Songpa seafood restaurant for Han River sashimi picnics: Yeongjae Susan

A post-work Han River sashimi picnic with takeaway from Garak Market

It has only been a few days since September began, but the weather is already getting a little chilly. I never thought about picnicking by the Han River in summer because it was so hot, but now that it feels like autumn, the weather was just too nice, so off I went. I also wanted to introduce a great place for takeaway gizzard shad sashimi, which always makes me think of fall, so I headed out for a Jamsil Han River sashimi picnic.

Let me properly introduce Yeongjae Susan, where I stopped by after work in September.

How to get to Yeongjae Susan from Garak Market Station

First, for getting to Yeongjae Susan at Garak Market, come out of Exit 2 of Garak Market Station and take the escalator all the way up~~

Walk straight ahead for about 300 m, then turn left toward the Garak Market Seafood Mall. You will find Entrance 6. Once you enter through Entrance 6, Yeongjae Susan is right there.

This is Yeongjae Susan, which I am properly introducing today.

Choosing seasonal assorted sashimi for the Han River

As I mentioned earlier, we were planning a picnic at Jamsil Hangang Park—a Han River sashimi picnic, or hoe-cnic—so we considered what to take away. I wanted the small value assorted sashimi platter, a best-selling menu with four familiar kinds of fish: flounder, salmon, mullet, and sea bream. But the owner asked us to order the menu submitted for the campaign, so we chose from the seasonal assorted sashimi options below.

These are the seasonal menus.

• Nonggwangcham sashimi: a set of sea bass, flounder, and sea bream
• Striped jack assorted sashimi: striped jack, flounder, and sea bream
• Jeongwangcham sashimi: gizzard shad, flounder, and sea bream
• Mineononggwangcham sashimi: croaker, skin, swim bladder, flounder, and sea bream

These four are the dishes the shop is especially known for, so keep that in mind.

Gizzard shad season is coming up soon, so I am sure many people will be looking for it. I heard this is a great spot for fall gizzard shad. We decided to save that for next time and ordered the nonggwangcham sashimi with sea bass, flounder, and sea bream instead.

You can look over the fresh gizzard shad and live shrimp while ordering.

Tips for using Garak Market's seasoning shops

If you are taking your sashimi to a seasoning shop, also called a chojang shop, please check carefully: the escalator directly in front of the store is going up and can be dangerous. Go around to the other side to reach the seasoning shops.

The prices at Garak Market seasoning shops are mostly the same. It is ₩8,000 per person, or ₩5,000 per person—a ₩3,000 discount—if you order spicy fish stew. A small spicy fish stew at a Garak Market seasoning shop is about ₩10,000, and ramen noodles start at ₩2,000. Keep this in mind if you are visiting a seasoning shop after picking up sashimi.

These days, Garak Market sashimi shops are all partnered with Mermaid Pirate Crew, openly listing their prices and clearly explaining takeaway sizes by container, so you can buy with confidence.

If you want to reserve in advance, this is a good place to make your reservation.

Eating nonggwangcham sashimi at the Jamsil Hangang Park picnic zone

We packed everything up like this and headed to the Jamsil Hangang Park picnic zone. It takes about 20 minutes from Garak Market.

This is the picnic zone near the water-bus stop at Jamsil Hangang Park, where we arrived at around 8:30 p.m. on a weekday. Lots of people were already enjoying the evening.

I took out the sashimi we had brought and set it up with the lights I had packed. What a generous platter.

They included soy sauce, cho-gochujang (sweet-tangy chili vinegar sauce), ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and more, so there is no need to buy them separately.

With everything set out on the picnic mat, we finally got to enjoy our Han River sashimi picnic.

Each cut was thick and so delicious.

Dip it in soy sauce or cho-gochujang, however you like, and you may find yourself thinking that sashimi tastes even better than chicken by the Han River. Chicken can be a little greasy and heavy, while sashimi is light, which I really like. And it feels so clean, too.

I had such a lovely Han River sashimi picnic at Jamsil Hangang Park while introducing Yeongjae Susan today. If you are planning a sashimi picnic at Jamsil Hangang Park, Noryangjin is a little too far away, so I recommend picking it up at Garak Market and taking one bus straight there~~~