Sashimi bar in Sangbong for torched croaker and mulhoe: Hoepanjang

There's a place my husband and I visited once and couldn't stop thinking about, so we went back: Hoepanjang Sangbong (회판장 상봉점), a Sangbong Station favorite. Last time we had the half-flounder, half-red seabream combo and loved it, so this time we decided to try the mixed sashimi platter. We used to be total meat people, but since our first visit a few months ago we've fallen for sashimi and eat it really often.

The aged sashimi is great, the free sides are excellent, and above all it's a wonderful place to drink! Now that the weather is warmer they open the folding doors, so you get an old-school tavern vibe that's extra atmospheric. Once again we ended up adding soju and highballs and went home very happy.

Where is Hoepanjang Sangbong, and is there parking?

Hoepanjang Sangbong is about a 3–4 minute walk from Exits 2 and 3 of Sangbong Station. It's also fairly close to Mangu Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport.

There's no parking lot, so if you're driving, use a nearby public car park. Hours are Tue–Fri 16:00–03:00 (next day), Sat 15:00–03:00 (next day) and Sun 15:00–24:00, closed Mondays. Corkage is free, and they offer birthday perks, a takeout discount, group seating, takeout, delivery, Wi-Fi, reservations, and pets are allowed too.

Saturday evening vibe and outdoor tables at Hoepanjang Sangbong

Hoepanjang Sangbong sits inside the Sangbong Station eatery alley. Even the exterior screams "great place for a drink and some raw fish"-

We arrived around 5 p.m. on a Saturday, thinking it would be before the crowd,

but every table except two was already taken. A true Sangbong Station hotspot! After 6 p.m., when it cools down a bit, they also run outdoor tables, and by 7 p.m., just as we were finishing, those were packed too.

(In this kind of weather the whole eatery alley turns into an outdoor pub street in the evening. Next time we should bring Byeol (our dog) and enjoy the outdoor seating-)

What we ordered at Hoepanjang Sangbong

This time we ordered the small mixed sashimi platter, Jinro soju and a Suntory highball. Even though we only ordered the platter, the free sides came out really generously.

• Mixed sashimi platter (small)
• Jinro soju
• Suntory highball

What free side dishes come at Hoepanjang?

The free sides at Hoepanjang Sangbong start with corn cheese and beondegi-tang (silkworm pupae soup), then go on to potato pancakes, fried items, grilled fish and mussel soup. The sides alone make a full drinking spread.

First out were the corn cheese and silkworm pupae soup. The corn cheese was topped with plenty of cheese, nutty and sweet, and the soup had a spicy, tangy broth that got the drinking started right away.

Then came the potato pancake and fried items. They were fresh out of the fryer, so fluffy and crispy.

Next, the grilled fish- golden on the outside and still moist inside, so good- With sides this good, no wonder this aged sashimi restaurant in Sangbong is always so packed!

And then a cool, clean mussel soup- loaded with bean sprouts too, and it was a perfect match with soju.

What's on Hoepanjang's small mixed sashimi platter?

That day the small mixed sashimi platter at Hoepanjang Sangbong held flounder, ice sea bream (eoreum-dom), croaker with just the skin lightly cooked, mullet, red seabream, aged salmon and sea bass, all on one plate. The star of the night finally arrived, and it looks amazing. The colors were vivid and it looked completely delicious!!

How do Hoepanjang's aged flounder, red seabream and ice sea bream taste?

Each kind tastes different, which makes eating it fun.

The flounder is chewy with a subtle sweetness. The savory flavor spreads the more you chew, and I thought, yes, this is aged sashimi.

The red seabream is a bit firmer than the flounder and gets nuttier as you chew. I'd never tried ice sea bream before, and its light, clean taste left an impression.

Torched croaker, mullet, sea bass and aged salmon at Hoepanjang

The croaker came with its skin lightly torched, and the richness of the skin went really well with the croaker's soft, tender texture. The mullet had a faint sweetness that came through as I chewed, and the sea bass was clean and mild, a taste anyone would like-

The aged salmon melted in my mouth, with a rich, fatty flavor that was so good. My husband doesn't like salmon much, so it was all mine!

How to enjoy Hoepanjang's aged sashimi even more

What's great about this aged sashimi restaurant in Sangbong is that it's not just the fish; the things to eat it with are really good too. Put a slice on sushi rice seasoned with sweet vinegar, wrap it in seaweed, eat it with white kimchi, add some myeongran-muchim (seasoned pollock roe), or have it with perilla leaf, garlic and cheongyang chili. Every way tastes different.

Putting a little myeongran-muchim on top adds a salty savoriness that was perfect with soju. (Definitely try it with the roe! Add a chili pepper too and it's amazing)

How were Hoepanjang's hoe-muchim and mulhoe?

Personally, my favorites at Hoepanjang Sangbong were the hoe-muchim (seasoned raw fish salad) and the mulhoe (cold raw fish soup). However good it is, eating only sashimi can get a bit tiring, but a spoonful of mulhoe now and then, sweet, sour and cold, resets your mouth.

The hoe-muchim had crunchy vegetables, chewy aged fish and a really sweet-and-sour sauce, which made it the perfect dish to pick at between bites.

Verdict: Hoepanjang Sangbong for aged sashimi near Sangbong Station

If you're looking for a Sangbong Station favorite, this is one of the places I'd recommend most right now! Hoepanjang Sangbong is where we learned the true taste of aged sashimi- the quality is good, the free sides are generous, and there are so many ways to eat it. The mixed platter in particular lets you taste many kinds of aged sashimi at once, which was great.

If you want proper aged sashimi with a drink, I completely recommend Hoepanjang Sangbong.