Sushi at 1am in Seolleung, Seoul: egg nigiri and soju at Sakai

Hi, this is Dain.

I love sushi, so I sometimes go out of my way to find good sushi restaurants. This time I visited Sakai in Yeoksam. I do like omakase too, but with omakase you eat whatever the chef decides that day. This time, I wanted to pick exactly the sushi I felt like eating, so I chose Sakai instead. Plus, this place is a late-night sushi restaurant open until 1am, which makes it a great spot to eat late with a glass of soju.

What kind of place is Sakai?

Picking the exact sushi pieces you want at Sakai

Sakai's sushi prices range widely, from ₩2,900 up to the ₩10,000s, which was nice because it meant I could pick whatever I felt like. The interior had a clean, upscale feel that really suited a sushi restaurant. We also ordered a bottle of Saero soju that day. Sushi with a glass of soju turned out to be a surprisingly good pairing.

Go late and the menu at Sakai shrinks

One thing worth noting: if you visit late like we did, a lot of ingredients can already be sold out, so the bar had a separate list of what was still available. You can only order from whatever's left that day! So if there's something specific you really want to try, it's better to go a bit earlier rather than too late. We unfortunately couldn't get the bonjochobap that day — a menu I'd really wanted to try, so that was a bit disappointing ㅠㅠ

Can egg nigiri really taste this good?

The thing I remember most from that day at Sakai was, surprisingly, the egg. Seriously so good... the egg melted away softly the moment it hit my mouth.

It had been a while since I enjoyed egg nigiri this much, so it really stuck with me. I also had the flounder, and it tasted fresh the instant I bit into it. With sushi, the condition of the ingredients really matters, and the flounder was personally very satisfying. The salmon was a solid, familiar salmon flavor, and I tried the mackerel too.

The mackerel was good as well. On top of that, I picked out conger eel and cuttlefish too, among other things.

Steamed abalone in sake is a must-order

It felt like a waste to stop at just sushi, so I ordered the steamed abalone in sake too. This was genuinely delicious. Abalone ㅠㅠ

The abalone itself was tasty, but steamed in sake it made an even better drinking snack. Instead of just eating sushi nonstop, adding a dish like this in between let us enjoy the meal in a lot more different ways. We also ordered odeng-tang (fish cake soup).

Drinking soju alongside, we needed some warm broth, and odeng-tang was exactly right for a night like that.

Why a sushi bar open until 1am wins

One of Sakai's biggest strengths is being open until 1am. A lot of sushi places close early, but this one stays open late, so it's great for nights when you eat dinner late or want to pair sushi with drinks. I also really liked that instead of following a fixed omakase course, you get to pick exactly the sushi you feel like eating that day.

For sushi and a glass of soju in Seolleung

Overall, I liked that Sakai lets you pick your own sushi in a clean, upscale atmosphere. Of the dishes I had, the egg nigiri, flounder, and steamed abalone stood out most. On the flip side, not being able to get the bonjochobap that day was a little disappointing. Since only what's still available gets served once ingredients run out, I'd recommend going early if there's something specific you want.

I'd recommend this place to anyone in Yeoksam looking for good-quality sushi, anyone who'd rather pick their own sushi than follow a set omakase course, and anyone who wants to enjoy sushi and drinks late into the night. Next time I go, I want to finally try the bonjochobap I missed :)