Moran Station date bar: happy hour and charcoal kinmedai, Robata Sobeu

Quick summary ✔ Authentic robata restaurant near Moran Station ✔ A wide range of aged sashimi ✔ A bar in Moran recommended for dates and blind dates ✔ Happy hour drink discounts, 5–7 pm!

It had been a while, so my boyfriend and I decided to have a drink after work! I wondered what food would be tasty without being too heavy, and this time I decided to try robata. Robata is Japanese charcoal grilling, something I'd wanted to try for ages. When I looked around, I found Robata Sobeu (로바타소브), near Moran Station, where you can have authentic robata, so I paid a visit! If you're looking for a bar in Moran with a nice atmosphere, or you like aged sashimi and Japanese-style grilled food, it's worth a look.

Where is Robata Sobeu, and what are its hours?

Robata Sobeu is at 28-1 Jeil-ro 63beon-gil, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on the 1st floor, about a 5–7 minute walk from Moran Station Exits 3 and 4. It's open 18:00–01:00 Sunday to Thursday and until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, closed on Mondays.

You can spot the red brick and yellow sign from far away, and the Japanese vibe comes through right from the exterior and signage.. I liked that it's calmer and quieter than Moran's main street. It seems like a good location if you want a meal somewhere not too noisy near Moran Station, or a drink somewhere with atmosphere after work!

In front of the shop there was a guide to the main dishes and a Catch Table (reservation app) setup. (You can reserve through Catch Table, apparently.) We came right around opening time, so we got in with no wait.

Atmosphere and seating: is Robata Sobeu good for a date?

Inside, Robata Sobeu feels cozy and calm, and I thought it would be a perfect date spot. I liked the interior as much as the exterior. When you hear "Japanese-style interior," you might picture walls plastered with flyers and knick-knacks, but this place is more clean and stylish than that, which I loved.

There are 4-person tables inside, and 2-person seats by the window plus a bar counter, where you can also watch the robata being made. Personally, I feel like if someone you're getting to know says "I come here a lot, it's good," and brings you here, it'd look pretty smooth haha. It had the right mood for a blind date or a date.

Robata Sobeu menu picks and robata grill prices

Robata Sobeu specializes in aged sashimi made with seafood sourced the same day and dry-aging, plus robata hearth grills! At the time of our visit, we were told robata kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) was ₩39,000 and golden tilefish was ₩45,000.

On the menu there were many kinds of sashimi, plus various Japanese dishes and robata items. I was especially curious about the robata, where fish is grilled over charcoal!! Golden tilefish and kinmedai are known as premium fish and aren't cheap, but even so the prices seemed fair. I like milder fish, so I chose kinmedai; if you prefer oilier fish, the golden tilefish is worth considering. Aged sashimi and grilled dishes can sell out depending on that day's supply, so keep that in mind if you have something in mind!

When is happy hour at Robata Sobeu?

Happy hour at Robata Sobeu gives you some drinks at a discount for orders placed between 5 and 7 pm. The Kirin draft beer we ordered went from the regular ₩8,000 to the happy hour price of ₩6,900. The drinks list was varied too, from draft beer, bottled beer and highballs to traditional Korean liquor, Japanese sake and whisky, so you can pick to taste. We got there around 5:30 pm, right in the happy hour window!

What we ordered at Robata Sobeu

• Robata kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) ₩39,000
• Sashimi platter (1 person) ₩25,000
• 2 Kirin draft beers (happy hour ₩6,900 each)

Complimentary cabbage salad and happy hour Kirin draft

As soon as we sat down, a cabbage salad was brought out first. The sesame dressing on top was so nutty and delicious! The crunchy cabbage went well with the rich sauce, a nice appetizer to get the appetite going. I mean, you can't really start with beer on an empty stomach.. so salad first haha

And a glass of the Kirin draft we ordered (₩6,900 each at happy hour)! Honestly I usually don't care much about beer types and just pick something familiar, but trying Kirin draft this time was more satisfying than I expected.

It was cold with a subtle sweetness, and the carbonation was nicely lively. The foam was smooth too, perfect for a light drink before the food arrived. I also liked that the happy hour price made it more reasonable.

Robata Sobeu sashimi platter for one, ₩25,000: which aged sashimi is included?

The sashimi platter for one is ₩25,000, and on this day it came with 2 pieces each of sweet shrimp, flounder, flounder fin, sea bream, lightly grilled Spanish mackerel, spear squid, abalone and tuna belly. Even though it's a one-person portion, there were so many kinds of sashimi that it was great for sharing between two.

Eating aged sashimi this time, I think I felt the difference between live fish sashimi and aged sashimi for the first time. Each fish kept its own flavor and aroma while the texture stayed soft. (Seriously.) Usually I'd just focus on the type of fish, but this time I realized the aging method can make the taste feel this different.

Flounder sashimi, chewy and tender at once

The flounder had the softness typical of aged sashimi while keeping a chewy texture. With a little wasabi on top, it blended nicely with the flavor of the fish.

I actually wondered, did flounder always taste and smell like this? It was that impressive haha

Flounder fin with a nutty richness

The flounder fin was served lightly cooked, which made the nutty flavor stand out more. Flounder fin is already a nutty cut, but eating it lightly cooked had its own appeal.

Sea bream with a gentle sweetness

The sea bream was another personal favorite! You could really taste its subtle sweetness, and I thought it suited aged sashimi well.

A light dip in soy sauce brought out the flavor of the sea bream even more.

Lightly seared Spanish mackerel

What surprisingly impressed me this time was the Spanish mackerel. It came on the sashimi platter lightly grilled, and I'd never eaten it that way before. The faint smoky flavor on the surface blended with the mackerel's own flavor and it was really good. After eating it, I want to try mackerel sashimi next time. The lightly grilled touch seemed to be the key!

Spear squid with a rich, mellow texture

Spear squid already has a lovely texture that clings to your mouth, but this one felt especially rich and melty. For a second I thought I was eating sea urchin haha The way it stuck to the mouth, and the flavor, were memorable.

Personally, a light dip in salt suited it well.

Chewy, flavorful abalone

The abalone also came lightly grilled. The more I chewed, the more of its signature flavor came out, and it was tender and easy to eat.

The night's best bite: tuna belly

And last, the tuna belly! Today's number one! I already like tuna belly, but eaten as aged sashimi, the soft texture and nutty flavor were especially good. It's a fatty cut that can feel heavy, but this time the nuttiness left the stronger impression.

A little soy sauce and wasabi went really well with it. You can taste a lot of seafood in one go, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for aged sashimi in Moran.

Robata kinmedai, ₩39,000: how long does the charcoal grilling take?

The robata kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) at Robata Sobeu is ₩39,000, and because it's grilled over charcoal the traditional way, we were told it takes about 30 minutes. While we were working on the sashimi platter, the robata I'd been waiting for finally arrived~!

Robata is Japanese charcoal grilling, where the fish is cooked slowly. It was my first time, so I was curious how it's made and kept peeking over, and they even showed me the fish on its skewer hahaha It was so fascinating watching it grill over the charcoal that I took photos. I wondered how it would differ from the grilled fish I usually eat, and seeing it in person made me look forward to it even more.

At first I tried to pull the meat off with a spoon, but it was so tender that it wasn't easy haha In the end I gathered the meat with chopsticks and a spoon. Maybe because it's charcoal-grilled, the skin was crispy and the flesh inside was really soft. You could feel the difference between outside and inside, so it had a different appeal from ordinary grilled fish.

It came with grated radish too, but I usually don't eat raw radish, so I passed on that~ As for what kinmedai tastes like, it's like eating the nutty, rich part you get with grilled shrimp!?

The fish's own flavor and the charcoal aroma came together impressively, and with a little wasabi on top it suited my taste even more.

If the sashimi platter showed me the charm of aged sashimi, the robata kinmedai let me experience what's special about charcoal grilling. It takes a little while to cook, but eating sashimi and chatting while you wait made the flow of the meal nice.

Is Robata Sobeu a good date bar near Moran Station?

Robata Sobeu was a nice place to wrap up the day after work, with a cozy, calm atmosphere, a variety of aged sashimi and authentic robata. The sashimi platter let us taste lots of things, and the tuna belly and lightly grilled Spanish mackerel stood out in particular. The kinmedai I ordered as the main is one I'd recommend if you want a different kind of Japanese food experience.

Another plus is that you can eat calmly, slightly away from the bustling atmosphere of Moran's main street! It seems well suited to dates, blind dates, or anniversaries when you want to set a mood. A date-night bar near Moran Station where you can enjoy the charm of aged sashimi and charcoal grilling in a cozy setting!