Hongdae izakaya with orange highballs and skewers: Kushino Kitchen

I went to a Hongdae izakaya! It was my first time going to one in a basement, so I was soooo excited and full of anticipation.

Just as I was about to go in, a group of foreign visitors came out, so I waited a little before entering haha. Because it was on the stairs, hehe.

Go down about half a floor and the izakaya entrance appears right away.

It is exactly the izakaya vibe, right? The atmosphere was better than I expected, and I loved that it was lively and bustling.

The lights hanging all over the ceiling were so pretty that I kept looking up until the table was set, hahaha.

There were lights around the kitchen too, so I took a photo. Such a nice mood, hehe..... It was completely cozy cozy, you know~

Ordering by tablet after a reservation

I visited Kushino Kitchen (쿠시노주방) with a reservation. I arrived a little before my booking time, and the staff helped set up my table right away. The posters on the wall were totally atmospheric too, so I looked at those for a while, then came to my senses and ordered.

There was an ordering tablet on the table, so I ordered straight from it. I got lemon cream karaage (Japanese fried chicken), Kushino nabe, an orange highball, and a mango highball.

The complimentary snack and an open-kitchen fire show

A snack that looked like shrimp roe chips came out as the complimentary bar snack, but I never did figure out exactly what it was. It was easy, mindless snacking. Good when your mouth feels bored?

Because it is an open kitchen, you can watch the fire show in person. My seat was right in front of the flames, so I watched the fire suddenly whoosh up two? Three times. A fire show? Why is something like this still so fun, hahaha.

I liked that they used disposable wooden chopsticks. It somehow felt more hygienic. It seemed like skewers were their specialty, so I ordered extra ones too haha. My favorite, tomato pork belly~~

Eat the lemon cream karaage before it cools

I have been a cream-hating person my whole life, so when I see a white sauce, I eat it a little defensively? (I was slightly nervous when I tried it hahaha ㅠ) But even though this was creamy, it was not rich at all—totally crispy and delicious!!

Honestly, since it was lemon, I thought it would taste re-fresh-ing!! But it was less tangy than I expected and more sweet, which made me totally happy. (I am a person who dislikes tangy flavors.) It was really, completely crispy and sweet while warm, so good...

But it gets less tasty once it cools down.. Blow on it and hurry up and eat it before it cools. So you do not scrape the roof of your mouth, haha.

Two of us ate it, and it seemed like a little more than two portions? At first it looked like a small amount, but as we ate, it felt like a lot... If you love lemon, squeeze it over and eat it with the juice haha. I think it is best to eat it before the lemon cream sauce makes all that crispy chicken disappear.

Mango highball and orange highball

I ordered the mango highball and my companion got the orange highball, but hahahahaha the star here is the orange highball... I laughed for ages when I saw how it looked ㅠㅠ I still laugh so hard whenever I see this photo ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Cheers, this is the orange highball. Seriously hahaha, at first I was so startled and amused that I could not even take a proper photo. I am writing this at a café right now and it is still so funny hahaha ㅠ I am writing while giggling to myself ㅠ

In the end, I moved the orange tree? Orange bunch onto a side plate and drank the highball hahaha. Maybe because I took the oranges out, the orange highball seemed to taste more strongly of alcohol. Hahaha.

If you are not great with alcohol, order the mango highball. The mango highball tastes exactly like mango juice with lots of fruit pulp. Want more of that alcohol taste? Then I recommend the orange highball hahaha. Ah ㅠ the visual is still so funny.... It is even funnier because it comes out like this at an izakaya. So random, hahahahaha.

Kushino nabe and extra tomato pork belly skewers

Since it was called nabe, I pictured a soup dish—oden soup? Something brothy? But it was not that; it looked like skewers over tomato spaghetti. So fascinating.... Such an inventive menu.

The staff told me the noodles under the skewers were already cooked and ready to eat, while the skewers should be eaten after five minutes, so I started with the noodles.

It tastes like tomato spaghetti, but maybe with a richer sauce flavor? If you are a tomato-loving person, you will like this menu item.

The staff told me to wait five minutes for the skewers, but I could not wait and tried one. It was lukewarm, so I put it back and heated it for five minutes before eating it hahaha. (I was sitting directly under the air conditioner.) Eating the tomato sauce together with the skewers was fun too? It felt like having a bit of everything, which was fun.

The tomato pork belly skewers I ordered as extras? Those were honestly the tastiest thing. Order the skewers. This place is a skewer gem.

A great place when you are looking for a Yeonnam bar with an amazing atmosphere, or want to have an honest one-on-one conversation with a friend. + A skewer gem. The orange highball hahaha... also a highball gem haha.