Gangnam Station kaisendon restaurant: solo revisit with 50g uni, Ilpum

I loved my earlier visit so much that I kept thinking about it and came back to Ilpum Gangnam Branch 🙆‍♀️ Uni is my favorite kind of sushi, and Ilpum lets you eat even more of it than at an omakase, so I highly recommend it >.<

Where is Ilpum Gangnam Branch, and how is parking?

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is right in front of the Gangnam Station exit, so it's super easy to get to. It's open from 11 am to 9:30 pm.

It's on the B1 floor of Seocho Town Trapalace, and if you park in the building's underground lot, you can register for free parking ~

Do you need a reservation at Ilpum Gangnam Branch? What about seating?

You can book through Naver Reservation, but I came in the evening so I just walked in. At lunch there are lots of office workers, so I'd recommend reserving!

The restaurant has a straight bar counter, with table seats at the back. It can seat 6 people too 🍀

Ilpum Gangnam Branch menu and prices

• Kaisendon ₩26,000
• Premium Kaisendon ₩37,000
• Whole-eel unagi-don ₩40,000
• Sushi omakase assorted platter ₩50,000
• Sashimi assortment ₩37,000 / ₩62,000 / ₩82,000
• Uni samhap (uni combo) ₩69,000
• Shime saba (cured mackerel) sashimi ₩25,000
• Seasonal uni ₩27,000 / ₩42,000
• Seasonal yellowtail sashimi ₩30,000 / ₩50,000
• Eel & tamagoyaki ₩38,000
• Chicken karaage ₩17,000
• Geoje oyster fry ₩18,000
• Hokkaido scallop cream croquette ₩5,000
• Crab cream croquette ₩5,000

• Special Ilpum-don ₩30,000
• Uni toro don ₩55,000
• Special sashimi-don ₩39,000
• Uni ikura-don ₩38,000
• Honmaguro (bluefin tuna) zuke-don ₩33,000
• Aburi-don (torched) ₩30,000
• Salmon sake-don ₩26,000
• Chicken karaage-don ₩22,000
• Seasonal yellowtail-don ₩33,000
• Today's sushi ₩28,000
• Futomaki (thick roll) ₩17,000 / ₩28,000
• White fish sushi set ₩33,000
• Maguro special futomaki ₩45,000
• Salmon sushi set ₩28,000
• Shime saba bar sushi ₩26,000
• Seasonal yellowtail sushi set ₩35,000
• Nigiri sushi, 3 types ₩7,000
• Gunkan sushi, 3 types ₩13,000
• Tuna sushi, 3 types ₩8,000
• Shrimp sushi, 3 types ₩5,500
• Maguro tekkamaki ₩6,000

They have all kinds of drinks too. I was alone, so I ordered the Premium Kaisendon ₩37,000, 50g of seasonal uni ₩22,000, and the crab cream croquette ₩5,000 🫶🏻

Chawanmushi and side dishes before the kaisendon

The first thing out was the chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard). It had gamtae (seaweed) and shrimp in it, and it was soft and jiggly like pudding. I emptied it in no time.

Next came the side dishes: white kimchi, warm miso soup, and dried seaweed sheets for wrapping the kaisendon.

How hot is the crab cream croquette?

The crab cream croquette (₩5,000) came as 2 pieces, and the staff warned me it was very hot. But I still got a shock when I bit into it. It's not ordinary crab cream, it's a really runny, real cream filling, and I burned my whole tongue haha. You have to eat it carefully, but the taste is insane 🤤 The cream just pours out..

What comes in Ilpum's Premium Kaisendon?

Finally, the Premium Kaisendon is here 🍱

The Premium Kaisendon (₩37,000) is Ilpum's signature dish. This was only the second kaisendon of my life, so I was so excited.

Such a gorgeous look. Maybe because it's the premium version, it even has salmon roe and sea urchin roe..🍣

It's basically an omakase turned into a rice bowl. Rolled omelet, small squid, tuna, crab, monkfish liver (ankimo), raw shrimp, salmon, torched salmon, sea bream sashimi, scallop, abalone, uni, salmon roe and more. The lineup is crazy.

Is adding 50g of seasonal uni worth it?

The Premium Kaisendon is delicious as is, but my own trick for making it even tastier and more luxurious is adding the seasonal uni 🥹

Where else gives you this much for ₩22,000? You'd be a fool not to add it ㅠㅠ Not fishy at all, rich, creamy and nutty.

What a luxurious spread.

Let's dig in 🙄 So much sea urchin ~ where else can you eat it like this..

I was torn between the omakase assorted sushi platter and this combo, but no regrets.

How to enjoy the kaisendon

I moved the sashimi from the Premium Kaisendon onto a plate like this and ate it with the rice.

Like this! Behind the sashimi, there was another heap of crab and ankimo hiding.

Dip the sashimi deep in soy sauce, put it on the rice, add loads of wasabi and munch. Eat the sweet shrimp and uni along with it,,, 🤤

Put rice in the seaweed, top with uni and ikura (salmon roe), and it's insane.

Partway through the meal, they bring you a mini udon, with chewy noodles, a spicy broth, and that fried fish cake is so good.

I also made salmon sushi (by the way, the torched salmon was insanely good).

First time eating crab meat like this!

Uni + tuna + ankimo, you don't even need to go to an omakase.

Scallop + uni is a top combo too. The uni never seemed to run out, so at the end I mixed the leftover uni into the rice and ate it.

Dessert: mango panna cotta

Dessert was a mango panna cotta.

The mango's freshness was a nice finish, and the panna cotta tastes like mochi-ri tofu (chewy sesame-style tofu), nutty and yummy.

Verdict: is Ilpum Gangnam Branch worth going back to?

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is my go-back place, and I'm satisfied every time I visit! Like last time, the plus this time was being able to eat loads of uni, and the sashimi and seafood quality is so good that, while it isn't cheap, it feels like great value once you taste it. Especially in Gangnam, where prices are high‼️ It's also good for eating alone, so I recommend it.