Grilled sushi with a 17-month-old at Ilsan Western Dome: Hwangje Sushi

We were out for the day around Ilsan Western Dome and went to Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch (황제초밥 일산본점) for lunch. Since we were bringing our 17-month-old, I really cared about whether there was something she could eat, and they have grilled and kids' sushi options, so Bbomuli (our baby's nickname) tried sushi for the first time :)

Location and parking at Hwangje Sushi Ilsan

Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch is inside Ilsan Western Dome, so it's easy to get to. It's handy to shop or grab a café stop at Western Dome before or after the meal, so I thought it could work as a date course too.

Parking is allowed for a full 5 hours, which makes it easy to visit by car :)

Interior, atmosphere and self-serve bar

The restaurant is clean overall, and the tables are nicely spaced out.

There are six tables in total, plus counter seats, and the quiet mood made it comfortable to eat.

They have Ebisu and Sapporo draft beer here *_* mmm, drool..

The self-serve bar has soup broth and basic side dishes.

Bbomuli wandering around after we ordered, before the food came out

Bbomuli doesn't stay seated and focused on eating for long. To keep her sitting time to a minimum, we try to put her in the high chair only once the food arrives.

Menu and ordering: table order with prepayment

This Ilsan favorite uses table ordering, and you pay upfront.

What we ordered

• Special Sushi 12P ₩23,000
• Salmon Roll 5P ₩10,000
• Grilled Assorted Sushi 10P ₩23,000

We ordered an assorted sushi set and a grilled sushi set. The grilled sushi included beef, so my plan was to bring rice for Bbomuli and give her just the toppings from the sushi :)

(There's also a review event, so keep that in mind)

What comes with a dine-in meal

Dine-in meals come with seasonal porridge, salad, mini udon (thick wheat noodle soup), grilled fish and tempura as standard.

I think it was abalone porridge, and the small portion whetted the appetite, perfect as an appetizer haha

The grilled fish was tasty too, with that lightly salty, sweet Japanese-style seasoning :) Ta-da! All the food has arrived.

The sushi came neatly arranged on a wooden plate and looked appetizing, and every piece looked fresh *_*

Special Sushi 12P and Salmon Roll 5P

Special Sushi 12P, ₩23,000

It has flounder, seasonal live fish and salmon, plus abalone and tuna :)

I'm a flounder, white-fish person, but sushi really is best when you get a variety >_<

Salmon Roll 5P, ₩10,000

My husband is a roll lover haha. The roll was impressive for its generous filling and size. Can you see how big it is?!

There was no way it fit in one bite, so I ate each piece in a few bites haha

A roll with a hearty, varied filling, sooo good!!

Grilled Assorted Sushi 10P, tried with a 17-month-old

Grilled Assorted Sushi 10P, ₩23,000. I ordered this one not sure whether eating out at a sushi restaurant with Bbomuli would even work.

The set is 2 each of grilled shrimp, grilled beef, grilled salmon, grilled eel and grilled red shrimp. They're torched and finished with various sauces, so they have a different flavor from regular sushi :)

I scraped the sauce off before giving it to her, but even torched, the shrimp and beef were cooked to about medium and seemed hard for her to chew, so she couldn't eat much ㅠ We enjoyed it ourselves instead,, >_<

Still, she seemed to enjoy trying new flavors haha. I'm looking forward to the day she's a bit bigger and can share a kids' sushi meal with us at a sushi restaurant haha. Hwangje Sushi in Ilsan has grilled sushi and kids' sushi, so it seemed good for people who can't eat raw fish or who have children! The udon and soup that came with it were clean-tasting, and with the croquette and side dishes too, it was a satisfying meal.

Proof that we ate well: empty bowls :]

Ilsan Western Dome sushi: okay with a baby?

If you're craving sushi around Ilsan Western Dome, it's worth a visit. Besides the fresh ingredients and variety of sushi, I was especially happy that there's a grilled sushi menu that works for visiting with a baby. If you're looking for a place for a family meal, a date or a meal with friends, I recommend Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch.