Sadang izakaya: 18 peeled raw shrimp and 3 sauces at Susan Sadang

The weather's gotten a bit better, haha.

Half the year feels like summer, but once you get through that painful stretch, fall and winter arrive with an amazing lineup of seasonal seafood, don't they?! Haha.

You can really feel autumn coming through the seasonal raw shrimp sashimi — I've been eating it weekly. Sadang is quietly a mecca for raw shrimp sashimi, haha. I went again with my boyfriend, who has it as his all-time favorite sashimi!

Basement seats at Susan Sadang Main Branch when the first floor is full

Susan Sadang Main Branch has seats not just on the first floor but also in the basement! It's always packed, so I used to hesitate about whether I'd have to wait — but once I found out there was basement seating, I could visit comfortably. Haha.

The basement is cozy and has its own atmosphere, so even if the first floor is full, definitely check the basement seats too. Haha.

What we ordered at Susan Sadang Main Branch

Sennoyume, the welcome sake

The welcome sake served to us, Cheonnoyume. Even more appreciated than the basic side dishes — a free welcome sake. >.< It's not too sweet and has a subtle, fragrant taste — really delicious!

18 seasonal raw shrimp, peeled for you

Yay, the seasonal raw shrimp sashimi arrived. Everything you need to enjoy seasonal raw shrimp properly, all at once. The sashimi soy sauce, by the way, was already set on the table as a default.

So glossy and shiny — since it comes fully peeled, you can really enjoy the raw shrimp sashimi with ease. My boyfriend is also a master at peeling raw shrimp, and he's genuinely fast... There were 18 pieces in total!

Sashimi soy sauce, buldak mayo, then vinegared gochujang

Dipping the raw shrimp sashimi in sashimi soy sauce mixed with fresh wasabi is my personal top pick! Dipping it in the soy sauce really brings out the umami of the raw shrimp sashimi, and it's great for enjoying that sweet, chewy texture. Actually, fresh wasabi also helps — raw shrimp sashimi alone can feel a bit rich, but the wasabi gives it a clean finish... really delicious!

Oh, they didn't have this last time, but this time they gave us buldak mayo sauce, and I was so happy about it. >.< Do you know that buldak mayo sauce actually pairs really well with seafood or sashimi?! Haha. It goes well with baby octopus too, but it also pairs really well with raw shrimp sashimi. Haha. Even though buldak mayo sauce has an exotic, strong flavor, it surprisingly doesn't overpower the taste of the raw shrimp sashimi — instead it plays the role of boosting the umami.

Vinegared gochujang is also a classic sauce for raw shrimp sashimi. It has a sweet edge that highlights the nuttiness of the raw shrimp sashimi, so it pairs well too, haha. But personally, I liked combining them in the order of soy sauce, then buldak mayo sauce, then vinegared gochujang.

Fried shrimp heads with buldak mayo sauce

The fried shrimp heads came out with such a thoughtful touch. >.< I love restaurants that give you fried shrimp heads after the raw shrimp sashimi, haha. They're fried crisp until crunchy, served up. Lightly seasoned with a bit of salt, so you could eat them on their own as a drinking snack... kind of like an upscale version of shrimp chips, haha.

And the fried shrimp heads actually paired even better with buldak mayo sauce than the raw shrimp sashimi did!!! Eaten plain they can feel a bit rich, and dipping them in soy sauce didn't make sense since they were already seasoned — so I needed something milder, and buldak mayo sauce fit perfectly. It cuts the richness while boosting the umami.

Susan Sadang Main Branch, a Sadang izakaya where you get to enjoy plump raw shrimp peeled fresh right in front of you, plus fried shrimp heads that are hard to make at home — I think I'll be coming back often whenever a craving for raw shrimp sashimi hits.