Gwanghwamun seafood bowl spot: premium uni & roe vs basic, Ilpum

Fresh aged sashimi to silky chawanmushi: Ilpum, a Japanese restaurant in Gwanghwamun.

I visited Ilpum in Gwanghwamun with my sister last June and we loved it. Four months later she kept saying she couldn't stop thinking about that kaisendon, so we went back. This time I booked ahead on Naver and ordered the premium kaisendon (₩37,000) and the basic kaisendon (₩26,000). Here's my revisit story: the difference between the two bowls, plus the aged sashimi and chawanmushi that were still just as good.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun: location, hours and parking

• Address: B2 Room 223, 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:30
• Parking: 2 hours free in the building

Should you book Ilpum Gwanghwamun ahead?

At lunch and dinner, booking on Naver makes things much easier. The restaurant is on the B2 level of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station. Last time I arrived at 5:30 pm, right when the break time ends, and the place was almost full within 30 minutes. This time I reserved on Naver and came a little after weekday lunch time.

The waiting list at the entrance already had several names on it. It's still a very popular Gwanghwamun spot, so if you go at lunch or dinner, a reservation will make your meal far more relaxed.

The bar seat atmosphere at Ilpum

The restaurant is small and tidy, with a central bar (dacchi) and table seats. Like last time, we sat at the bar.

You can watch the staff right in front of you preparing the fish and making the food, so the wait never felt boring.

Premium vs basic kaisendon: what's the difference?

The menu is wide, from kaisendon to unagi don (grilled eel bowl) and sushi omakase. Last time I tried the premium kaisendon and a salmon sake don. This time we decided to compare the premium and basic kaisendon, one each. I love uni (sea urchin) and salmon roe, so I picked premium again, while my sister doesn't like either, so she ordered the basic.

• Premium kaisendon ₩37,000
• Basic kaisendon ₩26,000

The price gap is ₩11,000. According to the staff, the basic bowl has no uni or salmon roe, and the tuna sashimi selection differs slightly too. If you want a variety of luxe seafood, go premium; if you'd rather skip uni and salmon roe and focus on aged sashimi, the basic bowl suits you.

Ilpum's premium kaisendon: still impressive the second time

The premium kaisendon (₩37,000) comes piled generously over rice with salmon, tuna, flounder, sweet shrimp, scallop, abalone, uni and salmon roe. I fell for the gorgeous look last time, and the generous spread caught my eye again this time.

Above all, Ilpum's aged sashimi is really good.

Each thick slice has a soft texture and deep savory flavor, and every kind of seafood tastes different, so picking through them is fun.

The uni I love was nutty and soft with no fishy taste, and the popping texture of the salmon roe was great too.

The rice was as good as before, good enough to eat on its own.

It's delicious with the aged sashimi, and wrapping it in seaweed (gim) or gamtae (a type of seaweed) gives you yet another flavor.

₩37,000 isn't cheap, but getting so many kinds of seafood in one bowl made it a meal worth the money again.

Is the basic kaisendon satisfying enough?

The basic kaisendon (₩26,000) was more generous than I expected. This was my sister's order.

The uni and salmon roe from the premium are missing, but you still get several kinds of sashimi, so it's a perfectly good choice if you like seafood.

If you're like my sister and don't care for uni's distinct flavor or the texture of salmon roe, the basic bowl may actually suit you better.

Miso soup, udon and chawanmushi, then dessert

The miso soup that comes with the kaisendon had the same deep flavor as before,

and the udon served alongside, with fried fish cake in it, had chewy noodles that went nicely with the sushi.

Ilpum's chawanmushi: one of the best I've had

Chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) is what I especially love at Ilpum in Gwanghwamun. Like last time, it did not let me down. The spoon glides in softly, it melts moist in your mouth, and it has a gentle savory depth. It's one of my favorite chawanmushi I've ever had.

A sweet dessert wrapped up a really pleasant meal. This time my eyes also drifted to the unagi don that the guests behind us ordered. A whole eel on top of the rice looked amazing! I always come here for the kaisendon, but now I have another reason to come back, haha

My second visit to Ilpum Gwanghwamun, a sushi favorite

Back at Ilpum Gwanghwamun after 4 months. The fresh aged sashimi and silky chawanmushi were as good as ever, and I understood all over again why my sister kept thinking about it. It's a place I'll want to return to whenever I crave kaisendon or sushi in Gwanghwamun! Next time I'll come for the unagi don I've got my eye on.