Nowon sushi buffet with grilled oysters and made-to-order waffles: Kuu

Why go back to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch a second time?

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a sushi and seafood buffet located 804m, a 10-minute walk, from Hagye Station Exit 2. This was my second visit, and this time I went for the 'weekend lunch' option.

Eating à la carte dishes is nice, but sometimes you just want to enjoy a variety of food at a buffet. This was exactly that kind of day, so I revisited Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch. Based on how satisfying my first visit was a few months ago, I decided to come back.

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch prices and parking

Located near Hagye Station, Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch charges adults ₩27,900 for weekday lunch, ₩31,900 for weekday dinner, and ₩35,900 for weekend dinner. Parking in the building is free for 2 hours. Business hours run from 11:00 to 21:30, extended to 22:00 on Saturdays and Sundays, with last order at 20:00 (20:30 on weekends).

A Nowon sushi buffet built for family gatherings

Around Sunday lunchtime, many families were visiting Kuu Kuu and enjoying their meals happily.

The group room with a mic and monitor

On my way to wash my hands, I discovered this space — a spacious room equipped with a mic and monitor, perfect for booking company dinners or big family celebrations.

Kids' café for children up to age 7

There's also a kids' café space here for children up to age 7. Many customers seemed to be visiting with children, and it looked great — parents could enjoy their meal at ease while the kids played comfortably.

With a reasonable extra charge, unlimited beer is also available.. Anyway, this place really seems great for family outings in many ways.

How varied is the Kuu Kuu Nowon buffet spread?

Just like on my last visit, Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch's menu lineup is really diverse. I started by browsing the salad zone, California rolls, and then the sushi zone.

For blood sugar management, I loaded up on vegetables first, as always. Then I added a bit of yukhoe (raw beef) before piling on rolls — personally, I think Kuu Kuu's dishes using aged kimchi, like the aged kimchi yukhoe roll, taste really clean and good.

At the sushi corner, the nation's favorite fish — halibut — and the nation's favorite sushi — salmon — were both prepared with fresh quality.

Barbecue corner and smoked duck

The barbecue corner has a huge variety of items, from corn to crab and shrimp.

Among them, this hearty smoked duck caught my eye. Sliced to just the right thickness, it looked tender and delicious.

The dessert corner also looked pretty great. I hadn't gotten to eat much watermelon this summer, which was a shame, but the fruit corner had plenty of it, and it was even quite sweet, so I ate a lot.

Must-try dishes at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

I loaded up my plate pretty generously and started eating. My personal know-how for buffets like Kuu Kuu is to hold back on greed and take small portions of many dishes first, then go back for seconds and thirds of whatever suited my taste. (Everyone probably knows this trick, but it's surprisingly hard to actually do.)

Soup en croute (ankreute soup)

If I had to recommend a few of the tastiest things from this meal, first is this ankreute soup — a cream soup served with pastry, creamy and nutty, great to eat early in the meal. This menu will only get more popular as the weather cools down.

Aged kimchi yukhoe (raw beef) roll and aged kimchi halibut sushi

As I mentioned, the aged kimchi dishes are really good. The aged kimchi yukhoe roll and aged kimchi halibut sushi combine the refreshing tang of aged kimchi with the clean flavor of raw beef and halibut — personally some of my favorite items here.

Grilled oysters and soy-marinated shrimp

And these grilled oysters! Oysters are delicious even plain, but here they're grilled just right with sauce on top, making them even more enjoyable. Ah, I didn't get a photo, but the soy-marinated shrimp is also recommended.

Dessert: waffles griddled to order and an Americano

Let's move on to dessert. As shown above, there's a variety of desserts like pancakes and crepe cake. But even more recommended than these is...

This waffle. It's grilled fresh to order, so it really can't be anything but delicious. You top the waffle with as much apple jam and whipped cream as you like.

Piled on like this and cut into pieces, it's every bit as good as a waffle from a specialty shop. And there's something you absolutely must have alongside this waffle, and that is~

This warm Americano. It comes from the coffee machine inside the restaurant, and it's a fantastic pairing with the waffle — even on its own, the coffee tastes quite good.