Nowon sushi buffet: tuna sashimi with sesame oil dip, Kuu Kuu Nowon

It really is a sushi specialist. Tuna sashimi, raw salmon and sushi alone are enough to make Kuu Kuu worth the price. Sushi, meat, bead ice cream, it's all here: the great-value sushi buffet "Kuu Kuu."

Kuu Kuu vs Kuu Kuu Gold: what's the difference?

Every Kuu Kuu branch has a standard "Kuu Kuu" restaurant and a premium "Kuu Kuu Gold." Kuu Kuu Gold is said to cost more and offer a wider variety of food. I'd been to Kuu Kuu Gold before, but I heard there was a Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch right in our neighborhood, so I decided to try it.

I'm the type who reads plenty of reviews before going anywhere, so I searched Naver for [Kuu Kuu vs Kuu Kuu Gold], and searched, and searched, haha. The sushi and sashimi selection turned out to be similar to Gold.

• Want just the essentials like sushi and sashimi: Kuu Kuu
• Want to try as wide a variety of dishes as possible: Kuu Kuu Gold

Especially!! At Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, the food-serving area and the eating area are well separated, so it's quiet and nice for chatting while you eat. (If I go to Kuu Kuu again, I'll probably choose the Nowon branch.)

Getting to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: directions, parking and reservations

For Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, enter the Seoul Oncheon building and head up to the 6th floor. It's open 11:00–21:30 on weekdays and 11:00–22:00 on weekends, and weekday lunch pricing applies before 17:00.

Parking is available, but the building is shared with a wedding hall, so parking inside can get crowded on weekends. (There's also a public parking lot across the street!!) We booked 3pm in advance through Naver Reservation, and even though we arrived at 2:30, they let us in right away. Now let me show you the overall look of Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch~~

Is the tuna sashimi at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch actually good?

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is divided into corners: salad / sushi / sashimi / dessert / Western food / Korean snacks / fruit and more. First of all, the sashimi is excellent. It had been a long time since I had tuna sashimi this well thawed, with fatty parts and lean parts in just the right balance.

Seaweed is set out separately too, so if you wrap the tuna sashimi in seaweed and dip it in oil dip, this is a sushi specialist!

Spacious seating for family gatherings and company dinners

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is also super clean! I think it's really good for family gatherings and company dinners. The space between neighboring tables is wide, and above all the view is nice too, haha.

Sushi we tried at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

At Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch we had eel sushi, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) sushi, seared salmon sushi, shrimp sushi, soy-marinated shrimp sushi, horned turban shell sushi, egg sushi and more, and I really piled on the tuna and raw salmon sushi. It tasted a bit like aged sashimi, chewy and springy, and I honestly ate so well, hahaha.

Honestly, I do eat sushi at buffets, but I usually don't go back for it many times.. there was never any buffet sushi that satisfied me. But this time, for the first time, my husband and I went back for real buffet sushi and sashimi several times, marveling at how good it was.

Beyond sushi: pasta, barbecue and Dongpo pork

At Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch the basic dishes like pasta, barbecue and sweet and sour pork (tangsuyuk) are great, so even when I drifted from sushi to other dishes, I was satisfied with everything.

The guobaorou (Chinese braised pork belly, dongpoyuk in Korean) had just come out, and wrapping the tender pork in bok choy, I'd say, with a little exaggeration, it was better than the guobaorou at the Chinese restaurant I went to last time, hehe.

There are so many kinds of sushi that picking is half the fun. Honestly, there are so many sushi and roll varieties that even one of each fills you up.. so I couldn't try them all. I have to go back and eat them!!!!

Fatty tuna belly, flounder and raw salmon sushi

Flounder sushi with the fatty and lean parts alive, fatty tuna belly sushi, and raw salmon sushi. You agree, right? I want to eat that fatty tuna belly sushi that melts in your mouth again.

Desserts at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: bead ice cream and waffle bingsu

Ah, the desserts at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch were really so… satisfying ㅠ_ㅠ The bead ice cream… is this real?…. Make bingsu (shaved ice) with red beans on a waffle, and pile lots of vanilla ice cream on the bingsu. Have it twice.

There are so many kinds of sushi, but there was also steamed crab and lots of barbecue, and I wanted to try it all, but I was really so full…

My husband joked that bead ice cream is so expensive he could never eat much of it even at amusement parks, and I've lost count of how many times he went back for it, haha. The waffle corner also has lots of ice cream flavors, so make an ice cream waffle too.

Is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch a good-value spot for family gatherings?

Personally, I found Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch much more satisfying than similarly priced buffets such as Kuu Kuu Gold and o-syu-o (name partly hidden by the writer). For this price, this level of taste and this level of condition, I think you can call it good value.

The staff at Kuu Kuu in Hagye-dong are friendly and, above all, it's clean. They clear empty plates right away too. A 70th birthday party (chilsun-janchi) was going on next to us, but there were partitions, so it works well for family events too.

Everyone, eat lots of delicious food and be happy!!! Isn't eating food you love with people you love what happiness is?