Late-night Seolleung izakaya for simmered mackerel and hosomaki: Sakai

Today I visited the sushi sakaba Sakai, which I heard about through a recommendation from my husband's business contact. When I looked it up... wait, it turned out to be near my workplace. Since it's a drinking spot, I figured it'd be a good option even after work on a weekday, so this time my husband, a friend of his, and I went late at night as a trio!

Finding the entrance to Sakai at night

Sakai is a sushi sakaba on the 1st floor of 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil near Seolleung Station, but the sign doesn't catch your eye at night. We arrived around 10:30–11pm and almost walked right past it because we couldn't spot the sign.

Then we spotted the counter bar lined up in front of the chefs through the glass window — wait, is this it? We went in, and yep, that was it. They told us they'd opened this past June.

Once inside, the counter seats are on the right, and since there were three of us, we initially thought about sitting at a table.

But since we'd come all the way to this Seolleung izakaya, we wanted to watch the sushi being pressed in person, so we took the counter.

What to order first at Sakai: sashimi moriawase and small plates

What I picked first at Sakai were three things: the sashimi moriawase, today's simmered dish sabamiso-ni, and eggplant tempura. Since my husband and his friend were arriving a bit later, we planned to order the sushi all together, so I started with the side dishes.

I also asked for recommendations on sashimi, and they suggested the white fish sashimi along with sweet shrimp and abalone sashimi from today's specials.

• Sashimi moriawase
• Today's simmered dish — sabamiso-ni
• Eggplant tempura

So those three!

The sashimi was, well... delicious, no need to say more. Being able to try several kinds together made it a great choice for the first dish.

Sabamiso-ni and Chinese-style fried eggplant

Sakai's today's simmered dish, sabamiso-ni, is basically simmered mackerel in miso, and the eggplant tempura comes tossed in a Chinese-style sauce.

Eating the salty simmered dish with some scallions on top was so good. This kind of thing is seriously... perfect drinking food... why can't I drink right now...

And if a sakaba has eggplant tempura, I pretty much always order it, so this place was no exception. Sakai's eggplant tempura was a bit different from what I expected from Japanese-style eggplant tempura — it came tossed in a Chinese-style sauce. I love eggplant, so I enjoyed this one too.

Beer would be so good right now.................

Nigiri pressed the moment you order at the Sakai counter

At Sakai, the way it works is you write down the fish you want and the number of pieces on a memo pad, and the chef presses it right in front of you. My husband and his friend finally arrived, so it was time to order sushi!

Sitting at the counter meant I could watch it being made right in front of me, which I loved. Real sushi sakaba vibes... And this was... the first sushi I'd eaten since getting pregnant.

So happy!!!!! I really wanted this so badly. Out of everything we ate that day, the horse mackerel, mackerel, and anago were especially delicious. Since we came so late, some fish were already sold out and there weren't that many options left to choose from, but I was still totally satisfied!

Next time I want to come a bit earlier and try the other kinds too.

Hosomaki two ways: kyuri and negitoro

We ordered two kinds of hosomaki at Sakai — kyuri and negitoro — and the kyuri comes with cucumber and ume-shiso.

Both were delicious, but the kyuri especially!! With cucumber and ume-shiso inside, it was so good as a palate cleanser in between bites. If you like cucumber, give this one a try. Popping one in between sushi bites completely resets your palate. The negitoro was also great, and we finished both in no time.

Sakai's sake list: plenty of bottles, few tasting notes

Sakai has quite a wide range of sake, but the menu doesn't include details like alcohol content or acidity. My husband and his friend ordered two glasses of Suntory draft beer along with some sake.

My husband and I like dry sake, so we tend to check things like alcohol content and acidity when choosing a drink. But since the menu didn't have that kind of info, this part was a bit of a letdown. Since we also care about pairing drinks with good food, we didn't want to risk picking wrong, so in the end we went with a safe sake we already knew from before!

And honestly, that day it was really hard to hold back from drinking. Sushi right in front of me, my husband drinking right next to me... ugh... I need to hurry up and have this baby so I can come back.

Is Sakai worth a late-night return visit?

I found out about this place through my husband's business contact, and it turned out to be unexpectedly close to my workplace, so this Seolleung izakaya is one I think I'll keep thinking about.

Sitting at the counter and getting the sushi handed to me right as it's made was especially fun, and with everything from sashimi to sushi to simmered dishes and tempura on the menu, this place seems great whether you're looking for a good sushi spot in Seolleung or an izakaya to sip drinks slowly. The one downside for me that day was not being able to drink... Next time I'm coming a bit earlier to try what I missed, and definitely having drinks along with it.