Solo bar-table sea urchin kaisendon at Ilpum, a Gangnam Station spot

I went to Gangnam Station for a treatment appointment and stopped by Ilpum Gangnam Branch for a solo meal. The premium kaisendon I ordered came loaded with sea urchin and sweet shrimp, and honestly the look and taste alone were enough to make any seafood lover's head spin! Here's my satisfying Gangnam Station solo dining review♥

Ilpum Gangnam Branch location and hours

• Hours 11:00–21:30
• Break time 15:00–17:30
• Closed every Saturday and Sunday
• 1 hour free parking, corkage-free for 1 bottle

It's about a 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Gangnam Station. If you book through Naver reservation, you get a coupon for corkage-free service on 1 bottle, so keep that in mind!

A bar table great for solo dining

Inside there are both bar and regular tables. I actually first visited Ilpum at their Gwanghwamun branch, and I loved how sitting at the bar table gave off a semi-omakase kind of vibe! This time too, I sat at the bar table and enjoyed my solo meal >.<

The menu lineup

Ilpum Gangnam Branch's signature dishes include kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), salmon sake-don, and seasonal amberjack don, along with sushi and futomaki rolls. It's great that you can pick according to your taste!

Chawanmushi, fried food, noodles, and dessert — a full course!

When you order a main dish at Ilpum, it comes with a full course including chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), fried/noodle dishes, and dessert, making for a satisfying and hearty meal!!

If you participate in a Naver receipt review, you can get 2 croquettes as a free service.

Premium kaisendon, ₩37,000

They first brought out chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), miso soup, and seaweed. It's not omakase, but starting with chawanmushi made it feel like a Japanese course meal, which put me in a good mood.

Instead of the basic kaisendon, I ordered the premium kaisendon piled high with luxury seafood like sea urchin, abalone, and sweet shrimp. The look alone is pretty spectacular, right?

I portioned it onto a plate and it was seriously generous. I felt so good. A beauty treatment at Gangnam Station followed by a solo kaisendon meal — what more could you want!

I started with the salmon roe, which pops in your mouth with zero fishy taste. Kaisendon tastes best wrapped in seaweed. Ilpum's seaweed has good thickness and tastes great with the rice. It's refillable, so eat as much as you like!

With so much variety, it was fun trying each piece one by one! Scallop, kelp-cured sea bream, abalone, and tuna were all incredibly chewy — clearly well aged with kelp.

As you can see in the photo, the aged sashimi slices are seriously thick♥ It's not premium in name only — the composition, quality, and taste were all premium.

The monkfish liver is amazing topped with wasabi.

I could have had draft beer, but after about 10 minutes of deliberating I ended up ordering zero-sugar cola instead... Next time I'll definitely have it with draft beer.

Karaage & cold udon, then sweet shrimp and sea urchin

The fried/noodle dish course brought out karaage & cold udon!

Isn't that a really generous portion? Looking back, it was such a happy solo meal at Gangnam Station haha

I like to save the best for last, so I ate the sweet shrimp and sea urchin at the very end! The rich sweetness and creamy flavor were amazing.

Sea urchin that isn't fresh tastes bitter, but Ilpum Gangnam Branch's sea urchin was nothing but sweet and rich. I was really glad I ordered the premium kaisendon.

Mango pudding for dessert and solo-dining service

Mango pudding came out for dessert! Everyone eats at a different pace, but I was impressed that the staff kept checking in and timed the noodle/fried dish and dessert to match my pace. I finished my solo meal happily and left in a great mood.

I'd definitely recommend Ilpum, a kaisendon spot near Gangnam Station, to anyone who loves seafood! Please pay it a visit sometime. That wraps up my premium kaisendon solo dining review♥