₩19,500 sushi lunch special near Hwajeong Station: Min Cook Dasima

The lunch special at Min Cook Dasima near Hwajeong Station was a satisfying lunch: fresh sushi with plenty of side dishes!

I wanted sushi for lunch near Hwajeong Station, so I headed to Min Cook Dasima (민쿡다시마)! It's right across from E-Mart in Hwajeong, so it was easy to find, and the lunch special sushi set was pretty good, so I left well fed. Today I'll walk you through the location, parking and menu~

Where is Min Cook Dasima, and how does parking work?

Min Cook Dasima is on the 2nd floor of the building directly across from E-Mart in Hwajeong, and you park in the E-Mart lot. If you ask after your meal, you can get 1 hour of E-Mart parking. It's a convenient spot for a Hwajeong Station lunch, and the parking makes it even easier. If you're coming by car, this is really handy, so keep it in mind~

Go up to the 2nd floor and you'll find the Japanese restaurant Min Cook Dasima, and there's a standing sign out front, so it's not hard to spot. They cook the rice for their sushi by hand using their own recipe, then top it with fresh fish. They only make 100 servings of sushi a day, which showed me how much care goes into it.

At the entrance I saw a Hundred-Year Store mark, a Blue Ribbon sign and a Goyang tourist restaurant sign, and inside there was a master craftsman plaque too. With all that, it has to be a real deal restaurant, right?!

Is Min Cook Dasima good for a solo lunch?

The dining hall is roomier and more relaxed than I expected, and it wasn't crowded even at weekday lunch. The tables aren't packed tightly together, so it feels less cramped. I went on a weekday lunch and saw quite a few people eating alone. Here are the hours too.

• Break time: 15:00–16:30

How much is the Min Cook Dasima lunch special sushi set, and what comes with it?

The lunch special sushi set at Min Cook Dasima is ₩19,500. The restaurant also has hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl), grilled fish and other dishes besides sushi, but what I ordered was the lunch special sushi set.

Starter porridge and the full lunch spread

The lunch special sushi set starts with porridge as an appetizer. It was nutty and soft, just right for easing into the meal.

Not long after the porridge, the whole lunch special spread arrived. With everything set out at once, it looked so appetizing. I thought, so this is what people mean by eating with your eyes.

The sushi lineup was full of my favorites too, so it was a very satisfying spread.

Clear soup, tempura and steamed egg

With sides to go along with the sushi, the meal felt a lot richer. A clear soup came too, and the broth was refreshing, great alongside the sushi.

The tempura was shrimp, chili pepper and sweet pumpkin. The crispy texture and nutty flavor stood out.

And of course we can't skip the Japanese-style steamed egg. I think steamed egg is at its best when it's both springy and soft, and this was exactly that!

How was the sushi in the lunch special?

The fish on the sushi was fresh overall, and the amount of rice was neither too little nor too much, so it all balanced nicely. Above all, I love salmon and soy shrimp, and both were in the set, so it was a satisfying meal. The portion wasn't lacking either. I also didn't feel heavy or bloated afterward, it felt clean, which makes it a very good lunch option.

Final thoughts: Min Cook Dasima sushi lunch special near Hwajeong Station

Min Cook Dasima is right across from E-Mart in Hwajeong, so it was easy to find, and when I drove, parking at E-Mart with 1 hour offered when paying for the meal meant I barely had to worry about it. The inside was also roomier and more relaxed than I expected, so it wasn't crowded even at lunchtime.

As for the food, the lunch special sushi set alone comes as one full spread: porridge, salad, tempura, steamed egg, clear soup and sushi, so you eat well. The fish tasted fresh and the rice portion was just right, so it was an easy meal all the way to the end. On a day when you're craving clean Japanese food or sushi for a Hwajeong Station lunch, the lunch special sushi set at Min Cook Dasima seems like a good choice.