Seongnam-dong sashimi restaurant, Incheon: sugar-sweet flatfish

Seongnam restaurant Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch: the best flatfish sashimi!

I finally made it to Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch (우리동네 연안부두 석남본점), famous in Seongnam as a flatfish sashimi spot. I'd heard its name for ages because it's so well known for flatfish, and this was my first visit. Let me start my review of a totally satisfying meal~!!

Parking and waiting at Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch

The restaurant has no private parking lot, so I parked in a nearby public lot. I went on a weekday evening and it was still packed, so I had to wait a bit in front of the shop before getting in. Waiting there, I thought, "Okay, it really is a famous Seongnam spot," and my expectations were sky-high!!

Atmosphere inside the main branch

The inside is smaller than I expected. It was so full of customers that I couldn't take photos of the interior, sob. There aren't a huge number of tables. It was completely full, and most people were having sashimi with a glass of soju. The mood was lively and noisy, with the feel of a place that local regulars come to a lot. If you're there at a time when people are waiting, I think it's better for everyone to eat properly and head out rather than camp at your table for too long!!

What the flatfish set for three includes

There were three of us, so we ordered the flatfish set for three. Besides the flatfish sashimi, you also get lots of skidaki (side dishes served before the main course)!

Is the flatfish sashimi really as sweet as if sugar was added?

The flatfish sashimi at Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch really does have a subtle sweetness in the fish itself. After ordering, I looked around and saw a banner at the entrance saying the flatfish sashimi tastes sweet like sugar was sprinkled on it. At first I wondered what that meant, but once I tried the sashimi I understood right away why they put it that way... haha

Seriously, I could really, truly taste the sweetness in the flatfish itself!!! Of course it's not an artificial, sugary sweetness. It was gently sweet with great savory depth, and I was curious how they age the fish. The texture was chewy and fresh, and it was just so, so good. Personally, it's the best flatfish sashimi I've ever had.

My friends said this is a truly legit restaurant and all promised to come back. Since I'm the one who brought them, I felt so proud. hahaha Ahh~~

The flatfish hoe-muchim included in the set

The flatfish hoe-muchim (sashimi tossed in spicy sauce) in the set impressed me because the seasoning isn't harsh and has real depth. Hoe-muchim gets tiring fast when the sauce is too strong, but the sauce here wasn't just the sharp taste of chojang (sweet chili vinegar sauce); it had a deeper flavor. The sweet-and-sour balance was good and clean, and I kept eating it. Honestly the sashimi was great, but the hoe-muchim was even better than I expected, and I was really satisfied.

Vinegared rice comes out with it too, which was perfect to eat alongside!!

What do the basic side dishes and skidaki look like?

Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch serves generous basic side dishes: corn cheese, kimchi pancake, assorted seafood and even marinated shrimp. The table was totally full~!!

I really liked how generous the side dishes were. At other sashimi restaurants you often only remember the main dish, but here the sides were all really tasty too. Overall you could tell the ingredients were fresh, and they went really well with the sashimi.

Aged kimchi, vinegared rice and flatfish sashimi wraps

Wrapping aged kimchi, vinegared rice and flatfish sashimi together was honestly heavenly!

Moist, crispy grilled mackerel

They also bring grilled mackerel, and I wonder if it's all cooked in a wood-fired oven, because it was really moist, crispy and delicious. My friend said this mackerel was so good and wolfed it all down... haha

Finishing with spicy fish stew with sujebi

At the end of the flatfish set comes the spicy fish stew (maeuntang) included in the set, and it even has sujebi (hand-pulled dough flakes)!!! We were really, really full, but the stew was so good that we cleaned it out. The broth was spicy yet clean, perfect for finishing after sashimi. That day the drinks went down so smoothly that we ended up drinking a lot.. haha

Now that I've been, I understand why so many people call it a top Seongnam restaurant, and the wait makes complete sense. The quality of the sashimi itself is really good, and the side dishes, hoe-muchim and stew were all delicious without a miss. It was my first visit and it was better than I expected, and next time I'm going to bring my husband. If you like flatfish sashimi, I think you should definitely visit. It was a Seongnam restaurant that left me truly satisfied after a long time!

And they even gave us chamoe (Korean melon) as a freebie, and even that was delicious haha. It was a really satisfying meal~~!! I recommend Uridongne Yeonan Budu Seongnam Main Branch!