Dodam-dong, Sejong izakaya: motsunabe, mentaiko mayo, tofu at Motsumo

What kind of izakaya is Motsumo in Dodam-dong, Sejong?

Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch is a Japanese-style motsunabe (beef offal hotpot) izakaya in Dodam-dong, Sejong. I went to catch up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, over tasty snacks and drinks 🍲🍶

I really love going to izakayas 🥹💕 I like Japanese food, and I love ordering one good dish and chatting quietly in a nice atmosphere over a drink, haha. So while looking for somewhere to go this time, I heard there was a motsunabe place in Dodam-dong, Sejong, called Motsumo with a strong Japanese vibe, and went to check it out.

The entrance already feels properly Japanese, and the cozy interior adds to it, so it felt like I was visiting an izakaya in Japan after ages 🇯🇵✨ We ate one dish after another, had a few drinks and talked about everything, and honestly lost track of time. It was a really fun evening.

Opening hours are daily 17:00 to 01:00 the next day, with last order at 23:30.

Motsumo is in the Dodam-dong eatery alley 😊 The sign at the entrance is written in Japanese, and already it feels just like a Japanese pub, haha. I heard Motsumo specializes in Fukuoka-style motsunabe 🍲🇯🇵 Fukuoka is famous for motsunabe, right? So I came with high expectations!

What is the atmosphere like at Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch?

The inside of Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch has soft, cozy lighting that suits talking over drinks. Overall it felt warm and snug ✨ The lights weren't too bright, which made it just right for chatting with a drink in hand.

You can feel the Japanese touch all over, so it feels a bit more exotic than an ordinary pub 🇯🇵💕 Sitting across from a friend, talking slowly, picking at dishes and sipping a drink, I really liked it.

What's on the menu at Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch?

Besides the signature motsunabe, Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch serves gopdori-tang (spicy chicken and offal stew), nakgopsae (octopus, intestine and shrimp stir-fry), braised beef shank hotpot, gyoza nabe, oden nabe, shisamo (smelt) grill and okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake). The menu had more variety than I expected 👏

There are hotpots, grilled dishes and snacks, so a bigger group could pick a bit of everything. Still, I felt I had to try the signature motsunabe here, so I ordered it without any hesitation 🥹🍲

When you order motsunabe, you get dipping soy sauce, kimchi and mentaiko mayo (spicy pollock roe mayonnaise) as standard 😊 With a dipping sauce for the broth too, you can enjoy it in several ways depending on your taste.

Japanese peach cider at Motsumo: ₩5,900

First I ordered a Japanese peach cider (₩5,900) 🍑🥤 If you're at a Japanese izakaya, you have to have at least one Japanese drink, right? Haha.

One cold sip and the sweet, fragrant peach flavor spread through my mouth while the bubbles popped ✨ It wasn't heavy or strong, just sweet and refreshing 🍑💕

How to eat motsunabe the right way

For motsunabe, you wait until the chives have wilted enough, eat the heart first, and keep simmering everything in the broth as you go 🍲✨ After you've eaten a fair amount, they say it's even better to add various extras (sari) to suit your taste, haha.

Soy Special Motsunabe for ₩38,000: how does it taste?

We ordered the Special Motsunabe (₩38,000) in soy flavor 🥹🍲 You can choose miso, soy or spicy, and since it was our first visit, I picked the soy base as the easy default.

Motsunabe is a Japanese-style hotpot and a signature dish of Fukuoka, loaded with beef offal such as tripe or intestines, simmered with chives and vegetables 🇯🇵

When the motsunabe finally arrived, it looked really generous 🥹💕 The pot was packed with chives, heart, thinly sliced beef brisket and intestines. The chives were piled up like a mountain 🌿🔥

As it began to bubble, the rich fat from the intestines and brisket seeped naturally into the broth, and the smell alone was great. The soy-based broth was salty yet clean, and with the deep savory flavor of the meat and intestines added, it got deeper the more I ate. It wasn't harshly salty; the richness of the ingredients soaked into the broth, so I kept spooning up more 🍲💕

Dipping the beef intestines in mentaiko mayo

I dipped the intestines generously in the mentaiko mayo that came with the motsunabe 🥹💕 The intestines alone are rich and savory, but with the smooth mayonnaise and the salty roe added, it was delicious.

The roe gives a little pop when you chew, and the creamy mayo softens the intense flavor of the intestines 😋

Free soft tofu: simmer it in the broth and mash it

Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch also gave us soft tofu as a freebie, so we tried it 🥹🤍 They told us to put the tofu in the motsunabe broth, simmer it briefly, then mash it and eat it with the broth.

So I simmered the tofu until it bubbled, mashed it lightly with a spoon and scooped it up with the broth. The soft tofu soaked up the rich broth and went down so smoothly. Mixed with the broth, it was like eating a gentle hotpot, and it was a nice little treat too 🍲💕

Who should visit Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch?

I'd recommend Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch to anyone in Dodam-dong who wants a proper Japanese-style hotpot instead of ordinary bar snacks, with a quiet drink. With such tasty food in front of you, the drinks just keep going down, haha 🤣🍶💕 I kept fishing out bits one by one, and before I knew it the pot was getting emptier.

Chatting with my friend, taking a bite of delicious motsunabe, then another sip of my drink, the atmosphere was so nice 🥹✨ I think this is the charm of the izakayas I love: not a noisy place you eat in and leave, but one where you slowly enjoy good food and talk quietly.

I met up with a friend after ages, had tasty motsunabe with drinks and really got to catch up 🥰🍶 Eating hot motsunabe in a cozy space with such a Japanese feel, I even felt a little like I was in Fukuoka, haha.

The motsunabe was generous and the menu was varied, so next time I'd like to try the other hotpots and snacks one by one. If you want a nice spot in Dodam-dong, Sejong to chat over drinks with a friend or partner, give Motsumo Sejong Dodam Branch a visit 🥹💕