Goyang sushi restaurant dinner set and salmon bowl: Min Cook Dasima

When I browse reviews on social media or local community sites, there are restaurants that keep catching my eye. Min Cook Dasima was one I saw especially often, with such good reviews that I really wanted to visit—and it turned out to be not too far away, near Hwajeong Station.

I normally love Japanese food and rice bowls topped with salmon, so I had been keeping an eye on it. My mom and I happened to have matching schedules on a weekday evening, so we decided to go out for dinner and have a little date, too.

A 24-year sushi institution near Hwajeong Station

Min Cook Dasima, a Hwajeong Station sushi institution and Baeknyeon Gage (century-old store) with 24 years of tradition

The restaurant is at 37 Hwasin-ro 260beon-gil, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Since opening in 2001, it has remained in the same spot for 24 years as Goyang's first sushi restaurant and a representative name in Hwajeong.

With the wonderful slogan, “A restaurant that never compromises on ingredients,” it has quite a reputation: it was selected as a master establishment in Japanese cuisine in 2019, in Korean cuisine in 2023, and officially chosen in 2024 as a Baeknyeon Gage, certified by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

How does parking work near Hwajeong Station?

If you park at the nearby Hwajeong E-Mart parking lot, Min Cook Dasima provides a one-hour parking voucher.

A cozy dinner at a spacious four-person table

It had a warm, cozy atmosphere with a touch of elegance. It felt comfortable yet neat, so I thought it would suit bringing your parents or treating someone special. The seating was generally very roomy and relaxed; even though there were only two of us, we sat at a four-person table and ate even more comfortably, haha.

Ordering is easy with a QR code. There were more menu choices than I expected, from sushi sets and rice bowls to tonkatsu and zaru soba. That day, we decided to order Min Cook Dasima's signature set and one salmon dish I have been really into lately, then share them, haha.

• Sushi set: ₩25,000
• Fresh salmon rice bowl (sake-don): ₩15,000

Once we had ordered, a kind staff member brought us warm rice porridge first.

The porridge was warm and soft, and felt like it was gently filling my stomach. Even the furikake seasoning sprinkled on top was perfect.

A sushi set with nine pieces of assorted sushi

Soon, the generously arranged sushi set that made my mouth water just looking at it was served.

Centered around nine pieces of assorted sushi, the full spread included refreshing salad, Japanese steamed egg as soft as pudding, braised eel with radish, crisp tenpura (tempura), and warm, savory miso soup.

First, I gently soothed my stomach with the warm Japanese steamed egg. Its fluffy, pudding-like softness simply melted in my mouth, haha.

The tempura had a thin, crisp batter and was served piping hot, freshly fried. It was perfect to enjoy between bites of the meal :)

As you would expect from sushi shaped by a master, the thickness of the fish and amount of rice were beautifully balanced. Perhaps because the rice was cooked from recently milled grains, each grain had a springy texture and sweetness that brought out the flavor of the fish even more.

I also loved the variety of fish, including flounder, salmon, and tuna. It was pleasantly chewy yet tender, and I could see why it has maintained its reputation as a Hwajeong Station sushi favorite for so many years.

Sake-don piled high with fresh salmon

The fresh salmon rice bowl that followed immediately caught my eye with its appearance. Glossy fresh salmon was piled on generously, enough to fill the whole bowl, haha.

The salmon was so fresh that you could practically see its bouncy texture. I placed a thick slice over the rice, added wasabi, and took a big bite. (This is a place where there is still so much salmon no matter how much you eat!) It was soft to chew, with that salmon's nutty, clean flavor that I love..! The radish sprouts on top were delicious together with it, too.

Having dinner with my mom, chatting quietly in this calm and comfortable restaurant near Hwajeong Station, made for such a happy end to the day :D