Gangnam Station Japanese spot, solo kaisendon and sake lunch: Ilpum

Ilpum Gangnam Branch near Gangnam Station: what is kaisendon

Today I had kaisendon at Ilpum Gangnam Branch, a sushi restaurant near Gangnam Station. Every time I go to a good sushi place I agonize between kaisendon and sushi, so I finally went for kaisendon.

Kaisendon is Japanese for seafood rice bowl. "Kaisen" means fresh seafood, and "don" means rice bowl. It's a classic Japanese dish with generous slices of raw tuna, salmon, shrimp, sea urchin roe, salmon roe and more piled on top of rice.

Location and atmosphere: good counter seats for solo dining

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is about a 5-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 6. I made a reservation through Naver beforehand.

Since I was dining alone, I arrived around 1:30pm to avoid the lunch rush! The place isn't very big — it's mostly counter (dachi) seating, with a few tables further inside.

Ilpum near Gangnam Station is famous as a favorite of Lee Young-ja and Hwang Jung-min. There were celebrity autographs displayed near the entrance.

What I ordered and the prices

I didn't hesitate today — I ordered the kaisendon.

• Premium kaisendon that Lee Young-ja raved about (₩37,000)
• Sake (Gamozuru Honjozo Karakuchi) mas-jan (₩10,000)

I also liked that there was a water dispenser right at the table, so I could pour my own hot or cold water.

Sake mas-jan, filled to the brim in a wooden masu

I went back and forth between a highball and sake, but today I wanted something refreshing so I ordered sake. Back when I watched shows like Midnight Diner or Solitary Gourmet, I always loved how they'd place a glass inside a wooden box and pour it overflowing (a gesture of hospitality toward the guest).

Turns out that wooden box is called a masu. So that's why the menu item at this Gangnam Station sushi spot is called mas-jan! They filled my glass to the brim, and even after I drank one round, what was poured into the wooden box alone was more than a full glass.

When I traveled in Vietnam and Thailand, I used to learn about the country's history and language through food names — and today I picked up a bit more about Japanese culture too~

Pre-meal chawanmushi (steamed egg custard)

A warm chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) also came out. It was soft, perfect for eating before the main course. I liked that the texture was moist and different from Korean-style steamed egg. Thanks to the umami, I kept going back for more.

A sip of sake while waiting for the kaisendon~ I'd originally planned to order Wolgyegwan, but that was ₩16,000 so haha, it felt like a bit much, so I went with Gamozuru instead. This one was quite good too, and light enough to enjoy as a lunchtime drink without any guilt.

Premium kaisendon (₩37,000): what's in the bowl

The premium kaisendon (₩37,000) at this Gangnam Station sushi spot arrived. I've always ordered sushi before, so this was my first kaisendon — and visually it looked like a work of art.

The premium kaisendon I ordered came generously loaded with a variety of seafood — sea bream, salmon, tuna, squid, abalone, scallop, sea urchin roe (uni), and salmon roe.

On top of that were ankimo (monkfish liver), negitoro, gamtae (roasted seaweed), and a rolled omelet, so I got to enjoy a range of textures and flavors in one bowl.

The exact composition may vary depending on season and availability, but the biggest appeal was getting to taste a wide range of fresh, in-season seafood.

How it's different from sushi: wrapping in gamtae

With sushi you have to eat the raw fish together with the rice, but with kaisendon you can eat the raw fish on its own however you like, or wrap it in gim (seaweed) yourself — it made for a more playful meal than sushi. The rice in this Gangnam kaisendon was also easy to chew, which mattered since I'm currently wearing braces.

I always knew gamtae was tasty, but only now did I really understand it. I tried it with sea urchin roe on top — it was on a completely different level from regular gim.

It's also great wrapped in gim with some of the basic side dish, napa cabbage kimchi, on top.

The abalone was well boiled and easy to chew, and the peeled shrimp looked so sexy haha, I had to take a photo. This was a kaisendon dish you could feel the care put into.

Cold udon, karaage and dessert

Like an omakase, they kept bringing out extra dishes one at a time while I ate. This one was cold udon. The karaage (fried chicken) in particular was a work of art — even sitting on top of the cold udon, it stayed crispy. It'd be great as an evening dish with karaage and a beer.

The sweet dessert at the end made for a pretty satisfying lunch overall.

Prepaid cards and the review event

Ilpum has several branches around Seoul, and they also sell prepaid cards. Receiving one as a gift would definitely feel nice~

Write a Naver review and you can get up to 2 croquettes, so don't miss it.

I'd always stuck to sushi before, so this was my first time trying kaisendon — and it exceeded expectations. Being able to taste so much seafood in one sitting made for a fun, different kind of meal, and with a glass of sake alongside it, it almost felt like a trip to Japan. If you're near Gangnam Station looking for a special lunch, a solo meal, or a date restaurant, I'd recommend Ilpum Gangnam Branch.