Gijang raw fish restaurant: full anchovy course on a drive at Namhang

An honest review of a full anchovy course at Namhang Hoetjip (남항횟집) in Daebyeon Port, Gijang!

Why I visited Namhang on a Gijang drive

Namhang at Daebyeon Port in Gijang is an anchovy restaurant said to have been picked for the Blue Ribbon Survey 14 years in a row. The weather was so nice a while back that I took a drive out to Gijang for some fresh air, you know?!

I can't go all the way to Gijang and not eat something good, haha. I'd been wanting to try proper anchovy dishes for ages, so I searched around and ended up at the super famous Namhang near Daebyeon Port! 14 years of Blue Ribbon? Well, that's a certified good restaurant, haha.

Is parking easy at Namhang?

Namhang has a big private parking lot right in front, and there are even staff to help you park, so parking was easy even on the weekend. It sits large and prominent right by the Daebyeon Port coastal road, so it was really easy to find while driving.

(The Blue Ribbons you see as you come up the stairs...!) Apparently Namhang has been picked for the Blue Ribbon Survey 14 years in a row, a truly proven restaurant! 14 years in a row, so my expectations were sky-high before I even ate, haha.

Going anywhere on a weekend, I usually worry about parking first, but with a private lot and attendants, even beginner drivers won't stress, haha. No parking worries before even going in. Totally satisfied, haha.

Window seats with a sea view and roomy tables

From the windows at Namhang you can see Daebyeon Port's sea at a glance. What a gorgeous sea view from the window~!

The tables are spaced nice and wide, so it would be perfect for a family meal or for bringing your parents. We were lucky to get a window seat with an open view of Daebyeon Port, and eating while looking at the blue sea and the boats floating on it, I felt like I was on a trip the whole meal!

The anchovy set spread and side dishes

At Namhang we ordered the set menu that comes with raw anchovy, grilled anchovy and anchovy stew, and out came a generous spread that filled the whole table!

[The neatly laid-out side dishes] The menu had a good variety of single dishes too, like raw anchovy, grilled anchovy and anchovy stew, but since I'd come all the way to Gijang, I wanted to try the anchovy full course from start to finish! So I ordered the set that packs in raw anchovy, grilled anchovy and anchovy stew.

Not long after ordering, the side dishes started arriving one by one, plenty of them and neatly presented, haha. Seasoned vegetables, acorn jelly (dotorimuk) and fresh lettuce wraps were all set out, and my chopsticks were busy before the main dishes even came, haha.

Is the raw anchovy fishy?

Namhang's raw anchovy (meori-hoe) comes tossed with crunchy vegetables in a spicy-tangy chojang (red pepper vinegar sauce), and there was absolutely zero fishy taste. Pile a big helping on a perilla leaf, add garlic and ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste), and wrap it up in one bite..!

The first main to arrive was the raw anchovy!! Some of you might worry that raw anchovy could be fishy, right? But the moment it hit the table it smelled nutty and tangy, and there was truly zero fishiness, so I was really surprised, ㅠㅠ. I understood why it's been a Blue Ribbon pick for 14 years in a row the moment I took a bite! The bones of the fresh, big anchovies are carefully removed one by one, so the skin is soft and the flesh is really plump and springy.

It's tossed with crunchy vegetables like water dropwort, cabbage and radish in a spicy, tangy, sweet special chojang, and it really wakes up your appetite!! Especially piled on lettuce or a perilla leaf with a sharp piece of garlic and a little dab of ssamjang, wrapped up and eaten in one big bite, it's the best, haha. The perilla aroma, the nuttiness of the raw anchovy and the tang of the sauce came together and I thought my mouth was going to explode, haha. It's a can't-go-wrong combo, so I wrapped and ate like crazy!!

Grilled anchovy you eat whole, bones and all

The second dish in Namhang's set was golden, crispy grilled anchovy. The big anchovies are cooked almost like fried, crisp outside and moist inside, so there's no need to pick out bones; you just chomp them whole from head to tail.

The more you chew them bones and all, the more the nuttiness of the tiny bones and the rich oil burst out, and dipped lightly in the wasabi soy sauce that comes with it, the savoriness felt doubled!! It's a real delicacy among delicacies, perfect as a side for rice and I bet it'd be amazing with drinks too, haha.

Finishing with spicy anchovy stew

Namhang's anchovy stew is a spicy stew with big whole anchovies and dried cabbage greens (ugeoji) simmered in a shallow, brothy pot. Next up was the bubbling, spicy anchovy stew..! Big whole anchovies, ugeoji and a bit of broth, scooped over rice!!

Of course you have to finish with hot, spicy anchovy stew! The pot was packed with big, plump anchovies, honestly bigger than my finger, and the savory ugeoji and assorted vegetables were generously piled in the shallow broth.

I took a spoonful of the bubbling broth and it was spicy yet deep and refreshing with so much umami that I just said "Kya~" out loud, haha. Pick out the plump anchovy meat and wrap it in lettuce and you get a great anchovy ssambap (wrap rice), and spooning broth and ugeoji over rice and mixing it up, a whole bowl of rice vanished in no time. A scary rice thief (밥도둑)!

Namhang's day off and overall verdict

Namhang is closed regularly only on Thursdays, so if you're planning a visit, check the day off first! The staff were all very kind too, and the ingredients in every dish were fresh and you could feel the care, which made me really happy.

I recommend Blue Ribbon restaurant Namhang, haha. I'm definitely coming back next time with my parents!!

Parking is super super easy, haha. The weather today is sooo good too~~ haha. If you're looking for a great raw anchovy place in Gijang, or want a relaxed full anchovy course with a sea view near Daebyeon Port, definitely come to Namhang, the 14-years-in-a-row Blue Ribbon restaurant~~