Jeonpo sushi restaurant: flounder four ways and eel at Kumano Sushi

Kumano Sushi hours and location

Kumano Sushi is at 31 Seojeon-ro 46beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, on the first floor, a 3-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station. It is open Wednesday to Saturday, 12:00–16:00 (last order 15:30). There is no break time and no dedicated parking lot.

I was looking for a quiet place to eat sushi alone near Jeonpo Station, and this is the Jeonpo sushi spot I ended up at. It's a slightly special place: open only Wednesday to Saturday, and only four hours a day (12:00–16:00). With hours that short, I figured they must prepare the day's ingredients with real care, and I'd wanted to try it for a long time.

Kumano Sushi atmosphere: is it good for dining solo?

Kumano Sushi is a small place with just a few tables, and soft piano music plays, so it's a nice atmosphere for a quiet meal alone. The entrance, hung with a noren curtain (fabric door flap) reading くまのし, is small and cute. There was also a sign saying they serve premium Ebisu draft beer.

I went in the afternoon, a little after lunchtime, and loved that it was quiet inside. The place is tiny, with only a few tables, and the soft piano music made it just right for eating alone.

On one side is the sushi bar where the chef makes the sushi by hand, and the wall is lined with Japanese wooden plaques naming the toppings (neta) like flounder, tuna, salmon and eel, which gave it the feel of an authentic sushi restaurant.

Kumano Sushi menu and prices

Please check the photo above for the Kumano Sushi menu in Jeonpo! For sushi like this, the prices felt quite reasonable.

Pickled ginger and soy sauce come set out by default.

What's in the Kumano Special Sushi (12 pieces, ₩25,000)?

The Kumano Special Sushi is 12 pieces for ₩25,000, and its signature is serving the same fish in different cuts and cooking styles. The 12 pieces came neatly lined up on a long black plate, and it looked tidy and refined from the first glance. What stood out was that it wasn't like the usual set at other sushi places. Instead of just laying common toppings on rice, they've put it together so you can enjoy the same fish in different cuts and preparations.

Seen from the side, the white fish sushi lined up in layers looked so appetizing.

Flounder compared: seared skin tataki, engawa, belly and plain fillet

What impressed me most in the Kumano Special Sushi was the flounder served by cut. The skin side is lightly seared and served as tataki (briefly torched), and it was chewy with a faint smoky aroma, which made it feel different.

The fin meat (engawa) kept its characteristic crunch, and the belly was soft with a gentle richness of fat. It's the same flounder, but the taste and texture change with each cut, so comparing them was fun.

The plain flounder fillet was clean-tasting yet chewy. The more I chewed, the more a subtle savory depth (umami) came through.

Tuna and truffle salmon sushi

The tuna was red meat with the grain still visible, topped with a little scallion for extra savoriness. It was clean, with no fishy smell.

This one was salmon topped with shredded onion and truffle sauce, with capers as an accent, and it was really different. With the truffle's fragrance, it had a luxurious flavor unlike ordinary salmon sushi. I can see why Kumano Sushi sells salmon sushi (10 pieces) separately.

Shrimp ankimo sushi and abalone sushi

The shrimp ankimo sushi is plump shrimp topped with ankimo (monkfish liver) and lightly seared. The rich, nutty flavor of the ankimo blended with the sweetness of the shrimp, and it was so good.

The abalone sushi is topped with blanched abalone (sukhoe) and wrapped with a little strip of seaweed. It's chewy yet tender, and you can taste abalone's signature savory depth.

Freshwater eel sushi that won over someone who doesn't like eel

Honestly, I don't really like eel sushi. Too many places grill the eel well ahead of time and just slap teriyaki sauce on it. But the eel at Kumano Sushi clearly showed it had been cooked carefully, with sauce brushed on as it went. The glossy surface was evenly soaked with sauce and the inside was soft, and I was so satisfied that it changed my impression of eel sushi.

Kumano Sushi: better for a solo meal or a date?

Kumano Sushi is a Jeonpo sushi restaurant that suits both a neat meal alone and a date with Ebisu draft beer. The toppings were fresh and carefully made overall, so it was a really good place for a tidy meal on my own. A couple at the next table was enjoying sushi with Ebisu draft beer, and I thought it would make a nice date spot too, with a glass of beer together.

Overall, Kumano Sushi is a Jeonpo sushi favorite that breaks from the usual set and shows real care, letting you enjoy the same fish in different cuts and cooking styles. I'd recommend it both to people who want a quiet sushi meal alone and to couples looking for a special sushi date.