Friday dinner half-and-half salmon 10P at Elephant Sushi, Gwanghwamun

A sushi restaurant in a super convenient spot right off Gwanghwamun Station, where we filled up on a variety of sushi plus cold soba.

It had been a while since I'd gone out in Seoul. On a Friday evening, I met up with my wife and headed to Gwanghwamun. After wandering around the area for a bit, we went for dinner at Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun.

It's located on B1 of the KT Gwanghwamun branch building, connected directly from Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station, so it wasn't hard to find at all. My wife loves sushi, so we decided to try a bunch of different kinds that day.

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun: location and hours

• Address: B109-5, B1, KT Gwanghwamun Branch, 178 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Hours: 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Connected to Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2

Coming out of Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station, the blue sky and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts building caught my eye. Maybe because the weather was so nice, the whole Gwanghwamun area felt more relaxed and pretty than usual.

I looked over at the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square for a bit and walked around the area. Since it was my first outing in Seoul in a while, even the walk to dinner felt fun for no particular reason.

Finding Elephant Sushi

We went for dinner at Elephant Sushi, located on B1 of the KT Gwanghwamun branch building. We followed the path connected from Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station straight into the KT building.

The exterior of the building had a sleek feel, and once inside, a huge media tower caught my eye. A video of a blue ocean full of fish was playing on the screen, so I watched it for a moment.

Then we headed down to B1. Looking at the directory, there were several restaurants sharing the floor. Elephant Sushi was number 9 — checking the map, it wasn't too hard to find. Being directly connected to the station was definitely convenient.

We arrived in front of the restaurant. True to the name Elephant Sushi, a cute elephant character caught my eye. There was also a poster introducing the menu out front, so we could check out the options before going in.

Friday evening atmosphere and seating

Walking inside, the bright wood-toned interior caught my eye first. There was a long stretch of counter seating alongside regular table seating, and chefs were preparing sushi in the back.

It looked like a fine spot to sit at the counter for a solo meal, and for two of us, there were 2-top and 4-top tables to choose from as well.

Being a Friday evening, though, there were quite a lot of customers. It was a little past 6pm, and there were office workers eating solo as well as groups that looked like after-work meetups. The tables were nearly full — this seems to be a popular spot for Gwanghwamun office workers.

Choosing from the tablet menu

We sat down and looked through the menu on the tablet. There were more options than I expected, from sushi to individual dishes to fried items. We decided to try a bit of everything and ordered three things that day.

• Half raw salmon / half grilled salmon 10P + cold soba — ₩35,000
• Elephant B set 12P + cold soba — ₩28,000
• Plump fried shrimp 6P — ₩12,000

I like trying a little bit of many kinds of sushi, so I picked Elephant B, while my wife, who loves salmon, chose the half-and-half menu with both raw and grilled salmon. We also added fried shrimp as a side. That gave us a pretty varied spread for two.

The banchan and savory water that came out first

Not long after ordering, the basic side dishes were set out first. Cabbage salad, miso soup, wasabi, and ginger were prepared. The cabbage salad was crunchy and the sauce wasn't too heavy, so it was nice as a light bite before the sushi. It was tasty enough that we ended up asking for a refill.

And the water wasn't plain water either — it had a savory taste, like hutgae tea (raisin tree extract). This small touch was quietly enjoyable too.

Starting with crispy fried shrimp

Not long after, our ordered dishes started coming out. Just the golden, crispy look of the fried shrimp was mouthwatering. The batter was crunchy and the shrimp still had a plump bite to it. Best of all, it wasn't greasy — it felt clean.

It was good on its own, but even better dipped in the accompanying sauce. It had a lemony brightness with a slight kick that paired well with the shrimp. A nice side to alternate with as we worked through the sushi.

The cold soba included in the sets

And here's the dish I was personally waiting for — cold soba. I really love cold soba, but I also think it's a dish that can easily disappoint if not made well. If the broth has any fishy taste, or the noodles are too firm or too mushy, I just don't reach for it.

But the cold soba here had just the right noodle texture — not too chewy, not too soft — and the broth was clean. Eating a bite of soba between pieces of sushi refreshed the palate each time. I ended up finishing the broth too. Being included in the set made it even more satisfying.

Today's main event: the 12-piece Elephant B

Now for the real deal — sushi. Elephant B is a 12-piece assorted sushi platter. With so many types on one plate, it looked hearty just to look at. White fish, tuna, shrimp, squid, grilled fish, gunkan-maki, and futomaki — each piece looked different from the next. Just deciding which to eat first was fun.

Clean-tasting white fish

We started with the clean-tasting white fish. It was crisp and had a subtly satisfying bite, making it a good first piece. It had a different, slightly springy texture compared to typical white fish, which was interesting.

Tender tuna

The tuna had a vivid red color that looked great. It had a clean, light taste, while a different cut of tuna was a touch more tender and nutty. If you love tuna, tasting that kind of contrast on one plate is fun in itself.

Shrimp and squid

The shrimp had a nice chewy texture, and the squid-type sushi was soft yet chewy with each bite. There was also a lightly grilled piece in the mix, which gave off a subtle smoky, nutty flavor.

A slightly special gunkan-maki

This eye-catching piece is a gunkan-maki topped with monkfish liver. It had a distinctly rich, savory taste, unlike typical fish sushi. Having one dish like this among the many others gave a nice change of pace to the flavors.

And finally, the futomaki packed with several ingredients, giving a mix of flavors in a single bite. Overall, the biggest appeal of Elephant B was getting to sample so many different kinds in small portions.

If, like me, you prefer trying a variety over eating a lot of one kind, this set would be satisfying. Note that the sushi lineup may vary depending on the ingredients available that day.

My wife's pick: half raw / half grilled salmon 10P

And here's the dish we ordered for my salmon-loving wife. On one side, thick raw salmon; on the other, grilled salmon.

The raw salmon had that moist, tender texture that's so appealing — the kind that melts in your mouth, familiar yet unmistakably satisfying salmon sushi.

But what my wife liked in particular was the grilled salmon. She said the white topping on the lightly grilled salmon was quite appealing. It added a soft, nutty note that went well with the grilled salmon.

Alternating between raw and grilled salmon on one plate was nice, since even the same fish felt different each way. For salmon lovers, this kind of half-and-half option seems like a pretty good choice.

A day when sushi sounds good in Gwanghwamun

After a rare outing in Seoul, looking around the area and then enjoying our favorite sushi and cold soba, the evening ended up feeling pretty full. Getting to try a wide variety of sushi that day left us both satisfied. On a day when you're craving sushi in Gwanghwamun, remember Elephant Sushi~