Dinner date at Ilpum, a Yeouido kaisendon restaurant with sea urchin

While planning where to eat dinner in Yeouido during my Seoul trip, I ended up at Ilpum Yeouido Branch! I usually love raw fish and seafood rice bowls, so I went looking for a good Yeouido kaisendon spot and landed here — turns out it's also famous as a place featured by celebrity Lee Young-ja! Had a fun dinner date here with my boyfriend :)

• Name: Ilpum Yeouido Branch
• Address: Basement level, Anwon Building, 25 Eunhaeng-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Reservation: Naver Reservation

Since Naver Reservation is available here, I booked easily ahead of time! There were several coupons available too, so if you qualify, it's worth using one when you visit :)

On one wall inside there were quite a lot of celebrity autographs. As an old, well-known Yeouido restaurant, it seems plenty of famous faces have stopped by. Being in an office-heavy area, it looked like a solid option for a weekday lunch, and also nice for a date or a get-together.

Ilpum Yeouido Branch hours and menu prices

Ilpum Yeouido Branch is open from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, with a break time from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. It's closed every Sunday.

• Kaisendon ₩26,000
• Premium Kaisendon ₩37,000
• Whole Unagi Don ₩40,000
• Sushi Omakase Set ₩50,000
• Special Ilpumdong ₩30,000
• Special Sashimidon ₩39,000
• Honmaguro Tsukedon ₩33,000
• Aburidon ₩30,000
• Salmon Sakedon ₩26,000
• Chicken Karaage Don ₩22,000
• Seasonal Buri (Yellowtail) Don ₩33,000

There are also sushi and sashimi options, so it's a decent pick for anyone looking for Yeouido sushi too.

Ordering was easy since you just scan a QR code at your seat. We ordered the Premium Kaisendon (₩37,000) and the Aburidon (₩30,000).

Bar seats at Ilpum: fine for solo dining in Yeouido too

The interior of Ilpum Yeouido Branch is done in wood tones and feels clean overall. There are table seats plus a long row of bar seats facing the kitchen. When I visited, there was someone eating sushi solo right next to me, and it didn't feel awkward at all. If you're looking for a place to eat alone in Yeouido or want sushi solo, this seems like an easy spot to visit.

From the bar seats, you can watch the kaisendon being made right in front of you, so it was fun to watch while waiting. Doesn't it look so good!? Drooling…

What comes with the set: baek kimchi, chawanmushi and miso soup

Ordering a bowl comes with baek kimchi (white, non-spicy kimchi), chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), and miso soup. The chawanmushi had shrimp and gingko nuts inside — creamy, soft, and the shrimp was so good!

Premium kaisendon, 37,000 won: sea urchin roe and salmon roe on top

The moment it arrived, the bowl was piled high with seafood, so it looked pretty generous right away. Tuna, salmon, white fish, shrimp, scallop, squid, sea urchin roe, salmon roe, egg, ankimo (monkfish liver) and more were all on top at once. Instead of eating one kind the whole time, I got to try different textures, which made eating from a single bowl more fun.

In particular, having both sea urchin roe and salmon roe on top made it feel noticeably more varied than a regular kaisendon.

The shrimp was also nice and chunky, and having scallop and squid was better than getting only raw fish. Plenty of seaweed came on the side too, so I could wrap the fish and rice in it.

I put wasabi and salmon roe on tuna and wrapped it in seaweed, and eating it this way was so good too haha. Eating it like a regular rice bowl and then switching things up with a seaweed wrap now and then was a nice change of pace.

The rice was already seasoned, so even just wrapping baek kimchi and rice in seaweed tasted good on its own. The portion of rice was pretty generous too, so it filled us up nicely! If you're looking for kaisendon in Yeouido and want to try a wide variety of seafood, the premium option seems like a good call!!

What does the 30,000-won aburidon taste like?

The aburidon had salmon, white fish, scallop, squid and more, each lightly seared just on the surface, giving it a slightly different feel.

If you prefer fish that's ~~lightly~~ cooked over completely raw, the aburidon would probably suit you better. If two people are visiting, ordering one kaisendon and one aburidon to share was a good combo too. Even though both are seafood rice bowls, one being raw and the other seared meant they didn't feel repetitive.

Seaweed refills: how to eat kaisendon as a seaweed wrap

Here, plenty of seaweed comes on the side, so it was good for wrapping up a bite here and there while eating the kaisendon. And of course, refills are available :) Just put a little rice, a piece of fish, wasabi and salmon roe on top and that's it. I tried wrapping tuna, white fish, and the seared fish from the aburidon too, and honestly, eating it wrapped in seaweed was more my style than just eating it like a regular rice bowl haha.

Cold udon on the side and mango pudding to finish

Since I visited in early September, a side of cold udon came with the meal. They said once the weather gets colder, it switches to warm udon instead. The cold tsuyu broth had udon noodles in it, topped with karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The broth wasn't too strong, more on the salty-and-refreshing side, so it was nice to eat between bites of kaisendon. The noodles were also nicely chewy, and eating them cold made the texture stand out even more.

At the end of the meal, mango pudding was served.

There was a good amount of mango flavor, and the texture was soft, so it was an easy dessert to finish the meal with. Ending things on a sweet, tangy note after all that seafood made the whole meal feel more polished haha.

Two free croquettes for a Naver receipt review

The restaurant was also running a Naver receipt review event. Writing a Naver receipt review got you two free croquettes. It was explained as a pre-payment-required event, and we wrote a review and got our croquettes too haha.

Crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside — a good bite to have in between the kaisendon. Dipping it in the sauce doubled the flavor! Since it's a warm dish, it was also a nice contrast alongside the raw seafood.

Who should book a dinner date at Ilpum Yeouido Branch

Ilpum Yeouido Branch, visited while looking for kaisendon or sushi in Yeouido. The premium kaisendon had a nice variety of seafood that made eating it fun, and the aburidon, being lightly seared, was a good choice to order alongside it for two. With everything from kaisendon to sushi and sashimi on the menu, this is a place worth visiting when you want a satisfying Japanese meal in Yeouido.