Seongnam omakase restaurant with gamtae uni: Suyori Sikdang

Number-one woman who lives on raw fish every day... yep, that’s me. I don’t usually eat much rice, so I’m absolutely team sashimi over sushi, but lately I’ve been craving rice somehow? As a raw-fish fanatic, naturally I started craving sushi topped with fish... and that’s how I ended up at Suyori Sikdang, a Pangyo sushi omakase spot where you can enjoy a substantial sushi meal at a reasonable price.

Suyori Sikdang’s Open Kitchen

The joy of omakase is this open kitchen, where you can watch the sushi being made right in front of you. It was kept so clean!

Today’s Menu

Shiitake Mushroom and Gamtae Porridge

Suyori Sikdang has a slightly different feel from typical omakase places. Its signature seems to be adding creative, lightly unexpected combinations and touches rather than the usual ones. So the porridge was shiitake mushroom and gamtae (a delicate Korean seaweed) porridge, which I’d never had before... Perhaps because the broth was deeply made with dried fish and kelp, it was wonderfully rich and savory. I usually only have about one spoonful of porridge, but this was so good I finished the bowl!

Steamed Abalone

I love steamed abalone at omakase restaurants. Haha. I love tender, perfectly steamed abalone with geu-woo sauce, an abalone-liver sauce... and this sauce was rich, concentrated, and delicious.

Tsumami

The tsumami, or small bites, included flounder, red sea bream, yellowtail, straw-smoked meijimaguro, and soy-braised king oyster mushroom. I came for sushi omakase, but as a sashimi fanatic, I absolutely adore this tsumami course. >.<

The clear soup had such a deep flavor too—it was so good I got one refill! Haha.

They recommended starting with the flounder. They told me to dip it lightly in salt. Wow, it had a lovely springy texture from the aging, while a gently sweet umami spread through it. The salted flounder was so delicious.

Red sea bream sashimi with uni cream inside.

Yellowtail sashimi with sumiso, a vinegared miso sauce.

The soy-braised king oyster mushroom had a pleasantly chewy texture.

The meijimaguro—young tuna—had been smoked, which softened its characteristic acidity, making it mellow and nutty. Haha.

Nigiri with Creative Toppings

Now the sushi course really begins. As always, I asked for the smallest possible amount of shari, or seasoned sushi rice. Haha. Otherwise I can’t finish the course... ㅠ So sad...

Flounder sushi brought together flounder, truffle oil, and scallions. The truffle oil went better with the flounder sashimi than I expected, you know? I also loved the crunchy bite of scallion and its pleasantly sharp aroma.

Next was red sea bream topped with sumiso. They brushed it with soy sauce too, but I really loved Suyori Sikdang because the toppings on top were so varied and distinctive. Aged red sea bream can easily become mushy, but this kept its chewiness while still delivering plenty of umami.

The yellowtail sushi had yuzu and onion zest inside. Wow, this was so delicious! Yellowtail is already relatively clean-tasting for an oily blue-backed fish, but these made it feel even cleaner and tastier somehow. I kept looking forward to what topping would come with each piece of sushi.

A mini kaisendon, or seafood rice bowl, topped with uni and minced tuna. So pretty, right? Haha.

Wrapped in seaweed, the danmuji pickled radish added a crunchy texture while the deep ocean flavor filled my mouth. I loved it.

Personally, I loooooove herring sashimi, so I love sushi omakase places that serve it. Haha. This wasn’t cured herring like shime saba, but sashimi-grade herring, topped with shiso and minced pickled ginger for a clean finish. The nutty, fatty flavor of herring. >.< I love it.

Every piece of sushi was made with such care. They even used a blowtorch on some of them.

This was depoika, a giant squid. Haha. It had a topping of akaboshi, minced onion, and sweetened chili powder. A light torching removed the slippery mucilage of the squid, making it nuttier and easier to enjoy. I loved the combination of its pleasantly chewy texture and rich flavor.

Straw-smoked tuna came topped with basil pesto. Oh, I’ve noticed basil pesto being used in lots of dishes lately, but on sushi too? >.< So original, right? Yet it worked beautifully. The nutty, fragrant basil pesto softened the acidity of the red-fleshed fish.

Midway through came fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp, served with tendashi tempura sauce.

There was minced shrimp inside the eggplant. One bite and... the outside was crisp, while the inside was packed with moist shrimp! Haha. The tendashi had a slightly cooling note but was packed with umami; when I asked, they said it contained star anise! Wow... truly creative. >.< I love harmonious flavors born from innovative attempts like this, so I had a wonderful time throughout the course. Haha.

Incredibly fatty otoro! Have otoro with lots of fresh wasabi on top. Haha.

They also added lemon sauce to the goma saba. The sesame and shime saba, or cured mackerel, worked together harmoniously. Wrapped in seaweed, there was no fishiness at all—it was delicious.

The final sushi, carefully made, was gamtae uni! Sweetly bittersweet uni was tucked inside the gamtae. A deep, rich ocean flavor that melted away. >.< Delicious!

The futomaki was enormous! Haha. Its combination was distinctive too.

Shiitake Udon with Tenkasu

For the meal, shiitake udon with tenkasu was served. Tenkasu means the tempura flakes in the udon. They fried the tenkasu right in front of us before serving it, so its clean flavor stood out even more. And again, the broth was deep, fragrant and full-bodied with shiitake flavor. They seem really good at broth-based dishes too.

Freshly Fried Tempura and Dessert

Three kinds of tempura were served: shishito pepper, shrimp, and kabocha squash. They fried them fresh right in front of us, making them wonderfully clean-tasting and crisp. The tempura was so good too.

Dessert

Yuzu sherbet topped with cranberries was served for dessert. I loved its refreshing brightness as it melted away! Haha.

Suyori Sikdang’s distinctive, varied toppings were charming, as was its creative sushi omakase course that refused to feel formulaic. The price was quite reasonable and parking was easy too, so I was very satisfied.