Hwajeong Station date dinner: katsu, sake-don, black cod at Min Cook

I'm Yoribari, always chasing dopamine one dish at a time. Today I went on a date to Min Cook Misoyaki near Hwajeong Station.

Where Min Cook Misoyaki is, opening hours and parking

Min Cook Misoyaki is at 37 Hwasin-ro 260beon-gil, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, about a 5-minute walk from Hwajeong Station. Hours are Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 16:00, closed Sundays, and last order at 14:30 and 20:30. Parking is supported for 1 hour at the E-Mart Hwajeong branch parking lot.

It was about a 5-minute walk from Hwajeong Station, so it wasn't hard to find by public transit.

The restaurant is on the first floor of the building, so we checked the entrance and sign and went straight in. We drove, so we used the E-Mart parking lot and got 1 hour of parking support with our meal.

A restaurant run by a Korea Master Chef! We headed inside with high expectations haha.

Inside Min Cook Misoyaki: bar seats that suit solo diners too

The inside of Min Cook Misoyaki wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. There were a lot of bar-style seats, which made it easier to focus on the meal rather than the people next to you.

The atmosphere overall was quiet and comfortable, and I actually saw quite a few people eating alone.

For anyone looking for solo-dining spots among the restaurants near Hwajeong Station, this kind of seating setup would feel comfortable. The staff kindly explained not just the menu but also how to eat each dish, so we could enjoy the meal easily.

The Min Cook Misoyaki menu and what we ordered

Min Cook Misoyaki's menu centers on Japanese-style grilled fish, rice bowls, and katsu. Their official channels currently list grilled fish and rice bowls as the main offerings.

From the menu that day, we ordered Korean pork katsu (11,000 won), sake-don (15,000 won), and salt-grilled black cod (18,000 won).

As a base, the meal came with a salad topped with onion dressing, pickled radish, and aged kimchi. Even with several main dishes, it was a simple, nicely balanced base spread.

What we ordered this time was Korean pork katsu, sake-don raw salmon bowl, and salt-grilled black cod.

Korean pork katsu, 11,000 won

The Korean pork katsu was 11,000 won. At a glance, the meat looked quite thick—

and the thick, satisfying bite when chewing was especially pleasing.

Sake-don raw salmon bowl, 15,000 won

The sake-don raw salmon bowl (sake-don, salmon rice bowl) was 15,000 won. Rather than feeling mushy, the salmon had a firm, chewy texture that stood out.

Thanks to that firm, almost aged-feeling texture, eating the salmon itself was genuinely fun.

Salt-grilled black cod, 18,000 won

The salt-grilled black cod (megrim, a type of flatfish) was 18,000 won. The flesh was chewy yet softly flaked apart,

and there was more meat on the bone than I expected, so the portion felt quite generous.

Is ordering all three at Min Cook Misoyaki worth it?

The thickness of the katsu, the chewiness of the sake-don, and the softness of the grilled black cod all had different textures, which made it fun to eat them in turns.

Min Cook Misoyaki was a small, quiet space with plenty of bar seating that made it easy to focus on the meal. The friendly menu guidance and the three dishes with such different textures stuck with me. Once again, chasing dopamine one dish at a time, I left with a full and satisfied stomach 🍚