Ansan sashimi restaurant, 500g shrimp for two: Eochongye 1beonji

My husband and I had planned to go get salt-grilled fresh shrimp over the weekend, but we ended up at a wedding instead. So even though it wasn't a weekend, we went after work on Monday. Here's my review of the sweetest seasonal salt-grilled fresh shrimp — if it looks good, let's eat it together!😍

Where is Eochongye 1beonji, and what are its hours?

• 🎈109, 110, 111, 112, 23 MTV17-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰️Daily 11:00–1:30 the next day, last order 00:40
• Closed for Chuseok on Sep 24–25
• 🅿️Underground parking available

A full dining room even on a Monday evening

The dining hall stretched out long, with only about two empty tables, and even the tables by the outdoor plaza were full. Keep in mind, this was a Monday. A good restaurant apparently cures Monday blues too. Everyone was gathered eating sashimi, shrimp, and spicy fish stew.

The hall was split into about three sections. It works for groups, small gatherings, family dinners, or dates. The chandeliers are pretty nice, right? The interior was very clean too.

Eochongye 1beonji menu: which size works for two?

The menu was a bit hard to read since it's so wide — please zoom in.

The assorted sashimi sets include a seasonal set (flounder + two seasonal fish), a salmon set (salmon + flounder + two seasonal fish), and a red snapper set (red snapper + flounder + two seasonal fish).

• Premium Grade A Wando flounder sashimi
• Geoje flower barley mullet sashimi
• Gonbujime-cured salmon sashimi
• Crunchy flathead flounder sekkoshi
• Sweet marbled sole sashimi
• Premium Grade A Tongyeong rockfish sashimi
• Queen of the sea, red snapper sashimi

There's basically every kind of sashimi. They come in mini, small, medium, and large sizes, and the prices were really reasonable. I wanted red snapper, but it was sold out, sigh... Eaten together with the 500g salt-grilled fresh shrimp, the mini size was just right for two. I considered getting a small, but I'm proud I held back. If you order sashimi alone you'd want a small, but paired with shrimp, that would've been way too much.

Reading the menu carefully is one of my favorite things to do. Let's see what's on offer overall — some items were sold out too. Our main mission was decided: shrimp plus a mini flounder sashimi.

Side dishes: seaweed soup and wrap vegetables

Well-seasoned seaweed soup, lettuce wraps, beans, and other basic side dishes. Dipping the wraps in the shiitake-wasabi sauce added a nice umami kick.

Since red snapper was sold out, we ordered flounder sashimi instead. From reviews, I saw the seasonal set also includes salmon and people said it's tasty, but we don't like salmon sashimi so we skipped the assorted set.

Eaten together with the salt-grilled fresh shrimp, the 'mini' size was plenty for two. I heard this place is famous for its spicy fish stew, but we were too full to even go near it.

Mini flounder sashimi: sweet, with no fishy taste

The sashimi flavor gets my seal of approval!👍 My foodie husband said the sashimi was fresh, chewy, and sweet. He noted that fish that's been sitting in a tank too long doesn't taste like this — with so many customers, the fish must be turning over quickly. I also refilled my wraps a couple of times and kept eating them wrapped, and I never once got a fishy taste — the sashimi was sweet the whole way through.

Seasonal salt-grilled fresh shrimp 500g, just right for two

Now for today's main mission, the salt-grilled fresh shrimp! For two people like us, 500g is just right. Of course, 1kg comes out a bit cheaper per gram.

We went out and looked at the shrimp in the tank, and then they brought us a whole pot full like this. Jumping around, alive!

Ta-da! Fully cooked, lid open~

Each one was huge, wasn't it? After about three shrimp, I was already full.

The shrimp were incredibly firm and plump. The meat is so sweet~ really sweet~ this is exactly why people eat grilled shrimp. You have to eat it in this season. Whatever it is, seasonal food is the best nourishment! Don't miss the season — stop by <Eochongye 1beonji on Bandalseom in Ansan>. Highly, highly recommend it! Seasonal salt-grilled fresh shrimp♡

Shrimp heads re-grilled in butter

They told us that once the salt-grilled shrimp are cooked through, we should cut off the heads with scissors and call the staff. This is exactly so they can re-grill the shrimp heads in butter for you! So savory~ You don't even need to peel off the pointy parts since they get grilled so crisp they just crumble away. Still, just in case, I peeled it before eating. It tastes like shrimp crackers. A slightly fancier version of shrimp crackers, haha~~~ Even full, this treat is a must-eat!

Once they laid out the whole spread, I reached straight for it and even took a video while eating.

The fish cutlet from the review event

These days, review events are basically a must at restaurants. Per table: 1 reviewer gets a drink, 2 reviewers get a fish cutlet, 3 get a sirloin cutlet, and 4 get a bone potato stew.

We ended up getting 3 pieces of fish cutlet, unnecessarily. Should've just skipped it~ We were already so full, but it's so good you can't help but eat more. There we were, holding our full bellies, saying 'we shouldn't have gotten this' while still eating more. Why? Because the fish cutlet was so delicious. This place is a fish cutlet spot too.

The country-of-origin labeling was clearly displayed.

They're closed on Sep 24 and 25 for Chuseok. There were so many kinds of fish in the tank that I spent a while just looking. The tanks were kept so clean that the live fish looked really fresh.

Chargers, high chairs, restrooms and other amenities

Phone chargers are set out for anyone to use, and there are baby chairs too. The restrooms are separated by gender — the men's restroom is open, and the women's has a keypad lock. The restroom was nice and clean too (restrooms matter so much, right?). That's how we wrapped up our evening.

Final verdict on Eochongye 1beonji

If you want fresh sashimi and salt-grilled fresh shrimp at a reasonable price in Ansan, I strongly recommend Eochongye 1beonji. It's great for group gatherings and also perfect for a satisfying drink after work. Before this season's seafood disappears, make sure to pay a visit!