Daejeon Japanese spot: cube salmon bowl two ways, Choi Dining

Looking for a Japanese restaurant in Gwanpyeong-dong? I wanted something simple but delicious for a meal, so I picked Choi Dining (초이다이닝).

It's close to Daejeon Hyundai Outlet, so it's a popular lunch spot for a light bite before shopping or a date. It's a fusion dining place where you can casually enjoy futomaki (thick sushi rolls), maze soba (soupless mixed noodles) and pasta, so I was even more excited.

Where is Choi Dining in Gwanpyeong-dong?

• Location: 20 Gwandeul 4-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00
• Break time: 15:00-17:00
• Last order: 14:15, 20:15

It's a 10-minute walk from Hyundai Outlet. Cross over toward the waterside park and turn into the inner alley, and it's easy to find.

You can park in front of the restaurant or beside the building, and if there's no space, a nearby public parking lot is also available.

On weekday lunches they also run Choi Hansang set menus with a ₩2,000 discount :)

What's the atmosphere like at Choi Dining Gwanpyeong? Clean and spacious

The place was very clean and the tables were spaced widely, so it never felt cramped. The restroom is inside the restaurant too, so that was convenient.

You order easily at a kiosk, and the menu was varied, with sides, extras, drinks and alcohol.

They have baby chairs too, so it looked easy enough to visit with kids.

Choosing a menu at Choi Dining: decision paralysis

Choi Dining has a lot of menu items that appeal to women, so choosing was really hard.

Couple set and family set

If you want to enjoy a variety of dishes at a reasonable price, the couple set or family set seemed like a good choice.

I would have ordered more if I could have eaten it all, and I was genuinely sad about that.

After much thought, we chose the cube salmon bowl (loaded with salmon), the slightly spicy whole bacon cream pasta, and a strawberry ade for the drink.

They had draft beer and highballs too, but I was driving, so I couldn't have any, which was a bit of a shame ^^

Cube salmon bowl, two ways to enjoy it

The staff explained that the cube salmon bowl uses salmon aged in kelp (dashima).

You can wrap the raw salmon with rice in seaweed, and the part tossed in flying fish roe sriracha sauce can be mixed into the rice. Getting two styles out of one dish felt different and fun. The one downside is that wrapping it in seaweed gets your hands messy. The portion looked small, but I was full by the end.

I heard the salmon futomaki is the best-selling item, so I definitely want to try that next time. The cube salmon bowl is topped with a spicy yet smooth sauce mixed with flying fish roe, so it looks gorgeous and the flavor isn't harsh, which I liked.

Whole bacon cream pasta

For noodles I ordered the slightly spicy whole bacon cream pasta, and the bacon was really thick and big.

Thick bacon like whole pork belly sits on the plate wrapping around the pasta, and just looking at it made me feel full.

I'm used to thin bacon in pasta, so eating it thick felt new. The meat is so much the star that it felt like a different dish altogether.

It had some spice, but by our standards it wasn't very spicy, and the heat cut through the richness of the cream, so it was easy to keep eating.

Strawberry ade, a drink with a pretty glass

I ordered the strawberry ade, and it came out so cool and the glass was so pretty that just looking at it was satisfying.

However, the strawberry syrup sits at the bottom, so be sure to stir it well with the straw before drinking. It was a fairly sweet strawberry ade for me :)

I really enjoyed it, haha.

Choi Dining menu overview, a Gwanpyeong-dong meal spot

So many dishes it's hard to choose. Pick yours before you go, haha.

Hansang set menu

Futomaki

Pasta and noodles

Rice

Katsu and sides

Weekday dinner event

Review event

Who Choi Dining in Gwanpyeong-dong is perfect for

• Anyone looking for a Japanese restaurant in Gwanpyeong-dong
• Anyone who wants a light lunch in Gwanpyeong-dong
• Anyone who likes salmon dishes, maze soba and the like

If that sounds like you, I recommend visiting Choi Dining. There are so many menu items that appeal to women that next time I'm definitely adding the salmon futomaki. Prices are a bit high, but considering the plating, flavor and atmosphere, it was a Japanese spot in Gwanpyeong-dong that I found worth it.

The counter accepts mobile payments like Naver Pay and Kakao Pay, which made paying convenient.

When I paid and left, they gave me a hand fan, and apparently if you bring the fan back, you get one free drink per table.

Which dish would you like to try at Choi Dining, the Japanese spot in Gwanpyeong-dong?