Sinnonhyeon terrace izakaya: spicy oden and tomato brûlée, Odeng Osaek

I went to Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch (오뎅오색 강남역점) for round two on a chilly night. A warm, brothy snack was just what I needed, and from the fish content to the chewy texture, it felt clearly different from the usual oden bar 🍢🍥

Where is Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch, and what is the vibe like?

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch is in a back alley between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations 📍 Cass draft beer for ₩2,900!! The event sign outside caught my eye right away (Sun–Thu, until 7pm).

There's a sign like a Japanese bus stop and cherry blossom decorations here and there 〰️ 🚌🌸

We proudly say we use the most expensive fish cake in Korea. We don't pad the volume with flour. Authentic Busan fish cake with over 90% fish content. The cost makes no sense, but you'll taste it the moment you eat.

→ Just reading the blurb on the menu, you can feel how proud they are of their fish cake 👍

Plenty of warm lighting gives it a full-on cozy izakaya (Japanese-style pub) mood 🏮✨ There's a range of seats: the popular terrace, open-feeling window seats, and tables to sit around, so you can pick what suits you 🫶

Where is the restroom at Odeng Osaek?

The restroom is outside the shop, but the directions are written out in detail, so it wasn't hard to find 🚻

Odeng Osaek menu and what comes in the oden set

Besides oden soup, there's a wide range of snacks that go well with beer, like agedashi dofu (fried tofu in broth), okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake) and Osaek-style yuringi (fried chicken with sauce). Nice! (You order easily on the tablet at the table.) 📲

For the signature oden set, you can choose the broth: mild or spicy.

• 2 kkobuli
• Konjac
• Mul-tteok (fish cake skewer)
• Shrimp fish cake ball
• Dumpling fish cake
• Choice of handmade oden (2 out of 5)

With all that, it's seriously packed! 🍢🍥

The complimentary side dishes are crackers and tuna salad 🥨 They were also running an event: write a Naver receipt review and get one fish-shaped glass (up to 2 people per table) 🐟🎉

How was the spicy oden set on the terrace?

The oden soup comes in a pot, and you can keep it hot on the burner. If the broth runs low, you can ask for more! 🍲🔥

Above all, right in the middle of Gangnam Station, this hearty spread costs under ₩20,000. Considering the portion, it's great value haha 💸

I pulled the skewered fish cakes off one by one and snipped them into bite-sized pieces with scissors, yum ✂️ Since it's the spicy version, the broth was red from the start, and just looking at it, you could feel the kick 🌶️🌶️

Each type of oden differs slightly in flavor and texture, so picking through them was half the fun 〰️ Maybe because it's handmade, even after long simmering it never turned mushy, and the bouncy texture lasted to the end! 🍢

Sitting on the outdoor terrace in the cool weather, sipping hot broth, the soju just kept going down 🍻 Happiness isn't complicated... 🫠

Is the sugar tomato brûlée a good palate cleanser?

I ordered the sugar tomato brûlée midway through the oden soup as a palate cleanser 🍅

Sliced tomato comes coated in sugar, crackly like dalgona (Korean honeycomb candy). Sweet, tangy and crisp all at once, and a bite between spoonfuls of oden made my mouth feel totally refreshed 〰️🫧

Is Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch worth it for a second round?

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch is a perfect spot near Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations for a glass of soju with hot handmade fish cake soup on an outdoor terrace 🍢🍥 It has plenty of snacks beyond oden and good value too, so if you're looking for a decent bar for a light second round, go go go