Dongjak, Seoul izakaya with ankimo maki and waterfall vibes: Sansu

A Sadang restaurant recommendation for a wedding-invitation gathering. Sansu Sadang Main Branch (산수 사당본점) is literally a one-minute walk from Exit 10 of Sadang Station—I found it while stressing over where to hold our invitation gathering!!

While preparing for the wedding, choosing a place for an invitation gathering was one of those things to worry about. I wanted somewhere with good food and atmosphere that was not too loud. And this place has an unbeatable location!!

Sansu Sadang Main Branch exterior and location

Walk through Sadang’s restaurant alley and there it is, Sansu!! San means mountain, su means water. Even I can read hanja (Chinese characters) at this level~~~ hahaha

The full-height windows made it feel open, with a bit of outdoor-bar seating energy too. It was already full of people enjoying the atmosphere~~~ Let’s hurry in and enjoy it too!!

An interior that feels like a waterfall is flowing

Wait, it was literally Sansu???? There really were mountains and water when we walked into the restaurant hahaha

What is this interior... wow! The owner has incredible taste! This stream of water somehow brought inner peace~~~ Everyone walked in exclaiming over it!

The vibe was completely GOOD~~ The lighting tone was exactly my taste. Wood interiors, soft lighting, and music at just the right volume—a perfect decibel level for talking. That matters more than you’d think hahaha

Great for an invitation gathering, but it would also be such a good blind-date spot!! And if you come with someone you are seeing? Sit at the bar seats where the stream flows even more. I am serious. That spot guarantees a 100% flirting success rate!!!! hahaha

Barley snacks came out as an appetizer? This was my first time seeing an izakaya serve barley snacks! How unusual~~

QR ordering and what we ordered

A QR menu, which you see everywhere lately~~ The photos made choosing easy. With aged sashimi, pasta, and izakaya dishes all mixed into the concept, the menu worked whether you drink or not!!

We ordered the fresh shrimp platter, ankimo maki, charcoal-grilled marinated ribs, and Harubang Jeju tangerine makgeolli (Korean rice wine).

Order complete~~ I’m hungry, nom nom!!

Harubang Jeju tangerine makgeolli

The Jeju tangerine makgeolli came first!! The makgeolli was shaped like a harubang, the iconic Jeju stone grandfather statue, so it was ridiculously cute. I had recently been to Jeju but did not drink Jeju tangerine makgeolli there—and here I was having it here!!

Mix it well, then open the lid!

I thought the makgeolli itself would be yellow, but it was makgeolli-colored! hahaha With love in my heart, pour pour pour~~ Filling up the glasses~~

Thanks to my friends for making time and celebrating with me~~~

Charcoal-grilled marinated ribs

The meat has arrived!!! The marinated ribs came fully cooked, so they were super easy to eat~~~ Even a huge rib bone came with them, making them look like proper galbi (Korean ribs).... Well, they are ribs, right? Hmm? So appetizing that my chopsticks attacked immediately!!

How are you supposed to resist ribs that look like this... straight into my mouth!

Wrap them with the cabbage that came alongside and this is it~ Happiness dopamine flooding my mouth~~ They also went beautifully with the seasoned greens—maybe chamnamul or gomchwi, I’m not sure. Everyone loved these marinated ribs!! You need meat to feel like you have had a real meal.

My number-one pick: ankimo maki

Then came the dish we had been looking forward to most: ankimo maki~~~ I thought ankimo (monkfish liver) might be an ingredient people either love or hate, so I cautiously asked if everyone ate it. Turns out everyone loves ankimo hahaha Oh yes~~~~ I love ankimo so much~~ I think I could just shovel down ankimo by itself!

Time to dig right in. The visuals were seriously insane. A look you cannot help but love... At first I got excited thinking the mountain piled on top was all ankimo, but it was mixed with some cabbage. Hahaha

Ah... how can anyone resist this.. You can’t.. I took a huge bite and it was honestly heaven. As an ankimo lover, this is simply the ultimate gimbap (seaweed rice roll). I could eat this every day ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

This was truly my number-one pick. The ankimo maki was so delicious!!! It was my first ankimo dish like this, and it was sooooo good that I think I’ll come back just because I’m craving it!!

Fresh shrimp platter and fried shrimp heads

It seems to be fresh shrimp season now, so we ordered the fresh shrimp platter! The moment it came out, our mouths dropped open at the visuals~~~ Fried shrimp heads came with it too.

But... I do not know if it was a mistake or just this place’s style, but they did not seem to be cooked in butter?!!? So they were a little bland..! Very clean-tasting fried shrimp heads!

I gave the fresh shrimp a generous dip in chojang (sweet-and-tangy red chili sauce).

Springy, fresh shrimp~~ I do not absolutely love raw seafood, but fresh shrimp is so delicious. Please try it while it is in season~~

I wrapped the fresh shrimp in the seaweed that came with it! Another magical combination!! Ah, I’m drooling~~

After our delicious meal, we took one more look at the waterfall on the way out. Look closely and there are liquor bottles in the waterway hahaha Is it a valley where alcohol flows~~ We left very satisfied, then set off on an adventure to play claw machines~~~ hahaha No secret that we won two!

How was it for a wedding-invitation gathering?

A place that is truly perfect for a wedding-invitation gathering or a blind date! Being close to Sadang Station makes it ideal for meeting up too! There is a real waterfall flowing through the restaurant, and the atmosphere is so good! It also seems great for a date course, so I would definitely revisit!