Yongsan seafood restaurant with live shrimp gimbap: TATSU SUSAN

For a while now, my son had been singing the same tune: he wanted chopped live octopus so badly 🎶

So, for my little guy who loves the firm, fresh texture of live octopus, we headed to TATSU SUSAN in Hannam-dong! 🚗💨

TATSU SUSAN in Hannam-dong: location and atmosphere

Address: 21 Daesagwan-ro 31-gil, 2nd floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea Highlights: seasonal seafood delivered directly from its source, carefully prepared in a neat dachi-style setting

My son's top pick: wonderfully fresh chopped live octopus

The moment we walked in, the clean fish tanks and the atmospheric dachi counter seats caught my eye ✨ Once we were seated, we quickly ordered the chopped live octopus my son had wanted so badly.

Freshly prepared octopus, topped with nutty sesame seeds and scallions, was still wriggling away—and my son ate it with such delight 😋 With its firm bite and texture that clung pleasantly in the mouth, we cleared a whole plate in no time 👏

Live shrimp gimbap topped with eight shrimp

Along with the chopped live octopus, I ordered the live shrimp gimbap (seaweed rice roll) for myself 🍣 At first, you might think the price is a little high, but the moment the plate arrived, I completely understood why! There were no fewer than eight plump, fresh live shrimp arranged on top of the gimbap 😲✨

It was my son's first time trying live shrimp, and after one bite he kept exclaiming, “Mom, the live shrimp gimbap is the best!” 👍 I guess the springy, chewy texture unique to live shrimp—like the firm bite of live octopus—was exactly his thing, haha.

It suddenly brought back a childhood memory of going to a sashimi restaurant with my dad, where he peeled live shrimp that were jumping around on the table for me 💭 Back then, I felt so sorry for the shrimp that I couldn't eat them and looked ready to cry... Now I can't get enough of them 🤤

At TATSU SUSAN, the shrimp are neatly prepared into perfectly manageable bites and beautifully arranged on the gimbap, so I think my son could enjoy them even more without any hesitation!

Butter-grilled shrimp heads are a delicacy too

Another highlight of the gimbap was the butter-grilled shrimp heads 🧈🔥

Alongside the gimbap came the shrimp heads, grilled until nutty and crisp. They were such a treat that my son diligently finished every last one! I ate three and gave the rest to him, wondering, “There are eight shrimp, so why are there only seven heads?” On the way home, he sheepishly confessed that he had actually eaten five.

Sweetie, if you enjoyed them, that's all that matters. I forgive your crime. Even if you'd told me beforehand, I would have told you to eat them... Next time, tell me first!!

A bite of South Sea rock oyster with uni

Since we had come all the way to a great seafood spot, we couldn't leave out the rock oysters! We added rock oysters and had sea urchin roe (uni) placed on top too 💛

I squeezed a little lemon juice over a large, fresh South Sea rock oyster, added a tiny drop of Tabasco, and popped it into my mouth... mmm~~ 🤤🍋 The bright freshness of the sea and the rich flavor of the uni bursting across my mouth were simply the best!

My son, watching from beside me, was curious and said he wanted to try it too, even though he can't handle spicy food 🌶️ I was going to give him only lemon, but since he wanted the sauce, I added just the tiniest bit. Sure enough, he gulped down water saying it was spicy—and he was just too cute 🥤 haha

Seeing my son enjoy his food made me feel so proud and happy, but I'm secretly worried he'll ask for live shrimp every day and empty my wallet 💸 I should probably get my wallet ready in advance 😅

If you're looking for fresh, special seasonal seafood or a lovely dachi-style restaurant in Hannam-dong, be sure to stop by TATSU SUSAN! ✨