Gizzard shad sashimi to go for a Ttukseom picnic: Yeongjae Susan

Fall's seasonal foods are starting to show up one by one these days. And one of the dishes that screams autumn to me is gizzard shad! I'd been craving its nutty, savory sashimi for ages, so this time I headed to Yeongjae Susan in Garak Market!

Where is Yeongjae Susan, and what are its hours and parking?

Yeongjae Susan is at 932 Yangjaedae-ro, Garak Mall Sales Building 1F C-10, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea — about 58m from Exit 2 of Garak Market Station. Hours are 07:00 to 22:00.

You can park at the Garak Mall lot, with 3 hours free. We ordered the Jeon-Gwang-Cham combo — gizzard shad + flounder + sea bream all in one!

Right in front of Garak Mall gate 6: what the shop is like

Honestly, I get a bit uncomfortable when market vendors call out aggressively, so I really appreciated Yeongjae Susan's location! Walk in through gate 6 of the Garak Mall seafood market and it's right there. It was so easy to spot the moment I stepped through the entrance, haha.

Even first-time visitors to Garak Market won't need to wander deep inside looking for the shop. The center of the market is packed with seafood stalls and can get a bit chaotic, so having Yeongjae Susan right by gate 6 made it quick to find.

Out front there's a big tank with live fish and various seasonal seafood, fun just to look at. Since it was fall, the gizzard shad I'd been craving caught my eye first. They also sell live shrimp and other seafood, so I had a hard time deciding what to get, haha.

Yeongjae Susan's menu: what comes in the Jeon-Gwang-Cham platter?

The menu board is large with photos, so it was easy to check even on a first visit. Bluefin tuna, flatfish, mullet, sea bass, flounder, jack mackerel, croaker, sea bream, thin-sliced sashimi — so many kinds of sashimi to choose from!

What we picked was the Jeon-Gwang-Cham combo — gizzard shad + flounder + sea bream all together. Just gizzard shad alone felt a bit lacking, but a single portion of flounder or sea bream alone also felt limited, so I liked being able to have all three. It also comes in several sizes, so it's easy to order for however many people you have.

Since it was just the two of us, we ordered the small size. The portion was just right for two! It cost 65,000 won.

Also, be sure to check Naver ordering before you go. When I checked, there was a 20% discount coupon available for Naver orders, so if you're planning a visit, it's worth checking for a coupon first.

How Yeongjae Susan packs takeaway, and how far it delivers

After a short wait, they packed the sashimi neatly. We weren't heading straight home with it — we were going all the way to Ttukseom Hangang Park for a sashimi picnic. They packed it carefully so the sashimi wouldn't shift, and included an ice pack too, which put my mind at ease while carrying it around outside.

It took about 20 minutes to get from Garak Market to Ttukseom Hangang Park, and when I opened it up on arrival, the sashimi was barely disturbed. Takeout sashimi can sometimes slide to one side or lose its shape during transport, but Yeongjae Susan's packing was sturdy and easy to carry. Especially for something like a Han River picnic where you need to travel a bit after packing, I really appreciated the included ice pack.

While waiting, I noticed delivery orders kept coming in too. Apparently the delivery radius varies a bit by platform.

• Coupang Eats / Baemin1 / Yogiyo: free delivery within a 4km radius of Yeongjae Susan
• Ddangyo / Baemin store delivery: free delivery within a 7km radius of Yeongjae Susan
• Extra delivery fees may apply depending on distance

They said you can also order through the Inuiuiyokju app, so if visiting in person is difficult, ordering delivery seems like a convenient option too.

Sashimi picnic at Ttukseom Hangang Park

We carried our takeout sashimi over to Ttukseom Hangang Park! The weather's been getting cooler lately, perfect timing for a Han River picnic, and I spotted other people who'd brought takeout sashimi just like us. Mat spread out, facing the river, ready to eat, haha.

Usually when people think of the Han River, it's fried chicken or pizza delivery that comes to mind, but having a seasonal sashimi picnic like this in fall turned out to be great too. Especially with something like gizzard shad, which you really only get to enjoy properly right now, eating it by the river felt different from eating it at home.

How did the gizzard shad, flounder and sea bream taste?

Finally, time to open it up! The moment I lifted the lid, the sashimi was packed in densely. Even after being carried over, the whole thing had kept its shape well, and it looked fresh at first glance.

First up, the one I'd been looking forward to — gizzard shad! That distinctive nutty, savory taste of fall gizzard shad really came through. The more I chewed, the more that savory flavor built up, and since it had been a while, it was genuinely delicious. Honestly, out of everything we ate that day, gizzard shad was my favorite! You really do have to eat it in season.

Next, the flounder! Unlike the gizzard shad, it had a clean, chewy texture that I liked. Flounder is already one of my go-to sashimi choices, but this one was plump with great texture. They'd cut the fin part thick, and that section was especially delicious — chewing into it, a rich savory flavor spread through my mouth, haha.

The sea bream was in great condition too. Where the gizzard shad had strong savory notes and the flounder was clean and chewy, the sea bream had a firmer, more satisfying bite. Going back and forth between the three kept it interesting — never got tired of just one type. I was glad we ordered the Jeon-Gwang-Cham combo.

When I eat sashimi, I like dipping it in soy sauce with a bit of wasabi mixed in, and what I appreciated here was that fresh wasabi was included. A little fresh wasabi on top, dipped in soy sauce, really brought out the flavor of the sashimi itself. Dipping in the sweet-and-sour chojang sauce was also great depending on my mood, haha.

Most of all, eating it by the Han River added to the whole experience and made it taste even better. With a cool breeze blowing, looking out at the river, eating a piece each of gizzard shad, flounder, and sea bream — I got why sashimi picnics are so popular these days. Fried chicken and delivery food are great, but in the fall, packing seasonal sashimi from Garak Market and eating it by the Han River is worth trying at least once.

Service at Yeongjae Susan

From ordering to picking up the packed sashimi, everything at Yeongjae Susan went smoothly. With so many menu options I wasn't sure what to pick at first, but ordering wasn't complicated, and best of all, instead of just tossing the sashimi in a bag, they packed it carefully so it would travel well.

They even included an ice pack, so even after about 20 minutes to Ttukseom Hangang Park, we could bring it there fresh. Even for people unfamiliar with Garak Market, it's easy to find right in front of gate 6, and with such careful packing, it's a sashimi shop in Garak Market that's easy to visit without worry.

Final verdict on Yeongjae Susan

I visited Yeongjae Susan in Garak Market craving fall gizzard shad sashimi! The Jeon-Gwang-Cham combo I tried let me enjoy gizzard shad, flounder, and sea bream all at once, which was especially good for anyone who'd feel shortchanged sticking to just one kind of sashimi.

Being right in front of Garak Mall's gate 6 made the shop easy to find, and the neat, careful packing made it easy to carry all the way to the river. With the ice pack included, the sashimi stayed in great condition even after about 20 minutes of travel, and the gizzard shad, flounder, and sea bream were all fresh. The seasonal gizzard shad was especially savory and delicious.

If you're craving fall gizzard shad like I was, but also want other sashimi like flounder and sea bream alongside it, Yeongjae Susan's Jeon-Gwang-Cham combo in Garak Market is worth trying. And on a nice day, I'd recommend packing sashimi from Yeongjae Susan and heading to Ttukseom Hangang Park for a sashimi picnic. I want to do another Han River sashimi picnic myself before fall is over, haha.