Gimhae sushi restaurant with kid-friendly salmon add-ons: Sushi Hwa

A Bongridan-gil favorite in Gimhae: Sushi Hwa

I heard there was a great sushi spot on Bongridan-gil in Gimhae, so I went to check out Sushi Hwa. Along with regular raw sushi, their signature menu is flame-seared sushi, cooked until it's full of smoky char. They also had sushi, rice bowls, sashimi and all kinds of Japanese dishes, so it was fun just picking what to order.

Where is Sushi Hwa, and where do you park in Bonghwang-dong?

• Location: 32 Gimhae-daero 2315beon-gil, 1st floor, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: 10:00–21:00
• Parking: use the public parking lot nearby

Sushi Hwa is located on Bongridan-gil in Gimhae. There's a public parking lot near the restaurant, but we parked on a nearby street parking line and walked over.

Inside Sushi Hwa: the dining room on Bongridan-gil

Walking inside, there were Japanese-style decor pieces and artwork scattered throughout, giving off a clean yet stylish Japanese restaurant vibe.

We'd already looked at the menu ahead of time and decided to try the signature flame-seared sushi set.

What we ordered at Sushi Hwa: the flame-seared sushi set plus 4 salmon pieces

• Flame-seared sushi set
• 4 pieces salmon sushi

The flame-seared sushi set comes with 27 pieces of flame-seared sushi, 2 salads and a choice of udon or soba for two. We ordered one udon and one soba.

The 27-piece flame-seared set, served with one udon and one soba

After a short wait, the food came out piece by piece. Each of us got a personal tray with salad, udon or soba, and the flame-seared sushi came separately on two plates. One plate had a spicy sauce on top, so we got to compare two different flavors.

Shrimp, salmon, beef, clam, egg, inari (fried tofu pocket) and more — there was a good mix of everything, which made it fun to try one piece at a time.

The udon included in Sushi Hwa's sushi set

Before the sushi, I tried the udon first, and it was way better than I expected. The noodles were so chewy that, paired with the broth, I kept reaching for more. Since it was the small portion included in the set, I actually found myself wanting more by the time I finished. It was good enough that next time I want to order a full bowl of udon instead of just the small set portion.

The cold soba that comes with the set

The soba was good too. The cold soba noodles were springy and chewy, which paired really well with the sushi.

Sometimes at sushi places the side dishes feel like an afterthought, but here both the udon and soba were genuinely delicious, which I really appreciated.

How Sushi Hwa's flame-seared sushi tastes

And finally, the main event — the flame-seared sushi! With every piece, you could taste the smoky flavor of the seared ingredients, and it was delicious. I don't usually like egg sushi, but here it was surprisingly amazing. Sweet and soft, it felt totally different from the egg sushi I usually eat. I also tried the shrimp, beef, clam, salmon and more, one by one, and honestly every single one was good. The added smokiness made it taste completely different from just eating raw sushi. If you're a fan of flame-seared sushi, this is definitely a menu worth trying.

Salmon and inari sushi, added because our child loved them

Our kid's favorite type of sushi is salmon sushi, so we ordered an extra 4 pieces separately.

The salmon sushi was soft and delicious, and our kid ate it happily.

Our kid also wanted more of the inari sushi that came with the flame-seared sushi set, so in the end we ordered an additional 4 pieces of salmon sushi and inari sushi.

Is Sushi Hwa worth it for sushi on Gimhae's Bongridan-gil?

This time we tried the flame-seared sushi at Sushi Hwa, a favorite on Gimhae's Bongridan-gil, and it was much better than expected thanks to that smoky flavor. Above all, the variety of sushi was great, and both the udon and soba were delicious too, which made the whole meal satisfying. Our kid ate well, from the salmon sushi to the inari sushi, and we enjoyed the flame-seared sushi ourselves, so it worked out nicely as a family meal out. If you're craving Japanese food or sushi on Bongridan-gil, it's worth stopping by. We've already marked this place as one we want to revisit. Next time, I want to have the flame-seared sushi set again, and also order a proper full bowl of that udon that was so good.