Date-night izakaya in Suyu: welcome sake and menchi-katsu at Bunko

What kind of izakaya is Bunko Suyu?

Bunko Suyu (분코 수유점) is a moody izakaya (Japanese-style pub) in the Suyu Station food alley. It's a Suyu favorite and a great-value bar, and I went there on a date. The menu is the kind couples and women tend to love, and the interior is nice too, so I'd happily come back often if I get the chance!

You climb about half a flight of stairs to reach the entrance, and there's a menu board at street level that catches the eye of people walking past.

Counter or table seats: what's the vibe at Bunko Suyu?

Bunko Suyu has counter seats in front of the open kitchen, plus regular tables. I reserved the counter, which added the fun of watching the cooking, but you can pick whichever is more comfortable for you. Japanese-style posters are plastered all over the walls, and the rows of bottles around the open kitchen add even more atmosphere.

Soft lighting matters a lot in a bar, and the owner clearly has good taste! It's a little dim, but not so dim that it gets in the way of food photos, which is perfect for drinking.

Bunko Suyu menu: how much is the set for two?

The set for two at Bunko Suyu is ₩64,000, and sets are ordered by party size, from 2 to 4 people. There were two of us, so I ordered the ₩64,000 set for two! See the menu? Besides sashimi and sushi as mains, there are sets too.

There are also plenty of à la carte dishes besides the sets and sashimi, so if you need more, take a look there. Ordering only à la carte for a simple drink would be fine too. It seems there are other branches besides Suyu, and I'll visit and post about them when I get the chance.

Bunko Suyu's review event prize draw

At Bunko Suyu, if you prepay, get your receipt and join the Naver review event, you get one draw. Prizes include highballs and food dishes, and first prize is a free meal that day, so definitely join in, haha.

Do you get welcome sake before 7 p.m. at Bunko Suyu?

Yes. If you enter Bunko Suyu before 7 p.m., you get a decent amount of sake as a welcome drink. It's not one glass each; it comes to about 3 soju glasses' worth per person. It has some alcohol but tastes light, and it's a tasty, quite sweet sake.

Free bean sprout side dish and Korean melon salad

The complimentary side dish is lightly seasoned stir-fried bean sprouts, and of course they're refillable. On their own they taste a bit bland, but dipped in the soy sauce on the table they're so good~

The first dish in the set was the Korean melon (chamoe) salad. The seeds are removed to make it cleaner, and it's topped with arugula, cherry tomatoes and a generous grating of cheese. It's pleasantly tangy, with the saltiness and savoriness of the cheese coming through, so it was great with alcohol!

What was the best dish at Bunko Suyu?

The most memorable item in the set for two at Bunko Suyu was the menchi-katsu (fried minced meat cutlet). The quality is so insane that I'd want to order it à la carte next time... If you're looking for a great-value bar in Suyu, I recommend this place without question!!!

Not only was it the best menchi-katsu I've had lately, the juicy, properly cooked inside and the sauce with its exquisite sweet-salty balance went together so well that I wanted more. With menchi-katsu alone you can finish a beer or soju for sure, so eat it while it's hot, before it cools.

What's in the sashimi platter of the set for two?

The sashimi in the set for two at Bunko Suyu covers quite a variety of fish, from white fish to eel, salmon and tuna. Since it's a set for two, there are 2 pieces of each cut, which makes for a generous, good-value spread. The white fish had been aged well, so it was chewy with the moisture drawn out and a subtle sweetness, the perfect first bite~

The conger eel (jangeo) was chewy and barely seasoned, so you can dip it in soy sauce however you like, and the salmon, with fat whose richness builds as you chew, was good too. The pieces aren't big, but they aren't small either, and they're surprisingly thick, so you slowly get full with each piece.

Sake cups with a fish painted inside

This is the cup you get when you order soju or sake. There's a fish at the bottom, which is unique, and it's so pretty I'd want one at home. Filled almost to the brim it seems to hold about as much as a regular soju glass, but sipping slowly is better for tasting anyway!

Is the crab innard pasta too rich?

The crab innard pasta at Bunko Suyu has a generous amount of sauce, but its richness isn't so heavy that opinions would split. It came out after the sashimi, and I liked the plating even before eating, and the generous sauce made me so happy! Take your photo, then toss the noodles well so the sauce coats them once more before eating.

Doesn't it look delicious, the way the noodles keep absorbing the sauce as you mix?! It's a shame this is just a photo or video, but in person the smell alone overwhelmed me and made my mouth water. Despite the huge amount of sauce, there's also a slightly creamy flavor and the pasta's chewy texture is appealing, so I think anyone would be satisfied. I get why this is a great-value Suyu bar, hahaha

Three pieces of sushi per person

The set for two at Bunko Suyu gives you three pieces of sushi each. The types aren't identical, but with salmon, tuna belly-back cut, white fish, egg and vinegared shrimp, it was flawless, simple and tasty sushi!

Is a set at about 30,000 won per person good value?

The set for two at Bunko Suyu ends once the jjamppong soup (spicy seafood noodle soup) comes out. ₩64,000 for two is about ₩30,000 per person, and from the salad starter to the fried dish, sashimi, pasta, sushi and finally the soup, the lineup is great, right? Even big-eating guys coming together would be satisfied with the generous portions and lineup, and with tasty food too, it definitely seems like a place that would gain lots of regulars.

Finishing with jjamppong soup

The jjamppong soup at Bunko Suyu has about the spiciness of Shin Ramyun, with a broth that has the flavor of Japanese ramen. The noodles are thinner than udon but chewy, and they soak up the broth and slide down easily. When I heard jjamppong I expected something intensely spicy and fiery, but its flavor was charming.

Everyone likes having a hangover-style broth around, but at this quality I think it's a well-made soup worth ordering one more drink to have with it.