Homemade sake dokuri at a Mapo seafood restaurant: Jaecheoldameun

Looking for somewhere to open a sake from Japan

A friend brought back a rare sake from Japan. A bottle like this can't just be opened anywhere, so I spent days looking for a place with seafood good enough to match it!

Since a seafood restaurant near Daeheung Station had just opened, I called and booked right away. The name is Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada.

A row of tanks at the entrance, and a long table for 12

Clean tanks lined the front of the restaurant, and inside was a neat, wood-toned dining room. There's also a long table where 12 or more can sit shoulder to shoulder, which makes it a solid pick to keep in mind for a Mapo seafood restaurant family gathering.

The Mapo Bada Signature Set and à la carte prices

The menu is split into sets and à la carte items. Since we wanted to enjoy autumn gizzard shad, shrimp, and sashimi all at once, we ordered the top item — the Mapo Bada Signature Set!

On the à la carte side, live salt-grilled shrimp (25 pieces) is ₩65,000, assorted sashimi runs ₩68,000 (large) / ₩56,000 (medium) / ₩46,000 (small), and assorted seafood is around ₩55,000 (large) / ₩34,000 (medium).

A whole table slid straight into place

A little while after ordering the set, a staff member suddenly came out carrying an entire table. Instead of bringing dishes one by one, they slid a table already fully loaded with food right into our table.

The moment that table appeared, everyone in our group let out a 'wow' at the same time.

The visuals alone are overwhelming. Assorted sashimi, grilled gizzard shad, gizzard shad sashimi, sushi, tempura, abalone porridge, seaweed soup, cold jeyuk (pork) with kimchi, and side dishes — every inch of the table was covered.

Autumn gizzard shad sashimi and grilled gizzard shad

We started with the autumn gizzard shad. The sashimi comes sliced bone-in, and the more you chew, the nuttier it gets, with no fishy taste at all — good enough to eat without chojang (vinegared red pepper paste) sauce. The grilled gizzard shad had perfectly salted, crispy skin with rich, oily flesh inside — eaten hot, it really tastes like autumn. Gizzard shad in autumn is a must!

Raw shrimp sashimi and grilled prawns, with the heads butter-grilled

The raw shrimp sashimi came already peeled and prepped, so it was easy to eat. The plump texture was fully intact, and there was no fishy taste whatsoever.

I feel bad every time, but the grilled prawns are just too good. Once we finished the bodies, the staff collected the heads and grilled them again separately, butter-style.

What's in the assorted seafood plate

The assorted seafood plate is also well put together.

Abalone, live octopus, sea cucumber, scallop, and sea squirt all come on one plate — freshness like that makes the drinks go down way too smoothly ᰔᩚ

One free corkage bottle, and a dokuri made by the owner's family

Oh, and right now there's an opening event giving one free corkage bottle. The sake dokuri and cup they set out were handmade by the owner's family, which made drinking from them feel even more special. The drink list is also bigger than I expected.

There's a good range of sake and wine, and wine is 50% off from the second bottle, while draft beer was on sale from ₩2,900 down to ₩2,000. Soju and bottled beer are ₩5,000.

The state of the restrooms

Fitting for a newly opened spot, the restrooms are separated for men and women and kept clean.

This part actually matters a surprising amount at a seafood restaurant — clean restrooms put my mind at ease.

How many people should come

Spreading autumn's peak-season gizzard shad and prawns wide across one table and eating slowly for hours, my friends and I were thoroughly satisfied. One Signature Set for 3-4 adults is enough to eat your fill of fresh, upscale, varied seafood — a dish I'd strongly recommend for group gatherings.

Among seafood restaurants near Daeheung Station, this one wins on the sheer impact of its table spread, so I really do recommend it for a group outing.