Guwol-dong sashimi restaurant with DIY kimchi pancakes: Donghae Eojang

Donghae Eojang Guwol branch

What is the atmosphere like at Donghae Eojang Incheon Guwol?

Donghae Eojang Incheon Guwol is a clean, very spacious raw fish restaurant in Guwol-dong. This was my first visit to the Guwol branch!! The big open space caught my eye the moment I walked in.

What is at the self-bar?

The self-bar at Donghae Eojang has a good variety of things that go with sashimi: vegetables, lettuce wraps, garlic, chilies and more. I'm such a self-bar lover that I think it's the star of any restaurant, haha. I prefer wrapping my sashimi instead of eating it plain, so I loved this, haha.

How thick and fresh are the sushi and sashimi?

The sushi here is just perfect, from the freshness of the fish on the rice to how thick the slices are!! Let's take a slow look at what we ordered. There are radish sprouts too, so they're great to put on top of the sushi.

After the sushi, the sashimi!! This is the main event, right? haha. I squeezed lemon over it and dipped it in either chojang (sweet-spicy chili sauce) or soy sauce, depending on my mood. Above all, the thickness of the slices was so impressive. Yellowtail is getting more and more popular, and it's yellowtail season!! Can't skip it.

Torch-grilled corn cheese

The corn cheese comes out properly torched and looking delicious. Mayonnaise, cheese and corn together, what more is there to say!! It's so good. It's great to nibble on between bites of sashimi, haha.

Do you grill the self-bar kimchi pancake yourself?

Yes, the self-bar also has kimchi pancake (kimchi-buchimgae) batter!! You just pour oil on the grill plate, add the batter and cook it, so easy.

It came out golden and perfectly cooked. Crispy outside and moist inside, a great side dish. And you can just help yourself at the self-bar!! I came with my parents and they loved it so much that I thought coming here was a really good decision.

Salted pollock roe (myeongranjeot), ssamjang (wrap sauce), wasabi and more: I'll eat the sashimi with all of them!!

Large yellowtail in Guwol-dong: yellowtail sashimi at Donghae Eojang

Donghae Eojang uses large yellowtail (daebangeo), which makes it even tastier. You can feel the freshness, and even before eating it felt like it would melt in my mouth, haha. Freshness comes first with sashimi, right!!

I found my yellowtail spot in Guwol-dong. I can't live without yellowtail this winter!! hahaha. I want to come back for the freshness alone. I love sashimi, and Donghae Eojang is serious about it!! You can feel that sincerity. Officially a sashimi specialist in my book.

We really enjoyed the yellowtail, salmon and flounder. Even just dipped in sauce, it clings to your mouth and vanishes. I also wrapped it in gopchang-gim (textured seaweed), perilla leaves and lettuce, haha. It was so good that I wondered why I hadn't come sooner.

Tempura fried fresh to order

The tempura is fried fresh when you order!! The first bite was proper ASMR, with a crunchy sound.

How was the spicy fish stew with noodles, and the portion?

The spicy fish stew (maeuntang) has a red broth that is properly spicy and rich in savory depth. A spicy fish stew is the final course of a sashimi meal, can't skip it!!! And there were so many ingredients in the pot that even with a generous portion, it didn't seem to shrink.

I like fish, and the meat was so plump that picking out the bones was no trouble at all!

Here's why I liked that there was plenty of broth: you can add ramen noodles and sujebi (hand-pulled dough flakes). The longer it boils, the richer the broth gets and the more savory it becomes. The broth is so good that even adding ramen noodles tastes great!

Abalone too: is Donghae Eojang Guwol good for a group dinner?

The abalone came prepped and easy to eat, which I liked even more. The chewy, crunchy texture was probably the highlight!!

From the side dishes to the main dishes, I was happy with the whole meal, and it's a sashimi restaurant that works well as a full course. Year-end dinners, monthly team dinners: it's here!!!