Ansan sashimi spot, flounder-rockfish hand rolls: Eochongye 1beonji

On a weekend trip out to Bandalseom I was craving sashimi, so I stopped at Eochongye 1beonji (어촌계1번지). It had plenty of reviews when I searched for Bandalseom sashimi restaurants, and in person I was happy: the fish tanks are well kept and the prices aren't scary.

I especially liked that the mixed platter has both flounder and rockfish, and that you can make your own sushi too, which made the meal more fun.

What are the opening hours and parking at Eochongye 1beonji?

Eochongye 1beonji is at 23 Mtv17-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea (Units 109–112). It is open daily from 11:00 to 01:30 (last order 00:40). The building's underground car park gives you 2 hours of parking, and groups, takeout and reservations are all possible.

What is the atmosphere like at Eochongye 1beonji in Bandalseom?

The restaurant is in the main shopping strip of Bandalseom. The big outdoor tanks stand out right away as you walk past.

The tank out front held lots of different live fish, and just seeing them got me excited about the freshness before I even ordered.

They say they thoroughly maintain the tanks every day, and the water looked clean and the fish looked healthy.

Inside is bigger than I expected. There are lots of four-person tables and plenty of seats further back, so it looks fine for a family meal or a company dinner. White tiles and blue tones keep it clean, and it's bright, so it doesn't feel stuffy.

A big menu is posted on the wall, so checking prices is easy, and the tables are well spaced, so nothing felt cramped. It's one of the larger sashimi restaurants on Bandalseom, so a big group should be fine.

What did we order at Eochongye 1beonji, and how much?

This time we ordered a medium flounder and rockfish sashimi platter, self-sushi rice and seaweed.

• Flounder + rockfish sashimi, medium: ₩56,000
• Self-sushi rice: ₩3,000
• Seaweed: ₩1,000

What side dishes come with the meal?

Even the basic side dishes came out neat and tidy.

We got miyeok-guk (seaweed soup), assorted banchan (side dishes), chili peppers, garlic, chojang (sweet-spicy vinegar chili sauce) and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste). It's a lineup that doesn't get in the way of the sashimi, which I liked.

How are the flounder and rockfish sashimi, and the portion?

The medium platter was more generous than I expected. The flounder and rockfish soon arrived, piled on a plate full of ice, and just looking at it you could feel the freshness.

The flounder was nicely thick and glossy. I dipped a piece in chojang and the texture was chewy yet soft, clean with no fishy smell.

The rockfish was a bit firmer than the flounder, and the more I chewed, the more nutty flavor came through.

Alternating between flounder and rockfish let me notice the texture difference, which made it even more enjoyable. The fish is so fresh that a light dip in chojang was enough, and soy sauce with wasabi worked well too.

My personal favorite was a piece of flounder with a little wasabi on top. Now and then I also made a ssam (wrap) in a perilla leaf with garlic and ssamjang, which had its own charm.

How did we use the self-sushi rice and seaweed?

Adding the self-sushi rice (₩3,000) at Eochongye 1beonji was a really good call.

Flounder on top of the rice like sushi was good, and so was rockfish on top.

I also ordered extra seaweed (₩1,000), put rice on it myself and topped it with sashimi, and this combo was honestly better than I expected.

With radish sprouts, sashimi and a little chojang on top, it felt like making my own hand roll.

I tried several combinations like in the photos, and because the fish itself is fresh, everything tasted good. Sashimi with garlic and ssamjang on a perilla leaf was fine, and building it like sushi was satisfying too.

Is Eochongye 1beonji good value?

Best of all was the quality of the sashimi for the price.

Sashimi prices have gone up a lot lately, so getting this much flounder and rockfish at this price was quite satisfying.

If you're looking for a sashimi restaurant on Bandalseom, I think this is an easy, no-pressure place to visit.

Overall verdict

Eochongye 1beonji on Bandalseom served fresh flounder and rockfish sashimi at a reasonable price. The tanks are well kept so you can feel the freshness, and the fish itself was satisfying.

I also liked being able to enjoy it in different ways with the extra sushi rice and seaweed. Price, freshness and portion were all solidly satisfying, and it's a good place for a family meal or a plate of sashimi with friends. If you're looking for a Bandalseom sashimi restaurant, it's worth a stop.