Jonggak seafood bowl spot: weekday wait & mountain of negitoro, Ilpum

Where is Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

Ilpum Gwanghwamun (일품 광화문점) is on the second basement floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, straight ahead after you leave Jonggak Station Exit 1. I was meeting a friend I hadn't seen in a while and we decided on a good dinner near Gwanghwamun and Jonggak! The basement is pretty big, so you have to wind your way around to find it.

Is there a wait at 6pm on a weekday?

We arrived right at 6pm on a weekday, quitting time, and there was already a wait. It made me think this is a seriously legit favorite among Gwanghwamun and Jonggak office workers.

Inside, there's a stylish bar counter where you can watch the cooking, plus table seats further in where you can sit comfortably. It felt like a cozy place for a quiet meal.

What did we order at Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

Ilpum Gwanghwamun is also famous for futomaki (thick sushi rolls) and sushi, but we ordered the Ilpumdong (Special) from their signature kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) menu!

What does the Ilpumdong (Special) look like?

The moment the Ilpumdong (Special) hit the table, my friend and I both burst out with excited squeals, hahaha

This is no ordinary rice bowl. The tuna negitoro (minced fatty tuna) is piled up like an actual mountain! Glistening orange salmon roe is scattered over the bright red tuna, and a luxurious serving of sea urchin sits on top, so the colors were gorgeous and showy. It also comes neatly set with nutty seaweed and gamtae (dried green laver) for wrapping the fish.

Scooping negitoro like bingsu

Usually with a bowl like this you'd ration the sashimi, putting one piece at a time on the rice. But the minced tuna is piled so high on the Ilpumdong (Special) that you end up scooping it by the spoonful, just like digging into bingsu (shaved ice).

The seasoned rice is good on its own

The rice in Ilpum Gwanghwamun's kaisendon isn't plain. It's seasoned so deliciously that I could eat it by itself, pure bliss!

Piling fresh, high-quality tuna negitoro on that tasty rice and adding popping salmon roe, the rich, creamy flavor of the tuna melted softly in my mouth. Wrapped in gamtae, the scent of the sea spreads out. Total treat!

Do steamed egg, udon and dessert come too?

The Ilpumdong (Special) comes with soft steamed egg and hot udon. They warm your stomach while you eat the cold raw fish bowl, so the balance is great!

A day I ate all the tuna I could ever want *_*

Just as we were getting up after eating, a staff member at Ilpum Gwanghwamun said there was dessert and brought it right over! We hadn't even ordered a course meal, so what a generous bonus /ㅅ/ A sweet, really delicious Japanese-style dessert!

Clip video of Ilpum Gwanghwamun

Ilpum Gwanghwamun Ilpumdong (Special) in a nutshell

• There's a wait even at 6pm on a weekday! A hot spot for Gwanghwamun office workers where a reservation before visiting is a must
• The might of high-quality minced tuna piled up like bingsu! A real rice bowl that's delicious even for the rice alone
• Premium gamtae and seaweed, plus hot udon and steamed egg to warm your stomach, in perfect balance

Now I totally understand why people rush here straight from work and put up with the wait at Gwanghwamun's Ilpum! If you want to scoop up fresh, rich tuna negitoro by the mountainous spoonful, I recommend the Ilpumdong (Special) at Ilpum Gwanghwamun, B2 of Le Meilleur in Jonggak /ㅅ/