Izakaya by Sadang Station, no sashimi: ₩30,000 beef tendon oden, Susan

Can you skip sashimi and order only beef tendon oden at Susan Sadang Main Branch?

Susan Sadang Main Branch is an izakaya near Sadang Station, best known for its sashimi, but this time I ordered just one dish: the beef tendon oden hot pot. The short answer: you can have a really satisfying time here without eating any sashimi~~~!

I was looking for somewhere to have a casual drink with a friend in Sadang and ended up at Susan Sadang Main Branch! It's mostly known as a sashimi place, so sashimi is what naturally comes to mind, but this day I tried something a little different and ordered only the beef tendon oden hot pot haha

Ground floor vs. basement seating at Susan Sadang Main Branch

Susan Sadang Main Branch has a ground floor and a basement! The basement is bigger, so it looks like it can fit more people haha (the ground floor is great too, of course). The place is clean and moderately trendy overall-!! (There's even a tree down in the basement lol)

It feels less like a traditional raw fish restaurant and more like an izakaya (Japanese-style pub), so it's easy to walk in without feeling stiff, and the soft lighting makes it comfortable for talking!!!👍 Maybe because Sadang Station gets so much foot traffic, the place was pretty lively, but not noisy, just a nice, lived-in buzz, which I actually liked even more~~~

Susan Sadang Main Branch menu and how to order by phone

The signature menu at Susan Sadang Main Branch is mainly sashimi, like gwangban-yeonban, gwangban-yuksa and yeonban-yukban (combo sets of flounder, salmon and beef sashimi), and the oden hot pot is a popular menu item too!!

Each table has an order code, so you just order from your phone! So what did we end up ordering!!! (Below..)

Susan Sadang Main Branch gives you a welcome drink before the meal, and it tasted kind of like sake!!

How does Susan's beef tendon oden hot pot taste?

What we ordered this day was the beef tendon oden hot pot (₩30,000). The broth was deep and clean, and not aggressively salty, so it was easy to keep eating.

When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was how generous it looked! Big pieces of oden (fish cake) and beef tendon were packed in, and just looking at it, I could tell the broth would be rich lol. And when I actually took a spoonful, the broth was deeper and cleaner than I expected!!! It's not a sharp, salty flavor but a gentle savoriness that comes up slowly, so it was easy to keep eating😉🌟

Tender beef tendon and broth-soaked fish cakes

The beef tendon in particular was simmered until very soft~~~ not tough at all, easy to chew, yet it kept that rich, nutty flavor, so I was really happy with it haha. The oden had soaked up plenty of broth too, so every bite came with that warm broth flavor! With all the different ingredients together, it felt richer than a simple soup dish!🔥🔥

Is beef tendon oden a good drinking dish on a chilly day?

The oden hot pot went really well with alcohol too ㅠㅠ A hot soup dish naturally calls for a drink...! And this one especially had that feeling lol. The weather had suddenly turned chilly too,, so you take a bite, have a spoonful of broth, and before you know it you're picking up your glass haha. I felt it suits a chilly day, or when you just want an easy drink to wrap up the day!

Is one beef tendon oden hot pot enough for two?

The beef tendon oden hot pot at Susan Sadang Main Branch is quite generous, so it was no problem for two people. Even for two women it was plenty ㅠㅠ

It was also a good setup for sitting with just one snack and talking for a long time! Even without ordering lots of dishes, the table felt full enough, so we could take our time~~~!☘️ People tend to think of Susan Sadang Main Branch as a place to go for sashimi, but this visit showed me that isn't necessarily so! I think it's another charm of this place that one soup dish alone can give you a really satisfying time.

Verdict: a Sadang Station izakaya for a drink over hot soup

To sum up! Susan Sadang Main Branch is worth recommending to anyone who wants a relaxed drink in Sadang with a hot soup snack🤍 The beef tendon oden hot pot alone was very satisfying, and next time I'd like to try the other sashimi and snacks too!! Even without sashimi, it was a great choice~~~