Seolleung izakaya: sake-steamed abalone and 6 mackerel sushi, Sakai

Today I was meeting close friends in Gangnam. Since it had been a while since we all got together, we wanted somewhere nice and delicious, so we went to an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) in Seolleung called Sakai.

Sakai is a sushi sakaba where you pick your sushi one piece at a time. It was my first time at this kind of place, so I was quietly curious even before going, haha.

Sakai in Seolleung: location and opening hours

Sakai is at 1st floor, Unit 101, 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, open daily from 17:00 to 01:00 (last order 00:00). It is closed on the first Tuesday of every month, there is no parking, and you can reserve through Catch Table or Naver.

Finding Sakai: no sign, so I got a little lost

Sakai is a 5–10 minute walk from Seolleung Station Exit 1 or 2. It's not far from the station, so it seems fine for an after-work izakaya stop in Seolleung.

There's no sign outside the building, so I looked around for a long time wondering if it was the right place, haha. If you see a sun-shaped mark, you've found it.

What are the atmosphere and seating like at Sakai?

Sakai has wood-toned interiors and warm lighting, like a small sushi shop in Japan. There are table seats and counter (datchi) seats in front of the chef.

The moment I walked in, the wood-toned interior and warm lighting made me feel like I was traveling in Japan.

There were three of us, so we were shown to a table, but at the counter you can watch the chef make sushi right in front of you. I think the charm of a sushi sakaba is the cozy space, smaller than a typical sushi restaurant, where you can chat closely with the chef.

If I come alone next time, I definitely want to sit at the counter.

How do you order at Sakai, a sushi sakaba?

At Sakai, you pick the sushi you want one piece at a time, write it on a Post-it and hand it to the staff, and your order is done. Check the signs on the wall for what's available today, and the menu for nigiri prices.

True to a sushi sakaba, you choose the sushi you want one piece at a time. Signs on the wall show what can be ordered today, so it was easy to choose while looking at them. Write what you want on a Post-it, hand it to the staff, and you're done!

They also have dishes like sashimi, chicken nanban (fried chicken with tartar sauce) and seafood ramyeon, plus highballs and sake, so it looked good for a drink at a Seolleung izakaya too.

Sakai menu and prices

Nigiri (per piece)

• Egg or bonito ₩2,900
• Filefish, sardine, flatfish, red seabream, salmon/salmon zuke/salmon aburi, barracuda, pen shell, Spanish mackerel, gizzard shad ₩3,700 each
• Akami (lean tuna), horse mackerel, mackerel, blue-spot grunt, conger eel, sweet shrimp with egg-yolk sauce ₩4,500 each
• Bigfin reef squid, scallop, ark shell ₩5,300 each
• Chutoro (medium fatty tuna), yellowtail, greater amberjack, striped jack, large ark shell, rockfish-type fish (gertchi), bar sushi ₩6,100 each
• Otoro (fatty tuna), Japanese cockle ₩7,000 each
• Abalone, ikura (salmon roe) ₩8,000 each
• Snow crab ₩9,000, sea urchin ₩10,000, golden tilefish ₩11,000

Hosomaki (thin rolls) and sashimi

• Thin rolls (hosomaki) ₩10,000 (negitoro/anakyu/saba-shiso/umeshiso-kyuri/kanpyo; 4–6 pieces if you order one)
• White fish sashimi ₩36,000
• Blue-backed fish sashimi ₩28,000
• Assorted sashimi ₩36,000
• Sake-steamed abalone ₩25,000
• Shime saba (vinegared mackerel) ₩28,000

Otsumami, agemono and yakimono: small bites, fried and grilled dishes

• Cucumber and perilla salad ₩8,000, takowiener (octopus-shaped sausage) ₩15,000, potato salad ₩8,000
• Caprese ₩12,000, vegetable sticks ₩5,000, sausage and mashed potatoes ₩18,000, saba misoni (miso-simmered mackerel) ₩15,000
• Chicken karaage ₩18,000, chicken nanban ₩20,000, horse mackerel fry (4 pieces) ₩15,000
• Fried eggplant ₩12,000, sesseri sweet-and-sour pork ₩18,000, conger eel tempura ₩18,000
• Grilled mackerel ₩12,000, grilled cutlassfish ₩25,000

Soup and dessert

• Clam miso soup ₩3,900
• Seafood ramyeon ₩18,000
• Kuro oden (black oden, fish cake stew) ₩25,000
• Tiramisu ₩6,000

Today's specials on the Post-it board

• Wild yellowtail sashimi ₩40,000
• Sake-steamed abalone with liver sauce ₩25,000
• Saba misoni (simmered mackerel) ₩15,000
• Tsumami ankimo (monkfish liver) ₩22,000
• Snow crab, shelled for you ₩36,000
• Today-only topping: spot prawn

Alcohol and drinks

• Suntory draft beer ₩10,000, Kirin bottled beer ₩8,000, Cass non-alcoholic ₩8,000
• Chamisul and Saero (soju) ₩8,000 each
• Kakubin highball, Sui gin and tonic, umeshu sour, yuzu sour ₩10,000 each
• Perrier ₩6,000, cola/zero cola, ginger ale/tonic water ₩3,000 each

Sake by the glass (180ml, served in a masu or tokkuri)

• Banshu Ikkon Junmai Cho Karakuchi, Shichida Junmai ₩19,000 each
• Emishiki Sensation White ₩20,000
• Ryujin Karakuchi Junmai, Hououbiden Tsurugi, Ippakusuisei Tokubetsu Junmai Ryoshin ₩22,000 each
• Niwa no Uguisu Junmai Ginjo, Kokuryu Kuzuryu Junmai ₩26,000 each
• Wakanami Junmai Ginjo, W Junmai Yamada Nishiki, Japanese Sake Yamanokotobuki Freaks 1, Shikishima Tokubetsu Junmai ₩28,000 each
• Toraii Aomori Terroir ₩30,000
• Yukinobijin Junmai Ginjo No. 6 Yeast Cho Karakuchi, Kokuryu Ichichorai Junginjo ₩35,000 each
• Kokuryu Daiginjo Crystal Dragon ₩42,000

Sake by the bottle (720ml, all served chilled)

• Imanishi Junmai Ginjo Asahi (Nara) ₩92,000
• Hakurakusei Junmai Ginjo (Miyagi) ₩104,000
• Yukinobijin Junmai Ginjo No. 6 Yeast Cho Karakuchi (Akita) ₩129,000
• Kazenomori Omachi 807 (Nara) ₩135,000
• Hououbiden Black Phoenix (Tochigi) ₩137,000
• Nichinichi (Kyoto) ₩145,000
• Sharaku Junmai Ginjo (Fukushima) ₩150,000
• Hiroki Junmai Daiginjo (Fukushima) ₩238,000
• Takasago Junmai Daiginjo (Mie) ₩248,000
• Bon Gokuhizo Daiginjo (Fukui) ₩298,000
• Kokuryu Ichichorai Junginjo (Fukui) ₩129,000
• Kokuryu Daiginjo Crystal Dragon (Fukui) ₩150,000
• Kokuryu Kuzuryu Kijoshu (Fukui) ₩170,000
• Kokuryu Daiginjo (Fukui) ₩210,000
• Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu (Fukui) ₩298,000
• Kokuryu AWA (Fukui) ₩352,000
• Kokuryu Junmai Daiginjo (Fukui) ₩600,000

What did three of us eat at Sakai, and how much was it?

Three friends ordered 4 kinds of sushi at 3 pieces each, 3 extra pieces of mackerel sushi, one sake-steamed abalone and 3 Suntory draft beers, and the total came to ₩124,900. I added 3 more mackerel pieces at the end, so we ate 6 in all, haha.

• Yellowtail (buri) sushi ₩6,100
• Flatfish (hirame) sushi ₩3,700
• Mackerel (saba) sushi ₩4,500
• Sweet shrimp (amaebi) sushi ₩4,500
• Sake-steamed abalone with liver sauce ₩25,000
• Suntory draft beer ₩10,000

Yellowtail sushi at Sakai

Sakai's yellowtail sushi wasn't the super fatty style, but the clean flavor of the fish really came through, and I enjoyed it.

Flatfish sushi at Sakai

The flatfish was mild, as expected. Nothing flashy, just clean, and it felt like sushi that sticks to the basics.

Is Sakai's mackerel sushi fishy?

Sakai's mackerel sushi (₩4,500) had no fishy taste at all, and it was my favorite of the day. I think a place that serves mackerel sushi must have really fresh fish, so I order it whenever I see it.

The blue sheen on the back was vivid, and in the mouth the mackerel's distinctive aroma spread, with no fishiness at all.

It was rich and melted in my mouth, so much that chewing felt like a waste. My friend said it was the best too, so we each had one more before leaving, haha.

Sweet shrimp sushi that really is sweet

Sakai's sweet shrimp sushi had a clearly sweet shrimp, just like its name. It was chewy yet melted softly in the mouth, and the tail was trimmed off, so it was easy to eat in one bite.

The sweetness is strong, so I think it's best to eat it last among the sushi.

How is Sakai's sake-steamed abalone with liver sauce served?

Sakai's sake-steamed abalone with liver sauce (₩25,000) comes with three accompaniments: salt, wasabi and the liver sauce. The abalone had no fishy smell and a chewy yet tender texture.

Two of my friends fell for the rich, creamy liver sauce and kept dipping.

I usually love wasabi, so I had mine with wasabi, and it was fragrant, high-quality wasabi, which made me think this place is the real deal.

Suntory draft beer at Sakai

I ordered Sakai's Suntory draft beer (₩10,000) because it's a beer you don't often see. It was cold and refreshing, and alternating it with the sushi really gave me that Seolleung izakaya feeling.

What did my friends think of Sakai?

My friends said Sakai was clean overall with a nice atmosphere, so they ate comfortably. They also said every piece of sushi was fresh.

My friend also said the mackerel sushi was the best, as expected. It was rich and savory with great umami, so we ended up ordering more, haha. The sweet shrimp sushi was good too. The price is on the high side, but they said it's worth it, and I nodded along.

Next time I'll come back to Sakai for sake

It was a lovely evening, chatting with friends I hadn't seen in a while at a sushi sakaba. The menu has quite a lot of sake too, so we decided to come back to Sakai next time for a glass of sake.

I hope this helps anyone curious about a Seolleung izakaya or a sushi sakaba.