Yeoksam omakase in Seoul: 10-course wagyu tenderloin at Ikoi

Today I want to introduce an omakase spot that's great for when you want a slightly special meal around Yeoksam. It's Ikoi, a private-room omakase restaurant tucked in an alley in Yeoksam-dong. Since you get to enjoy the course in an independent room, it was a good choice for a quiet, private meal like a date or a small gathering. This time I booked the Ikoi Special Course for two :)

What kind of place is Ikoi in Yeoksam-dong? Four private rooms

Ikoi sits in a quiet alley of Yeoksam-dong, Nonhyeon-ro 64-gil, and it's a private-room omakase specialist. Even the exterior felt a bit different from typical omakase restaurants.

Sake bottles lined up near the entrance gave off that distinct Japanese-restaurant vibe, and since you can't see straight into the interior from outside, it felt private even before stepping in! I also liked that it's tucked away from Yeoksam's busy main street, in a quieter alley.

Ikoi operates with a total of four independent rooms. The whole restaurant is made up of rooms, so each space is separated from other tables — which meant I didn't have to worry much about my surroundings while eating.

Overall the atmosphere was calm and clean, and even the plating and the objects on the table felt carefully considered! Since you can slowly enjoy the course in a quiet space, it seemed like a great fit for a date on a special day or a small gathering. Especially for people who want to focus on conversation while eating omakase, having an independent room like this feels like a pretty big advantage.

What comes out on the 79,000 won Ikoi Special Course

The Ikoi Special Course is ₩79,000, and on the day I visited it consisted of a total of 10 courses. Besides omakase, Ikoi also offers various à la carte dishes like sashimi and nabe.

What I ordered that day was the Ikoi Special Course at ₩79,000, booked for two people. Starting from the appetizer, it went through crab egg custard, mackerel sushi roll, beef sous vide, steak, sashimi, a fried dish, nabe, and finally dessert — the lineup was more varied than I expected, so it felt like a pretty solid meal.

Since they use fresh ingredients each day, the menu can shift a little depending on what's available. In fact, on my visit, a dish originally planned as futomaki was swapped for mackerel sushi rolls, and the order and some of the dishes themselves changed too! 𖤐

All 10 dishes of the Ikoi Special Course, one by one

1. Appetizer: rye bread, ricotta cheese and yuzu

The first dish out was an appetizer combining toasted rye bread, ricotta cheese, and yuzu.

Soft ricotta cheese piled generously onto crisply toasted rye bread, finished with a bright touch of yuzu syrup! The savory, mild cheese combined with the tang of yuzu made it a nice, light way to wake up the appetite as a first course.

2. Cream jjim (steamed cream custard)

Second up was a Japanese-style steamed egg custard, which I love! Topped with crab meat, pepper, and ginkgo nuts, it felt softer and more flavorful than a regular egg custard.

It had a fluffy yet bouncy texture, and with cream added to the egg, the savory, smooth flavor really came through.

3. Mackerel bar sushi (swapped in for futomaki)

The next dish was originally supposed to be futomaki, but it came out as a mackerel sushi roll instead due to the day's ingredients.

This was my first time trying a mackerel sushi roll like this, and there was no fishy taste at all — just fresh, savory flavor. The mackerel and rice paired really well together, and this was one of the dishes I personally enjoyed the most. I want to eat it again . . ◜⤙◝

4. Maguro sashimi (akami and otoro)

Next was maguro sashimi! It came as akami and otoro tuna, and the vivid red color alone was gorgeous ♡

I tend to like the soft, fatty cuts of tuna like otoro, so this was personally the dish I was most looking forward to.

Placed on seaweed with a touch of wasabi, the melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich flavor really came through! Otoro never disappoints . . ♡ It paired perfectly with the hwayo we drank alongside it 𖤐

5. Aroma of zucchini, shrimp and shiitake

With a red beet tuile on top, the plating was really beautiful too.

Zucchini stuffed with shrimp and coated with breadcrumbs made for an overall very soft texture, topped with hollandaise sauce. The shiitake mushroom puree served alongside added a subtle aroma and mellow flavor, and the ingredients came together really well!!

6. Green textures: carrot puree, green grapes and puffed brown rice

Even the name felt kind of poetic. It was a dish of soft carrot puree topped with green grapes and puffed brown rice.

The soft carrot puree, tangy-sweet green grapes, and crunchy puffed brown rice came together so that one bite gave a mix of textures and flavors — mellow, tangy, and sweet all at once.

I'm not really a fan of carrots, but the carrot flavor wasn't overpowering here, and I liked how it refreshed the palate midway through.

7. Wagyu tenderloin steak, the centrepiece of the course

And then the main-course-feeling dish appeared — wagyu tenderloin steak!!

The wagyu tenderloin, cooked medium, came with various garnishes like asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini.

Above all, the meat was really tender, and the portion was more generous than I expected, so it felt satisfying. The vegetable garnishes were also grilled carefully, one by one, making them nice to eat alongside the meat.

Adding a bit of wasabi and Maldon salt to a piece of the meat really brought out its flavor even more. Personally, I think meat lovers would be very happy with this dish ◡̈

8. Lotus root sandwich

Next was a slightly unique dish — lotus root sandwich. It's an agemono (fried) dish where seasoned ground meat is sandwiched between lotus root slices and fried crisp.

The savory, seasoned meat and the crunchy lotus root paired better than I expected. Served hot and crispy, the texture was great too, and since it's a combination I'd never had before, it felt like a fresh way to enjoy the dish 𖤐𖤐

9. Chadol beef sukiyaki nabe

Coming later in the course was chadol (thin-sliced beef brisket) sukiyaki nabe!! With chadol in it, it could easily turn greasy, but since the broth is vegetable-stock based, it felt cleaner and lighter than expected.

The chrysanthemum greens especially made the broth taste even more refreshing, and being a hot soup dish, it was perfect as the last savory course. It'd also make a great pairing with drinks . . haha

10. Yogurt ice

Last was dessert! Yogurt ice cream topped with puffed rice and maple syrup.

Sweet with that distinctive tangy yogurt flavor, it felt like it cleanly wrapped up the flavors of everything eaten before. It wasn't a dessert that's too heavy or purely sweet, so it made for a refreshing finish.

What kind of occasion suits a meal at Ikoi?

Overall, Ikoi felt like a great place to visit when you want to enjoy a leisurely course meal in a private space. What I liked most was that it operates with only four independent rooms, so your space is separated from other tables, and the fact that fresh ingredients are used daily — meaning the menu can shift depending on the day — felt like part of the fun of omakase.

For ₩79,000, being able to enjoy a whole sequence of dishes from appetizer to sashimi, steak, nabe, and dessert felt like a pretty solid overall lineup. The plating was also beautifully prepared for each course, so there was enjoyment in the visuals as well as the taste.

If you're looking for a quiet, private atmosphere for a date or an anniversary meal, or want something a bit special for a small gathering, I'd recommend Ikoi, a great omakase spot in Yeoksam-dong :) It had been a while since I got to enjoy a leisurely course meal, and I came away with a really pleasant time ♡ If you've been looking for a private omakase in Yeoksam, it might be worth a visit!