Seo-gu, Daegu sashimi restaurant: five ways to eat chamgajami

I visited Hanjan Meokgo Gajami to eat fresh sashimi in Daegu. Writing this up in case it helps anyone looking for a good sashimi restaurant in Daegu.

Where Hanjan Meokgo Gajami is and when it opens

Hanjan Meokgo Gajami is at 29 Tonghangno 39-gil, Seo-gu, Daegu, 1st floor. It's open daily from 11:00 to 23:00, last order at 22:00, closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. There's parking for 2 cars right in front of the restaurant.

There's a fish tank out front, so you can see the fish yourself.

Wild-caught: the fish changes from day to day

On the day I visited, I ordered chamgajami (yellow flatfish). But since Hanjan Meokgo Gajami serves wild-caught fish, they told me it's not always the same fish available. Depending on the day's catch and weather, certain fish might be sold out. If you want a specific fish, it seemed like a good idea to call ahead before visiting.

What I ordered this time was the small chamgajami (yellow flatfish) plate.

Can you order half sekkoshi and half regular sashimi?

At Hanjan Meokgo Gajami you can choose how you want your sashimi prepared. You can get it as sekkoshi (bone-in, thinly sliced), or as regular sashimi with the bones removed. If it's hard to pick just one, half-and-half is also an option. Since I was curious about both textures, I asked for half sekkoshi, half regular sashimi. It was great being able to compare both on one plate.

I started with the sekkoshi. The crunchy texture really came through. The more I chewed, the more the clean, nutty flavor came up too. The regular sashimi on the other side had no bones, so it was much softer and easier to eat. Even though it's the same chamgajami, the feel was quite different depending on how it was prepared.

If you usually like sekkoshi, ordering it that way is great. If the bone texture feels like a lot, regular sashimi works. And if you're curious about both like I was, I'd recommend ordering half-and-half.

Five ways to eat chamgajami: makjang, soy-wasabi, chojang and ssam

Chamgajami is delicious plain since it's so clean-tasting, but dipping it in makjang (fermented soybean-chili paste) brought out an even nuttier flavor — that was my favorite combo. With soy sauce and wasabi, you could taste the natural sweetness, which made for a clean bite. There was also the option of mixing it with vegetables and chojang (vinegared chili paste).

It was nice being able to eat the same sashimi so many different ways. Putting the sashimi on lettuce or perilla leaves with garlic and makjang gave yet another flavor.

What banchan comes with the sashimi

Even before the sashimi arrived, Hanjan Meokgo Gajami had a wide variety of banchan (side dishes). There was flatfish seaweed soup, white kimchi, and pickled vegetables.

Soy sauce crab, an egg dish, and peanuts came out too. Then steamed egg and cheese macaroni followed.

There was even grilled fish, so the table ended up quite full. After finishing the sashimi, I ordered the spicy stew.

Finishing with the 2,000 won maeuntang stew

The stew is only ₩2,000, so it was an easy add-on. If sashimi alone feels like it's not quite enough, this hot soup is the perfect way to wrap up. Paired with rice, the warm broth was really filling.

Is Hanjan Meokgo Gajami worth a visit?

This time I tried the small chamgajami plate split half-and-half at Hanjan Meokgo Gajami. The sekkoshi had a great crunchy texture, and the regular sashimi was easy to eat, softer. If it's hard to choose just one style, ordering half-and-half like I did worked out well.

That said, since the fish is wild-caught, the fish you want might not be available on a given day. Checking ahead of your visit would make things a bit easier. The banchan spread was also varied, and the final stew being just ₩2,000 kept the price from feeling like a burden.

Good for anyone looking for wild flatfish sashimi among Daegu's sashimi restaurants, or who wants to try both sekkoshi and regular sashimi. I enjoyed comparing the two textures on one plate even more for it. Next time I'm craving flatfish sashimi in Daegu, I'd like to stop by again.