Seolleung sushi restaurant serving à la carte uni and otoro: Sakai

The weather's been cooling down lately and I was craving proper sushi, so I made my way to Sakai, a Japanese restaurant near Seolleung Station! It's an easy spot to swing by after work or on the weekend, so I went in with a light heart — and the quality of the ingredients ended up exceeding my expectations. So let me introduce this Seolleung go-to, a Seolleung izakaya and Seolleung sushi spot.

Where is Sakai? Near Exit 2 of Seolleung Station

Sakai is close to Exit 2 of Seolleung Station. The exterior looked clean and put together from the start, which already put me in a good mood. Shall we go in together?

Ordering 12 à la carte sushi pieces on a Post-it for about 70,000 won

Sakai's menu had a range of options laid out, and you could order simply by writing on a Post-it note. I ended up ordering 12 pieces as below.

There's real fun in picking out exactly the pieces you want, so I carefully wrote it all out on the memo. This is the combination I put together to suit my own taste. The total came to about ₩70,000.

• Amberjack x2
• Salmon x3
• Halibut x2
• Uni (sea urchin) x2
• Tamago (egg) x1
• Snow crab x1
• Otoro (fatty tuna belly) x1

How did each piece taste — halibut, amberjack, uni, salmon and otoro?

I started with the most basic piece, halibut, and it was aged just right, with a nice chewiness still alive in it. The amberjack was in season, so the fat content was just right — crisp yet rich and nutty, truly excellent.

The uni had no bitterness at all — just a sweet ocean fragrance drifting through, and I ate it in awe.

Salmon is my favorite cut, which is why I ordered 3 pieces of it, and it melted away smoothly with zero fishiness.

The otoro I'd been looking forward to hit my mouth with an instant, deep tuna flavor and rich, fatty umami spreading through.

Overall the freshness of the sashimi was excellent and the rice wasn't overseasoned, so it was easy to taste the ingredients as they truly are.

A moment I was won over by the visuals and by the taste alike. Chef, you're the best... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The snow crab was generously packed with meat, and its clean, subtle sweetness was the charm.

I'd recommend this to anyone near Seolleung Station who wants to enjoy quiet, clean, delicious sushi — or to anyone who wants to hand-pick high-quality individual pieces to their own taste. 100% would come back!

Why Sakai's shari worked: rice temperature, tamago and vinegar seasoning

Sakai's sushi wasn't served too cold or too firm — it came at a temperature close to body heat once it hit my mouth, which made a great first impression. There was just the right amount of air held between the grains, so when I picked it up with chopsticks it held together, but the moment it hit my mouth, it fell apart gently.

They say you can judge a Japanese restaurant's skill by its egg, right? The tamago had a sweet yet fluffy, moist texture, perfect as a palate cleanser to end the meal. I get why it's earned its reputation as a Seolleung go-to, a Seolleung izakaya and Seolleung sushi spot.

The vinegar seasoning wasn't overly sour or sweet — it leaned clean with a lingering umami, so it naturally supported everything from the gentle sweetness of white fish to the richness of fattier cuts without getting in the way.

The sashimi was never so thin that you only tasted rice, nor so thick that it left a chewy texture behind — the rice and fish were cut to the exact thickness where they chew and go down together at the same pace.

There was no fishy taste or off smell at all, and you could immediately sense this is a place that pays close attention to freshness management.

Inside Sakai: wood-toned room and the dachi bar seats

Sakai overall uses warm wood tones and understated, gentle lighting. It's cozy and comfortable enough that you forget you're in the middle of busy downtown Gangnam. Instead of the loud, cluttered feel of a typical restaurant, it's a great place to chat quietly and focus fully on the meal.

Hygiene matters more than anything at a Japanese restaurant, and both the tables and the dachi (bar counter) surface were perfectly tidy, which built real trust.

With the open kitchen layout, you can watch the chef carefully shaping each piece of sushi right in front of you, and the cooking space itself was kept impressively clean.

The tables had generous spacing rather than being crammed together, so I could relax without worrying about the next table over.

It'd make a fine date spot, and it's just as good for a quiet, healing sushi session for yourself after work.