Hwajeong Station solo lunch: flounder sashimi bowl, Min Cook Misoyaki

Where is Min Cook Misoyaki? Between Hwajeong Station's south plaza and E-Mart

I was craving a hearty meal, so I headed to the familiar neighborhood of Hwajeong Station. Looking up, it's real autumn sky now — not a single cloud, that vast blue.

I always eat a simple breakfast, but today I skipped it out of laziness, and now I'm seriously hungry. Determined to eat something filling, I set off to find a good Hwajeong Station rice spot. Where would it be?

Hwajeong Station plaza is lively as always. I'm heading to a restaurant between the south plaza and Hwajeong E-Mart.

Here it is: Min Cook Misoyaki. On the 2nd floor is Min Cook Dasima, which I visited last week.

Min Cook Misoyaki is a Japanese-style grilled fish specialist. The savory smell of grilled fish is already wafting outside.

This is my first time at this Hwajeong Station rice spot, so my expectations are high. I'm also curious how Japanese-style grilled fish differs from Korean-style.

I had to haul some cargo today, so I brought out my touring bike for the first time in a while. Hungry and pedaling a heavy steel bike loaded with stuff, I worked up quite a sweat. Parked the bike in front of the restaurant entrance — time to go in!

Solo-friendly bar table for one and QR ordering at Min Cook Misoyaki

Min Cook Misoyaki has window table seating plus a 1-person bar table facing the entrance and kitchen, making it very solo-diner friendly. The atmosphere and interior are super clean — super great. I arrived right at reopening after break time, and a few customers were already there.

As someone who eats alone almost all the time, this is a very welcome setup.

I sat at the window bar table next to the entrance. Every seat has a QR code — just scan it and order.

Special Wando flounder sashimi bowl, 21,000 won with free double rice

I naturally thought about ordering grilled fish, but the sake-don and sashimi bowls looked even more filling. I went with the Wando flounder sashimi bowl special (₩21,000) — picked it because it looked the most generous. You can order a double portion of rice at no extra cost.

Before I even ordered, a mini porridge arrived — today's appetizer, apparently.

Then a cold bottle of Terra arrived. The temperature swings a lot these days, but midday sun is still hot, so this hit the spot. Ahh, refreshing.

Fried shrimp ordered as a side dish

And the fried shrimp I ordered as a side arrived — a perfect beer companion.

Crispy fried shrimp with zero greasiness. Impressive how they fry it to get this look and taste.

How generous is the special flounder sashimi bowl?

Beer plus fried shrimp already had me feeling full, and now the XL flounder sashimi bowl arrived.

The rice came separately as a bowl, while the sashimi bowl ingredients alone filled a huge tray. Definitely lives up to 'XL.'

I was going to get the salmon sake-don but went with the flounder sashimi bowl because of the Wando flounder sashimi. Wando-sourced flounder — even more welcome to see. It's been a while since I visited Wando; I miss it.

Now, a generous squeeze of chogochujang (vinegared chili paste).

Then the whole bowl of rice goes on top~

Mixed it all up thoroughly and dug in~ It's been a long time since I had hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl), and since I've been eating a lot of poke lately, it actually felt like eating poke. The sashimi bowl pairs really well with the warm miso soup~

There's such a variety of ingredients in such big quantities that it feels like eating two menu items.

After eating for a long while, I still hadn't finished even half. You really shouldn't order the special-size unless you can eat a lot.

But who am I? A big eater, of course. I cleaned the bowl to the last grain of rice. My goal of eating until full was more than exceeded. Next time I'm curious about the grilled fish menu — I'll have to try it.

Open since 2001: the 25-year-old sashimi knife on the wall

Min Cook has been in business since 2001, and they display a sashimi knife used in the kitchen for 25 years on the wall. There's a real sense of craftsmanship at this Hwajeong rice spot, Min Cook Misoyaki.

Checking the map, it turns out the street south of Hwajeong Station is called Hwajeong Culture Street.