang arrives~ Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch is in the Olive Young alley, a short walk up from Hongik Univ. Station toward Yeonnam-dong.

It's also good when you want fish or seafood for lunch! You can have sashimi and a daytime drink, the staff were friendly, and the prices weren't bad!