Yeonnam-dong seafood chazuke on a weekday lunch: Ochaya Yeonnam

Long time no blog post,, I really want to get back into blogging regularly but real life has me too drained to have the energy for it. Still, I want to properly document all the trips, concerts, etc I went to this year.. let's go, fighting

So first, let me review today's find: Ochaya Yeonnam. I had somewhere to be near Hongdae and while looking for a good restaurant, I found myself craving neat, proper Japanese food, and that's how I landed on this ochazuke (tea-poured rice) specialty spot. I love ochazuke normally, and while I eat donburi or Japanese set meals often, places that actually do proper ochazuke are rare, so I went in with high expectations.

Where is Ochaya Yeonnam, and what is it like inside?

Ochaya Yeonnam is on the 2nd floor of an alley in Yeonnam-dong, a 7-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station. Even before stepping inside, it had this warm feeling, like a nice-vibe café.

Seats for solo diners, couples and families with babies

Stepping inside Ochaya Yeonnam, the wood-toned interior gave off a calm, cute feeling. There was a range of seating — bar tables that felt comfortable for solo dining, tables for two great for a date with friends, and group tables for larger parties. There were even high chairs, so it seemed like a fine place to bring a baby too!

The spacing between tables was comfortable, and overall it was decorated cutely and cleanly enough to make for a relaxed meal!

Ochaya Yeonnam's menu and how to order at the kiosk

Ordering is easy — just use the kiosk at the entrance.

From the signature kaisen chazuke (seafood) to sake chazuke (salmon), unagi chazuke (eel), and butano gakuni (pork belly), the variety made it easy to pick according to your taste. The summer-only oak-smoked perilla oil soba, plus a neat lineup of side dishes and drinks, gave a wide range of choices. Wait, why is I LOHAS here? I saw it at Olive Young recently, was nice to see it again

Seeing a Vape T-shirt made me want to go back to Japan again~!

There's a self-serve bar off to one side, which was nice because you can just grab what you need without feeling awkward about it.

What exactly is kaisen chazuke?

I ordered Ochaya Yeonnam's signature kaisen chazuke. I've had ochazuke and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) before, but kaisen chazuke..? I was curious what kind of dish it'd be, so I ordered it. Apparently kaisen chazuke is finely minced tuna, octopus, and shrimp served over seasoned rice, as a seafood ochazuke.

Wait, that's a duplicate — let me continue: The dish I'd been waiting for arrived! It came looking round and generously packed — a seafood tartare topped with a hefty pile of orange flying fish roe and finely chopped green onion.

Two ways to eat it: before and after pouring the tea

At first, I didn't pour any broth and just enjoyed the rice and seafood topping's natural salty, savory flavor as it was.

The fresh seafood's flavor and the popping texture of the flying fish roe in my mouth were great.

After eating about half, you're supposed to pour the hot ocha (tea/broth) that comes alongside generously over the rest, and once the broth goes in, the umami shoots up and it genuinely feels like a whole new dish? I liked how the flying fish roe kept popping throughout.

Side dishes and tips for a weekday visit

Side dishes came along with the meal — you can wrap rice in the crispy seaweed that comes with it and dip it lightly in soy sauce, or top it with the kimchi and pickled mustard leaf side dishes, so it never got boring to eat. I imagine it gets busy on weekends, but luckily I went on a weekday and could eat at a relaxed pace. If I go again, I'd love to try the other menu items — definitely a place worth returning to!