Sinsa Station izakaya with mentaiko cream udon and karaage set: Gobusi

I was looking for somewhere to grab a drink in the evening around Sinsa and ended up at Gobusi Nonhyeon Branch, an izakaya near Sinsa Station. The evening air's been getting noticeably cooler these past few days, and I noticed quite a few people drinking out on the terrace. On a night like this, rather than staying indoors, slowly working through some snacks and drinks after work felt just right, so we went in ourselves.

This time we wanted something that could double as a proper meal, so we picked the mentaiko (pollock roe) cream udon and karaage set, and added the salmon sashimi that happened to be available that day. For drinks, we ordered one Suntory highball and one yuzu-hai. Cream udon, fried chicken, and sashimi are all such different styles that ordering all three together made for a good spread to share between two people.

Seating at Gobusi Nonhyeon Branch: terrace seats and tables for two

Gobusi Nonhyeon Branch has seating split between the outdoor terrace and the inner tables. It wasn't hot on the day we visited, so some people were drinking out on the terrace, and stepping inside, the first thing you notice is the large tables meant for groups. There was that lively, busy evening-drinks atmosphere, but the seating wasn't limited to just one type.

Further inside there's a separate area with seats for two facing each other, which looks like it would suit couples well. It felt like you could choose between a table for a group with several dishes spread out, or a quieter spot for two people talking over drinks. Even for us, visiting to handle both dinner and drinks in one evening, the space never felt cramped.

Kiosk ordering and the 41,000 won mentaiko cream udon and karaage set

Ordering was done directly through a kiosk. There were plenty of food options as well as several types of alcohol listed, so it was easier to decide what to eat first and pick the drinks after. What we chose was the set that comes with both mentaiko cream udon and karaage, priced at ₩41,000. Since the two dishes are such different styles, it was a combination that caught the eye when we wanted two kinds of food at once.

We also ordered the salmon sashimi separately. It wasn't sold out on the day we visited, so we were able to add it straight to the set. Once we'd picked everything, the table ended up with a heavier dish like the cream udon, something fried, and something cold and raw, all together. It was nice being able to switch between dishes rather than sticking to just one the whole time.

Braised quail eggs with a Suntory highball and yuzu-hai

While waiting for the food, the first thing to arrive was the house side dish: braised quail eggs. They came in a small bowl with quail eggs and a well-seasoned accompaniment, and it didn't feel like a throwaway freebie at all. There was a subtle spiciness to it, which made it good for picking at with the first drink. Sesame seeds on top kept the visual from feeling plain, too.

For drinks we ordered a Suntory highball and a yuzu-hai. They arrived in glasses packed with ice, which made them refreshing to sip while waiting for the food, and since we ordered two different types, we drank them alternately. We paired the highball with the fried chicken, and switched to the other drink while eating the cream udon or sashimi, which made for a fun back-and-forth of combinations across the table.

What the mentaiko cream udon tastes like: thick cream sauce with a lump of pollock roe

As soon as the set's mentaiko cream udon arrived, the generous amount of cream sauce was the first thing that caught the eye. The thick udon noodles were coated in a pale pink cream, with mentaiko and shredded leafy greens piled on top in the center. Rather than the sauce just sitting lightly under the noodles, it thoroughly wrapped around them, so mixing everything together right from the start seemed like the way to go.

Mixing the mentaiko in little by little rather than breaking it all up at once changed the flavor compared to eating just the cream sauce alone. With the thick udon noodles and cream sauce combination, this was definitely a heavier dish than a light broth-based udon. Mixing in the vegetables in the middle too kept the mentaiko and cream from clumping in one spot and let it spread evenly between the noodles. It was a good dish to order alongside drinks when you don't want to drink on an empty stomach.

Karaage served with lemon and a vegetable sauce

The karaage came out as bite-sized pieces of fried chicken, generously piled on the plate. The batter wasn't smooth but had a rough, textured surface, with visibly crispy patches here and there. A slice of lemon sat alongside, which was handy to squeeze on whenever things started to feel a bit greasy.

The separate sauce that came with it had thinly sliced vegetables mixed in, and dipping the karaage lightly into it gave a completely different feel from eating the fried chicken plain. Rather than coating each piece heavily in sauce from the start, I preferred dipping just a little at a time and keeping the crispy parts intact. Ordering the Suntory highball alongside it was a good call too, and alternating a piece of karaage with bites of the cream udon kept the meal from feeling too heavy on one side.

The salmon sashimi add-on, cut in thick slices

The salmon sashimi we added wasn't thinly sliced — each piece came cut good and thick. The plate had a bed of ice underneath, with lemon, wasabi, and other garnishes tucked between the salmon slices. The orange salmon was piled on generously, and set next to the two set dishes, the whole table looked quite full.

Since the salmon itself had real thickness to it, it was better eaten piece by piece rather than grabbing several at once, and we added a little wasabi as we went. On one side of the plate there were also onions and a sauce, so you could eat the salmon plain or dress it up. With the mentaiko cream udon, karaage, and salmon sashimi all together, we had both warm dishes and cold ones on the table, and there was plenty of it for two people to slowly share over drinks.

With the cooler evening, the drinking atmosphere was alive from the terrace all the way inside, and this time we had a proper spread with the cream udon and karaage set plus the salmon sashimi. It was one of those days I wanted noodles, something fried, and sashimi all together with drinks rather than just one snack, and the combination we ordered at Gobusi Nonhyeon Branch fit that perfectly.