Weeknight date izakaya near Daeheung Station: futomaki at Mulgogijip

Why Mulgogijip near Daeheung Station for a weeknight couple's date?

Mulgogijip (물고기집) is an aged-sashimi izakaya near Daeheung Station, and it's also well talked about as a great izakaya near Gwangheungchang Station. After work I wanted a cozy, tasty dinner with my wife and a good dose of stress relief, so we headed here.

Lately I've been squeezing in JLPT Japanese study after work, so I've gotten really curious about izakayas with a proper Japanese feel. I heard the aged sashimi here is amazing, so I went with high expectations.

What are Mulgogijip's exterior and interior like?

Even from outside, you can see a big dry-aging fridge through the large glass window. It was the first thing that caught my eye before we even stepped in.

You can see big whole fish hanging inside, and even before entering I felt that master-craftsman vibe and my heart started racing.

Inside, soft, cozy lighting and calm wood-tone décor made for a really upscale atmosphere. Unlike noisy, crowded pubs, it's quiet and comfortable, so it was the perfect setting for a weekday date, chatting away with my wife and catching up.

What did we order at Mulgogijip?

We sat down, looked over the menu, and ordered the dry-aged sashimi the place is proud of, plus a gigantic futomaki (thick sushi roll) to fill us up.

Complimentary side dish: gosiraegi seaweed with mayonnaise

Right after we ordered, the first side dish arrived neatly in a small bowl: crunchy gosiraegi (a seaweed) tossed in a rich mayonnaise sauce. One bite and the fun, crunchy seaweed texture and the smooth, nutty sauce went together so well that I kept reaching for more. It really got my appetite going before the mains even came.

How does Mulgogijip's dry-aged sashimi taste?

The dry-aged sashimi, Mulgogijip's main dish, was clearly something special in thickness and quality at first glance. And then it finally arrived at our table in all its glory.

The fish the chef had carefully aged was, at a glance, exceptional in thickness and quality.

I picked up a thick, translucent slice of white fish, dipped it lightly in soy sauce and popped it in. The subtle sweetness that lingered on my tongue and the chewy, springy texture were honestly art. Maybe because of the long dry-aging, a heavy, deep umami filled my mouth that you just don't get from ordinary live-fish sashimi.

Abalone with abalone-liver sauce and sweet shrimp

The chewy abalone, generously coated in a deep green-yellow abalone-liver sauce, had no fishy smell at all and was incredibly rich, bursting with fragrant sea flavor with every bite.

The glossy, creamy-white sweet shrimp (dansaeu) was sweet and soft too, melting in the mouth like ice cream. My wife and I both opened our eyes wide and couldn't stop marveling.

What's inside Mulgogijip's futomaki?

Mulgogijip's futomaki is a thick roll packed with shrimp tempura at the center, plus tuna, white fish, crab stick, fried tofu pouch and cucumber. It arrived with an overwhelming look just as we were lost in the great sashimi.

It was so thick it was impossible to fit in one bite, and the filling was seriously generous and well put together.

Crispy fried shrimp sits at the center, surrounded by soft red tuna, chewy white fish, salty crab stick, sweet fried tofu, and finely chopped crunchy cucumber, all packed in without a gap.

How was the truffle abalone-liver cream pasta?

The moment the truffle abalone-liver cream pasta came out, the fragrant truffle aroma hit my nose. Chewy abalone was piled on a thick, deep-green abalone-liver cream sauce. The sauce wasn't fishy at all and was incredibly rich; my wife called it the pasta of her life and scraped up every last bit of sauce.

The depth of flavor was easily on par with pasta from a fine-dining restaurant.

Is Mulgogijip near Daeheung Station worth it for a date?

From the overwhelming quality of the carefully aged sashimi to the bursting, hearty futomaki and the pasta... everything was perfect beyond expectations, a wonderful date night.

The work stress that had been giving me a pounding headache just vanished thanks to the great food and atmosphere.

If friends asked me for a Sinsu-dong restaurant recommendation, I'd point them to Mulgogijip without a moment's hesitation; I was that satisfied. If you want a quiet, intimate evening with reliably good seafood near Daeheung Station, I sincerely recommend visiting this izakaya near Sogang University.