Hanti Station private-room omakase for long talks over sake: Ikoi

What kind of omakase is Ikoi?

Ikoi (이코이) is an omakase tucked into a quiet Yeoksam-dong alley, a restaurant for authentic Japanese-style course meals run entirely with 4 separate private rooms. A quiet, delicate space for just a few guests, where you can focus completely on the food!

They say the cooking at Ikoi rests on the chef's long experience and his philosophy of taste: 7 years at Sagahan at Kamisushi in Japan, and 25 years in total. It follows tradition without being trapped by form, and builds "today's course" every day from the freshest seasonal ingredients. And, surprisingly, Ikoi is a restaurant in Gangnam where you can bring your pet.

Why I chose Ikoi for a long talk with a friend

Reading other people's reviews, the praise for Ikoi's food never stops. It's a course-meal specialist. And I happened to have a friend who needed a long talk. So that day I quietly invited her here.

Ikoi's 10-dish signature course

Ikoi's signature course changes a little with each season, but it always has 10 dishes. On the day I visited, this was the lineup.

• Grilled rye bread with ricotta cheese and yuzu
• Steamed cream dish
• Mackerel bar sushi
• Maguro sashimi (tuna)
• Zucchini, shrimp and shiitake roll
• Green texture (Chorok-ui gyeol)
• Beef tongue yeonmujo
• Lotus root sandwich
• Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe (hot pot)
• Yogurt ice

You could bring even a companion who calls themselves a serious foodie. It's that much of a gourmet experience.

What are Ikoi's hours, reservations and parking?

Ikoi is open from 17:00 to 24:00 and closed on Sundays. For same-day reservations, you need to inquire 2 hours before your visit. Parking is free, at nearby Yeoksam Easthville. If you come on foot, you'll have to walk a bit: about 8 minutes from Hanti Station.

A 2-hour course in a private room at Ikoi

A precise Japanese course meal that unfolds over 2 hours

The course at Ikoi runs about 2 hours in a private room, and sometimes about 3 dishes come out at once. I felt like the president of some company... like we could be discussing a million-dollar deal.. as we stepped into the private room.

The full-course dinner arrived under sunset-orange lighting. Given how long the chef worked in Japan, Ikoi's dishes were shaped very delicately. Each dish seems calculated down to the first bite, the texture and the aftertaste, and a great many small ingredients go into every single one.

Pairing sake with the Ikoi omakase course

My friend likes to drink, so we ordered sake at Ikoi. I gave it a taste too. It was elegant and deep in flavor, and Ikoi's dishes seemed calculated to taste best when paired with alcohol.

Best dish at Ikoi: tuna that melts in your mouth

My best of the Ikoi course was the tuna (maguro sashimi) that melted gently in my mouth... When was the last time I had tuna this good?!

Ikoi's dishes came out pretty as works of art, and before I knew it I was photographing them from every angle: front, back, side. Since everything is served the moment it's made, the heat of the food reaches you right away, which I loved.

A meal like a parade, from appetizers to sashimi, meat, nabe and dessert

Is the Ikoi omakase course filling?

Ikoi's course has so many dishes that even though each one looks small, it's really filling. My friend and I both can't eat much, which was a pity.. we wished we were 180 cm tall guys.. we'd have finished every dish without leaving a bite, we said to each other.

The main meat dish in particular was thick-cut and tasted like galbi (braised short rib) simmered well in soy sauce, and I'm remembering it now that I'm hungry.

Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe (hot pot)

Ikoi's sukiyaki, too, is best scooped up while the napa cabbage is still crisp, and with the broth of bonito flakes, meat and mushrooms melting together, it tasted very luxurious.

The lotus root sandwich and the flow of the course

Ikoi's lotus root sandwich has a filling inside like that of a menchi-katsu (minced meat cutlet), and it was totally my thing. It was a textbook course: start light and cold, whet the appetite with sashimi, move to a vegetable dish, fill up warmly with meat, and finish with ice cream. Thanks to the wonderful food, the conversation with my friend went well. The sake probably helped a bit too.

Verdict: who is Ikoi for?

Perfect for those serious about food, private of privates.

Ikoi is also a good spot for a Gangnam date or blind date, but the owner is so devoted to cooking and flavor that, if you like talking food, he apparently teaches you all sorts of things like a professor. It was an extraordinary taste, and I'd like to hear his cooking philosophy.

If you usually call yourself a foodie, it held up well even compared with courses at other restaurants. If you're looking for flavor and conversation in Gangnam, Ikoi is the omakase restaurant.