Moran izakaya buttered whole squid, no-alcohol dinner: Robata Sobeu

Location: 28-1 1F Jeil-ro 63beon-gil, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (walking distance from Moran Station)

Hours: Sun–Sat 5pm–2am (last order 1am, closed Mondays)

Parking: nearby street parking available

Why a non-drinking couple chose Robata Sobeu near Moran Station

I really wanted to share this one because it was such a top-tier restaurant..! My boyfriend and I had some errands in Guseongnam today, and while we were at it we went out for a rare meal near Moran Station.

We usually eat Korean food, and since my boyfriend doesn't drink, we don't often go to izakayas haha. But we wanted Japanese food for once and a place with some atmosphere, so we went to Robata Sobeu, a Moran restaurant-and-bar near Moran Station.

I thought the area near Moran Station only had old-school, veteran-style bars, but once I turned into the alley with Robata Sobeu, there were all these cute little bars. Lots of young people around Moran Station too!

This is the entrance to Robata Sobeu, tucked in the alley. The place is so cute, clean right from the entrance. There's a Catch Table kiosk out front too.

Thursday 5pm opening run: inside Robata Sobeu

We showed up right after 5pm on Thursday for the opening rush ^^ The inside was very clean and decorated in Japanese izakaya style.

True to its reputation as a seasonal-fish spot, the fresh fish were neatly prepped and on display. I've seen dry-aged meat plenty of times, but this was the first time I'd seen dry-aged fish — so cool!

With Japanese artwork and photos on the walls and J-POP playing, it really felt like being in Japan!

Each table is neatly set. There are table seats and bar seats too, so it looked like a great spot for a solo drink after work. They also have a nice range of Japanese liquors ready~

The cabbage salad side dish, refilled

As soon as we sat down they brought out a side salad, and honestly the salad alone was insane... It looks like a common cabbage salad, but the length and thickness of the cabbage, the sauce, and the crispy onion(?) or garlic flakes on top made the texture perfect... (We finished it before the food even arrived, so we asked for a refill lol)

The Robata Sobeu menu and what the couple ordered

There are separate menus for food and drinks. Every single food item was exactly my type, I wanted to try them all ㅠㅠ Being a seasonal-fish spot, they have sashimi, cooked dishes, and grilled items cooked over the robata (charcoal grill).

We ordered four dishes as our main lineup: mackerel bo sushi, perilla oil uni buckwheat noodles, grilled whole squid, and grilled horse mackerel! It's all protein-rich, healthy food, right~^^

Since we don't drink, we didn't order any alcohol, but there's a happy hour from 5pm to 7pm, so rushing off work for a draft beer with dinner sounds perfect!! Please come open a branch in our neighborhood~ㅠㅠ

Mackerel bo sushi, served with gamtae and gim seaweed

First out was the mackerel bo sushi (rolled pressed sushi). They say mackerel can only be eaten this way when it's truly fresh, so it's not something you get often — I'd only had it in Jeju before. Three pieces came topped with gamtae (a fine seaweed), and they kindly told us to wrap the rest in gim (dried seaweed).

Wow... this is the best mackerel bo sushi I've ever had... I want a whole plate of it every day... The mackerel was plump, the rice seasoning was perfect, and the sesame on top was insane. Each bite disappearing was such a shame.

Perilla oil uni buckwheat noodles taste like cold pasta

Next was the perilla oil uni buckwheat noodles — a cool, refreshing buckwheat noodle dish, like a cold pasta. The perilla oil scent was strong from the moment it arrived, and the sweet shrimp topping made it perfect. Coiled up like pasta, the pretty plating put me in a good mood.

Wow.. this one was insane too... the doneness and texture of the noodles were perfect, the uni cream was so savory, the sweet shrimp burst in your mouth, and especially the sesame seeds(?) or perilla seeds(?) on top popped with great texture!! It was such a shame to see it disappear.. I scraped the sauce right down to the bottom.

Grilled horse mackerel for 10,000 won, as big as a mackerel

Next up was the horse mackerel grilled over the robata charcoal grill! At ₩10,000 I expected it to be small, but it was about the size of a mackerel. The crispy-grilled skin on the outside was so good ㅠㅠ And it was unusual that they served the soy sauce over grated radish.

The grilled fish was perfect too... crispy outside, tender inside, and the bones were arranged similarly to the mackerel, so it was easy to pick apart. And with the grated-radish soy sauce on top, it was refreshing rather than heavy, and so delicious.

Grilled whole squid with butter, asparagus included

Last was the whole grilled squid with butter. They even plated grilled asparagus alongside it so beautifully~ The asparagus was also grilled in butter and was so tasty, with perfect texture. The squid, sliced into moist pieces of just the right thickness, was tender and delicious. Grilling over charcoal can easily burn or dry things out, but this dish was absolutely perfect.

A new Moran izakaya worth going back to

Robata Sobeu is a new Moran restaurant-and-bar that opened in early August, and I highly recommend it!!! We're planning to go back whenever we're in Seongnam!!! Every single dish was so delicious, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is so pretty.

Chef, please come open a branch in our neighborhood~~~ You could tell the owner really knows their craft in the kitchen. Every detail in the food was so satisfying — this was a great restaurant. Next time we'll bring friends and demolish everything we didn't get to try. And this time, we're having some sake too~