Dangsan Station Japanese pub for beef brisket jjamppong: Kaken

I absolutely, absolutely love grilled mero, so while looking for an izakaya in Dangsan that serves it, I ended up visiting Kaken (카켄).

Kaken in Dangsan: location and atmosphere

It is 10 seconds from Dangsan Station—right in front of Exit 2! The restaurant has around 20 to 30 seats, including counter seats.

On the Saturday night when there were fireworks, we waited about 10 minutes. There were three groups ahead of us, but I think they may have gone to other restaurants? We waited in the seats right out front.

Hours are 17:00 to 02:00, with Fridays and Saturdays open until 4 a.m. There is no parking, but private bookings and reservations are possible.

Kaken's menu and what we ordered

That day, we ordered grilled mero (Patagonian toothfish), beef brisket jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and draft beer. I remember the sashimi being sold out. I feel like fish at a place that serves sashimi is guaranteed to be good, so I confidently ordered the grilled mero. Knowing mero tends to be soft and rich, I paired it with beef jjamppong, something spicy and punchy, for our other main dish.

The menu is great value, so I would recommend it for drinking alone in Dangsan too. The counter seats looked perfect for a solo drink.

How was Kaken's grilled mero?

First, the look passed! It did not come as a whole grilled mero, but it was cut into easy-to-eat pieces, which was actually more convenient and nicer. At a Japanese izakaya, pulling fish apart with chopsticks can make it hard to focus on the conversation, but everything here—from the interior atmosphere onward—made it easy to focus on talking.

The skin was softly grilled on the outside—my favorite texture and my favorite part. It had its own seasoning, but rather than a heavy teriyaki-like sauce, it felt like a fresh yakitori-style glaze. It went so well with the tender, moist mero flesh!

Oh my gosh... all that desire I had been holding onto for grilled mero melted away with just one piece. It goes incredibly well with draft beer, haha. At first, because it came in pieces, I wondered if the portion might be small, but after eating it, it was just right. And it is great value too, haha. It is usually around ₩35,000, but here it was ₩28,000.

Beef jjamppong and draft beer together

I love beef brisket so much that I debated ordering the beef brisket sukiyaki, but chose the jjamppong instead—and it happened to have beef brisket in it, so I was beyond satisfied! You order it as a drinking snack, then suddenly want a whole meal. Exactly that kind of flavor, hahaha.

The jjamppong was only ₩22,000, yet it was absolutely packed with ingredients. There were noodles, of course, but also lots of meat and vegetables, which made the broth really flavorful. I just kept ladling it up, hahaha. The portion was so big that it honestly felt more like a hot pot—so good. From this picky eater's perspective, all the ingredients seemed fresh.

The grilled mero was clean-tasting while the beef brisket jjamppong was nicely seasoned, so the two dishes were an amazing combination. They went so well with draft beer too. The owner served the beer in a wonderfully chilled glass. Looking around at the other tables, people started with somaek—soju mixed with beer—then, despite this being an izakaya, carried on with soju from the next round? I did not understand why when I first came in, but these dishes are so delicious that I can see why you would have no choice but to properly drink soju with them.

Would I return to Kaken in Dangsan?

Near Dangsan Station, I had felt there were no truly solid izakayas—just budget versions or disappointing ones... The quality seemed a little lacking for the area. But Kaken, where I visited today, is easy to reach right in front of the station, delicious, good value, great for conversation, and generous with portions, so I was really, really satisfied. Whenever I am wondering where to go in Dangsan, I will absolutely come here! You should order exactly what I had and try it too, haha.