Jongno kaisendon lunch spot for fish-sensitive eaters: Suksseong

Today I want to tell you about a really good lunch I had in Jongno!

I really love sashimi, so I went looking for a place with fresh seafood and found Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch (숙썽수산 종로본점).

It's a Jongno sashimi restaurant specializing in aged sashimi, and at lunch it also serves kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) with a variety of sashimi in one bowl. I went at lunchtime, and the fish was so fresh that I was super satisfied!

Where is Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch, and is there parking?

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch is on the 3rd floor of a building at 16 Samil-daero 19-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, about a 4-minute walk from Jonggak Station Exit 4. Parking space is limited, so I recommend public transport.

It's in central Jongno, so it's easy to get to, and a decent spot for office workers nearby to come for lunch. The restaurant is on the 3rd floor of the building. Parking is limited, so take public transport rather than driving!

Are the seats good for a quiet conversation over lunch in Jongno?

Each seat at Suksseong Susan is separated by a partition, and some seats can be closed off with a curtain, so it's good for eating while talking quietly. The tables aren't all open like in a typical restaurant, so the atmosphere felt a little different from an ordinary sashimi restaurant.

Thanks to that, you can eat without worrying much about the next table. The seats that can be curtained off look good for a private meal too. Quiet meals at lunch, and in the evening a nice mood for a drink with aged sashimi!

It seemed fine for visiting with friends or a partner, and also for a lunch or company dinner with coworkers.

Suksseong Susan lunch menu and prices

As the name suggests, Suksseong Susan specializes in aged sashimi. The signature item is an aged sashimi platter with a variety of seasonal fish, and the menu is fairly varied, with mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and seafood dishes too.

At lunch in particular, it runs a separate lunch menu.

• Kaisendon ₩25,000
• Special kaisendon ₩34,000
• Hanwoo beef yukhoe bibimbap ₩18,000
• Chicken nanban set ₩17,000

Kaisendon is a Japanese-style seafood rice bowl topped with several kinds of sashimi and seafood.

I heard the special kaisendon adds more seafood, such as fatty tuna belly, compared with the regular kaisendon.

It's perfect for people like me who love sashimi but want a simple meal at lunch!

How did the kaisendon at Suksseong Susan taste?

True to a specialist in aged sashimi, the freshness of the fish was really satisfying. The soft tofu (yeondubu) that came out before the kaisendon was also so nutty and delicious!

And finally, the kaisendon I'd been waiting for. The biggest charm of kaisendon is that you can taste so many kinds of sashimi at once, right?

The kaisendon has white fish, salmon, tuna, shrimp and more mixed together, so it's fun to pick and choose.

Aged sashimi texture: soft and chewy

What I liked especially was the texture. The fish was fresh yet moderately aged, so I could feel both softness and chewiness. People tend to think live fish is always the freshest and tastiest, but aged sashimi has its own charm.

Through aging, the fish's deep savory flavor (umami) builds and the texture gets smoother. It's not mushy or limp, though; the more you chew, the more nutty flavor you taste, which I loved.

Is Suksseong Susan's kaisendon okay if you're sensitive to fishy tastes?

I'm sensitive to fishy smells, so freshness matters a lot to me when eating sashimi, and the fish in this kaisendon was in great condition, so I really enjoyed it. Being able to alternate between several kinds of sashimi is another plus of kaisendon!

Going from mild white fish to rich salmon and tuna makes you notice each one's flavor and texture, so it tastes even better. The sashimi is good on its own, but with rice it has a different charm.

Eat the kaisendon with soy sauce and wasabi, not spicy chili sauce

With a bit of soy sauce and wasabi, the umami of the fish comes out even more, and the rice makes it a hearty meal. The ratio of sashimi to rice matters in kaisendon, and with so many kinds of fish to try, I never got tired of it until the last bite.

I also liked that you don't mix it with sweet-spicy chogochujang like a regular hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl), so you can enjoy the true taste of the seafood. If you usually like sashimi, I think you'll be well satisfied!

Is Suksseong Susan's kaisendon worth it for lunch in Jongno?

What satisfied me most was the quality of the fresh fish. I liked being able to enjoy several kinds of aged sashimi in one bowl, and it felt like a special meal, a bit different from an ordinary lunch.

Kaisendon at lunch, and a drink with aged sashimi in the evening: a great Jongno spot!

If you're looking for a place in Jongno to eat fresh sashimi, or you're craving a special lunch, give Suksseong Susan a visit.