Goyang sushi restaurant set meal with kake udon: Min Cook Dasima

It had been a while since I went looking for a good restaurant around Hwajeong Station, so I crossed past Daegok Station. By bicycle, of course. The shopping areas around Madu Station and Jeongbalsan Station in Ilsan New Town positively give off an aging vibe, but the businesses near Hwajeong Station still have a nice atmosphere—at least for now(?). As a resident of Ilsandong-gu, I hate to admit it, but Hwajeong probably has a better real-estate outlook than Ilsan New Town, too. The people on the street are younger, and above all, the energy is livelier.

A sushi restaurant found at Hwajeong Station Plaza

So, among the many good restaurants around Hwajeong Station, where was today’s culinary journey headed?

It was Min Cook Dasima (민쿡다시마), on the second floor of Jinsol Plaza at Hwajeong Station Plaza. It is a large commercial building, fully occupied, so the signs are a visual jumble.

You can take the elevator, or simply walk up since it is on the second floor. Oddly enough, the entrance corridor is quite long.

There are countless customer photos displayed at the restaurant entrance.

Apparently, it opened in 2001 and was Goyang’s very first sushi restaurant. I mean, how rural must Goyang have been for there to have been no sushi restaurant before 2001? Haha. Anyway, Min Cook Dasima is a sushi specialist with a full 25 years behind it.

Bar seating and QR ordering

Anyway, in I go with high expectations~ I visited at 5 PM, just as break time had ended and dinner service began. I spotted a Blue Ribbon label, as well as signs for both Goyang City and the Small and Medium Business Administration’s Baeknyeon Gage (Century-Old Store) program.

I was surprised that the interior was larger than expected. It is so spacious that leaving the middle open was impressive in itself. There are even bar tables on the left for solo diners.

I settled into a window-side bar seat. Orders are placed through the QR code assigned to each seat.

I finished ordering the special sushi set with an udon add-on option (₩32,000). Porridge came out quickly to start.

Keeping an eye on my bicycle outside the window to make sure it was still there, I began today’s appetizer with the porridge. Delicious.

And then a cold beer arrived.

Min Cook Dasima is impressive. I ordered Cass, and they brought out not only a matching glass but even a custom bottle opener. It may seem like nothing, but these things move me. It tells me they make their food with the same careful attitude.

The generous special sushi set

Then the special sushi set arrived! It could not have been more generous.

Come to think of it, it had been a very long time since I last had sushi. There was enough to fill me up just by looking at it.

This is the kake udon, added as an option for ₩2,000. It is an option you absolutely have to add.

I checked the flavor before the udon could get soggy.

Above the sushi, there was a small plate of sashimi after all. Salmon and flounder sashimi. The fish quality was excellent.

And only then did I move on to the sushi. Who knew bright-red tuna sashimi could be this welcome?

Now I properly entered the parade of sushi, where every fish brings a different flavor. For a moment, I could not understand why I had avoided sushi restaurants for so long.

With a beer alongside it, this place was heaven. Heaven does not take much.

I sampled the salad here and there, too. The special sushi set is fun because there is so much variety to eat. After going for the salmon sashimi combo~ the fish slices on top were just the right size, and the rice portions were exactly right as well.

Last came a huge maki roll. It was so big it was hard to eat in one bite. Now I was really full.

Tempura and Japanese-style steamed egg, too

Now it was time to move on to the tempura. Autumn is the season for king prawns, after all...

The sweet kabocha sweet-potato tempura would make an excellent dessert, too.

But the real dessert was the Japanese-style steamed egg, complete with shrimp.

Min Cook Dasima, a 100% satisfying Hwajeong Station restaurant. If you love sushi, this is a sushi restaurant you must visit. It is also great for eating alone, so I’ll come back next time. It is across one street from Hwajeong E-Mart.