Assorted sashimi set for ₩40,000 at Sintongyeong Gul Gukbap, Suyeong

I've been keeping an eye on a seafood restaurant in Suyeong while traveling to Gwangalli often lately — Sintongyeong Gul Gukbap (신통영굴국밥).

The reviews were so good it smelled like a real local gem, so I went straight there. It's gizzard shad season right now, so I went hoping for gizzard shad sashimi, but sadly it was sold out... I ordered the assorted sashimi instead, and I was so happy to taste incredibly fresh fish at a great price. The banchan (side dishes) tasted just like a mom's home cooking too!

Location — 15 minutes by bus from Gwangalli, near Paldo Market

Sintongyeong Gul Gukbap is located near Paldo Market in Suyeong-gu, Busan. It's also close to Gwangalli, so it's great for heading to Gwangalli Beach after dinner. It's about a 35-minute walk, or 15 minutes by bus.

With seafood restaurants, more than anything else, the fish tank out front tells you whether it's a good spot, right? Looking at the tank full of fresh fish swimming around, I thought, ah, the sashimi here must really be fresh haha.

Inside — packed with locals even late at night

As a blogger I tried to get good shots of the interior, but even though I visited late, there were so many customers this was the best I could manage. That probably means it's a good restaurant, right? Looking around, there were plenty of local customers, not just travelers. Seems like it's already a well-known local favorite!

The inside had that cozy neighborhood-restaurant feel, and I liked that the tables were kept very clean.

What we ordered — from gizzard shad sets to gul gukbap

It's the start of gizzard shad season, so they had gizzard shad sashimi, grilled gizzard shad, and seasoned gizzard shad all at reasonable prices. There was even a set menu to try all three together.

Since I visited late, unfortunately it was sold out, so instead I ordered

• Assorted sashimi (small) — ₩40,000
• Cheongha — ₩5,000

Besides that, there are also meal menus like shrimp dishes, gul gukbap (oyster soup), and sashimi rice bowls, so you can order according to your taste haha.

11 side dishes, tasting like mom's home cooking

First, 11 side dishes were set out. Wow... I love places with a wide variety of banchan like this. There's something fun about picking through them one by one haha.

All the side dishes had that home-cooked, mom's-hand taste, but the ones that stuck with me most were the seasoned whelk, the seasoned acorn jelly, and the seasoned sea squirt.

The seasoning on the whelk and acorn jelly was so sweet and tangy it was great for whetting your appetite, and the sea squirt was a dish I'd never seen before so I was a little thrown off at first, but the crunchy pop of the sea squirt with the tangy pickled seasoning worked so well together. It was perfect for cleansing your palate between bites of sashimi haha.

Assorted sashimi set for ₩40,000, a filling amount for two

And then the small assorted sashimi set arrived. The amount was much more than I expected for the price, and I was genuinely surprised. It was a filling portion for a couple to enjoy. In Gwangalli this would probably cost ₩80,000... The value here is really great.

Ha. Even looking at it again, the sashimi looked so fresh and glossy it made my mouth water. With several kinds served, there was fun in picking and choosing, and above all, the quality of every single kind of fish was excellent...

The fish on the day — flounder, needlefish, brown sole, longtooth grouper

When I visited, the set was made up of four kinds — flounder, needlefish, brown sole and longtooth grouper — and it seems like the lineup changes day to day. I'd never heard of longtooth grouper before, but it was soft and mild and delicious!

Flounder, needlefish and brown sole are fish you can always trust, but being right by the sea, the freshness was on a completely different level from what you'd get inland. The chewy, springy texture was so alive that every single bite made me happy. The nutty flavor that came through with each chew was great too. The kind of taste that calls for soju~

With sashimi this fresh, you can't skip the soju, right? Busan usually means Daesun, but personally I love Cheongha, so — cheers with Cheongha~

Since the sashimi was so fresh, it was delicious even just dipped plainly in wasabi soy sauce, and the ssamjang that came with it was so good too — I wrapped it in perilla leaves, wrapped it in white kimchi, and had fun trying different combinations haha. However you eat it, it's just so good!

And they gave a generous amount of flounder fin, which is my favorite part..♡ Chewy and fatty — ah, I want more already

Free spicy fish stew, and a bowl of rice gone in no time

After a round of sashimi, you can't skip the maeuntang (spicy fish stew)! It even comes free. That's really amazing.

There was more fish meat in it than I expected, and above all the broth was so good. That spicy, savory flavor that calls for soju... It came with a burner, so bubbling it away while eating made it taste even better. I finished it off with a bowl of rice and wrapped up a happy meal.

If you're looking for a good-value sashimi restaurant near Gwangalli, definitely check out Sintongyeong Gul Gukbap in Suyeong! I'm planning to come back soon for the gizzard shad haha.