Gangnam Station kaisendon to treat an old friend: sweet shrimp, Ilpum

Treating an old friend after 5 years: kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch near Gangnam Station

I booked Ilpum Gangnam Branch (일품 강남점), a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) place near Gangnam Station, for a meal with an old friend I hadn't seen in 5 years. Yesterday was the big day, and I'd been scrolling through search results for days beforehand. Since I wanted to treat someone special, there was no room for a miss, so I picked Ilpum Gangnam Branch, which is famous for its fresh seafood bowls.

How to get to Ilpum Gangnam Branch: 2–3 minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 6

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is a 2-3 minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 6. From all the meeting spots I've hunted for at work, I've learned that the number one thing is not only taste but also an easy route. Even my friend, who has no sense of direction, found it without getting lost.

It's on the basement level of the building, so keep an eye out for the entrance.

Atmosphere and counter seats at Ilpum Gangnam Branch

Ilpum Gangnam Branch has a tidy, cozy counter-seat (dacchi) vibe, perfect for catching up with a friend after so long. The moment you open the door, the mood feels just right for sitting across from a friend and chatting quietly.

My friend loves raw fish, so expectations were pretty high, and the calm, orderly air of the place had me giving it generous points before I'd even taken a bite. We took seats at the counter.

Celebrities and well-known people often visit, so there were lots of autographs on the walls.

Ilpum Gangnam Branch menu and prices: what we ordered

We ordered two things at Ilpum Gangnam Branch: the signature regular kaisendon (₩26,000) and the premium kaisendon (₩37,000), which got even more famous after a well-known TV personality raved about it. When the food landed on the table, we both gasped. The bowls were packed generously with glossy red tuna, thick salmon, plump sweet shrimp, and sea urchin roe (uni) with a strong whiff of the ocean.

Side dishes and chawanmushi before the kaisendon

Before the kaisendon arrived, Ilpum Gangnam Branch set out a neat starter spread of chawanmushi, miso soup, gamtae-gim (seaweed snack), and white kimchi. Korean restaurants call these side dishes, but in Japanese cuisine they're pre-meal dishes like tsukidashi or zensai.

What impressed me most was the chawanmushi, a Japanese steamed egg custard, with steam curling up the second I lifted the lid. It was springy like pudding when I scooped it, yet melted the moment it hit my mouth. It seemed strained several times with care, with not a single bubble, and the smooth texture, faint bonito broth aroma and chopped scallion flavor were wonderful for warming an empty stomach before cold sashimi. The savory miso soup, crispy gamtae-gim and crunchy, refreshing white kimchi all worked together with nothing out of place.

Is Ilpum Gangnam Branch kaisendon okay if you dislike fishy taste?

The kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch had freshness well beyond its flashy looks.

I'm especially sensitive to fishy tastes, yet the moment the fish touched my mouth, all I got was a clingy, chewy texture and a faint sweetness. At some Japanese restaurants I've tried, the rice was too sour or salty and ruined the fish, but at Ilpum Gangnam Branch the warmth of the rice and its sweet-and-sour seasoning blended brilliantly with the fish.

Regular ₩26,000 vs premium ₩37,000 kaisendon: what's the difference?

The seafood lineup in the regular and premium kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch is quite different, in step with the price gap. The premium adds sea urchin roe (uni), salmon roe and steamed abalone in sake to the regular lineup. In the photo, the premium is on the left and the regular on the right.

• Regular kaisendon: a hearty, filling lineup of salmon, flounder, red tuna, sweet shrimp, grilled scallop, flying fish roe, soft monkfish liver, rolled omelet and more
• Premium kaisendon: on top of the regular lineup, generous mounds of rich uni, popping salmon roe, savory steamed abalone in sake, big cuts of high-grade tuna and thick sashimi packed into the bowl with no gaps

If you eat seafood bowls often, the presence of the uni, salmon roe and abalone alone is enough to feel the value.

I laid a sheet of seaweed on my palm, put a thick piece of tuna on it with a dab of fresh wasabi and wrapped it up, and my friend's eyes went wide as she kept exclaiming. Unpacking five years of stories while sharing fresh, delicious food, we lost all track of time. It was a really happy meal.

Regular vs premium kaisendon, compared by the sweet shrimp

Even in just the sweet shrimp, the gap between regular and premium at Ilpum Gangnam Branch was clear. On the left plate, the regular sweet shrimp is mixed with popping flying fish roe and honestly lets the chewy, sweet flavor of the shrimp shine. On the right, the premium has plump sweet shrimp on green gamtae (seaweed), topped with rich uni and salty salmon roe (ikura) curled up like a flower. Rolled in the gamtae and eaten in one bite, the sweet shrimp and the buttery, melting richness of the uni blended brilliantly. "A luxury in one bite" is exactly the phrase for it.

Finishing the meal: mini udon and yogurt pudding

As we were finishing the kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch, a warm mini udon came out, and last came a yogurt pudding dessert. The mini udon had a clear, deep bonito broth topped with a piece of freshly fried crispy tempura, chopped green onion and a heap of tenkasu (tempura crumbs). I sipped the broth first, and a little kick from shichimi (Japanese chili pepper blend) neatly cleaned up my mouth after the raw fish.

Impeccable freshness and tidy plating that won't fail when you're treating someone good

The yogurt pudding dessert at the very end was perfect too!!

A place where the chewy sweetness of uni and tuna steals the show

Is the kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch worth the price?

Seeing the freshness of the ingredients and my friend's happy face, I didn't feel the money was wasted at all. With prices up so much lately, we all weigh value for money every time we eat out, right? I'd love to go back with my husband for a date soon.

If you want to treat someone important to a neat, proper meal, or just want a real seafood rice bowl, you might try a bowl of kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch near Gangnam Station.