Nonhyeon terrace seafood pub: herring sashimi & roe stew, Sanhocho

What kind of pub is Sanhocho Nonhyeon?

Sanhocho Nonhyeon (산호초 논현점) is a seafood pub near Nonhyeon Station that serves fresh seafood changing with the season, plus a wide range of other dishes. The place feels like a pojangmacha (Korean street-tent bar), which makes it perfect for drinking. It even feels like a trip to the seaside, and in the cool interior I thought you could spend this summer's vacation here and recharge! I'll show you everything one by one.

• Address: 56 Hakdong-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, Units 101 and 102
• Hours: daily 17:00 to 05:00 the next day
• Open as usual even over Lunar New Year

Is it atmospheric even at the 5 p.m. opening?

We went for an early dinner right at the 5 p.m. opening, and the tables filled up quickly. I thought we'd be the first customers, but three other groups showed up, and the seats filled one by one with a really nice vibe. That made the mood so much livelier, and it felt just like an outdoor pojangmacha!

I recommend the terrace seats for a cool breeze!

How do you order the set menus at Sanhocho Nonhyeon?

The set menus here are really varied, so if you can't decide on anju (food to go with drinks), definitely pick a set! As soon as you sit down, you can order while looking at today's menu, seasonal fish and the various sets in detailed pictures.

• Pick-your-own 3-kind sashimi (selectable)
• Sanhocho 3-dish set
• Aged sashimi + live mackerel

You can order them bundled together like this, two or three dishes at a time.

The free side dishes: I was happy to see beondegi

The side dish I was happiest to see was beondegi (steamed silkworm pupae)! Not the plain canned kind, but seasoned to be savory and salty like a proper banchan. It was nutty and mild, and I ate it happily.

What comes in the Sanhocho 3-dish set?

The Sanhocho 3-dish set comes with aged sashimi for two as standard, plus crab innards pasta and algoni maeuntang, a generous spread. It was the star of the day.

Personally, I'd recommend the algoni maeuntang: it's really full and the kind of anju that makes the drinks go down easily. They don't sell it on its own!

They even explain the order to eat the sashimi

The aged sashimi looks delicious just sitting there! The staff don't just drop off the food; they explain it in real detail. So sweet. They told us to start with the warm abalone, then walked us through the salmon, mackerel, tuna, sea bream, octopus, flounder and more, one by one.

The abalone came topped with rich, nutty innards, and the wasabi was piled on generously too, so it was perfect for dipping every piece right to the last slice.

How does the aged herring sashimi taste?

The herring was a bite with a nutty, deep taste of the sea the moment it hit my mouth! It's a little softer and moister than live fish. Rich and nutty, yet not a hint of fishiness.

What does the crab innards pasta taste like?

The crab innards pasta in the Sanhocho 3-dish set was really, truly thick, rich, nutty and creamy. That umami keeps coming back to your mind, and the addictively creamy flavor of the innards made it great as drinking food right to the end. There's quite a lot, actually!

Flounder wrapped in jeotgal

The plate of aged sashimi was bigger than I expected! It's fun picking through the different kinds, and later I loved wrapping flounder in jeotgal (salted fermented seafood) or dunking it in the wasabi sauce! The sashimi itself is so rich in flavor and nutty that it was delicious on its own.

A finish with algoni maeuntang, and how is the terrace?

The finishing palate cleanser of the Sanhocho 3-dish set was algoni maeuntang (spicy fish stew with roe)! The outdoor terrace at Sanhocho Nonhyeon is decorated in cool blue, and with the aquarium it feels like a trip to the sea, unusual and great for relieving stress. With anju this perfect, the drinks go down really easily. I recommend it for a date dinner :)