Gasan Japanese restaurant: soft-shell crab pasta set for two, Gapposo

On the second day of our trip to Gasan Digital Complex in Seoul, my husband and I had dinner at Gapposo (갓포소), a Japanese restaurant in Gasan run by a chef who used to head the Japanese restaurant at a 5-star hotel.

What are the entrance and first impressions of Gapposo like?

The entrance to Gapposo is a round, arched wooden door lit with warm light. It felt private and upscale.

In front of the entrance there's a standing menu board and a signboard showing the signature dishes and course lineup, so you can check the menu before going in. A Japanese restaurant in Gasan like Gapposo makes a classy first impression, good enough for a company dinner, a business meeting or a date.

Gapposo seating: group tables, sofas and private rooms

Inside Gapposo, the first things I noticed were the warm wood interior and the calm, cozy lighting. There are roomy group tables that suit gatherings and company dinners, comfortable sofa seats, and even private rooms, so it would work well for a business meal or a date too.

The cute cat-shaped rests for chopsticks and spoons put me in a good mood before we even started eating.

Table notices and the review event

On one side of each table, neatly posted notes explain how to enjoy the meal and tell you about the event! For some dishes you don't need to add soy sauce, and if you run short of sauce, the staff will kindly bring more on request.

Also, if you join the Naver review event, you get one free can of a drink.

Gapposo menu and prices

The Gapposo menu is split into a lunch menu, dinner set menus, sushi courses and drink-snack set menus, and two-person sharing menus. The two-person sharing pasta menu is ₩65,000.

• Lunch menu: Gapposo lunch omakase ₩29,000 / lunch business course ₩65,000 / bento set meal ₩39,000 / premium bento ₩52,000
• Dinner set menus: Got course (per person) ₩33,000 / Po course (per person) ₩45,000 / So course (per person) ₩65,000 / omakase course (per person) ₩95,000 / add today's braised fish in soy sauce ₩15,000
• Sushi course (per person) ₩39,000 / ₩49,000, drink-snack set menu (per person) ₩35,000
• Two-person sharing menus: kaisendon & unagidon (for 2) ₩58,000 / pasta (for 2) ₩65,000

There are also plenty of à la carte dishes, so please check the menu photos :)

Gapposo has highballs, sours, sake and beer, plus non-alcoholic drinks and zero-sugar sodas for those who don't drink~ so order whatever suits your taste.

What comes in the Gapposo two-person sharing pasta set?

My husband and I ordered the pasta set (for 2) at ₩65,000 from the Gapposo two-person sharing menu. Here's what's in it.

• Gapposo aged sashimi
• Abalone-innards or soft-shell crab pasta
• 6-piece sushi
• Chili chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken)
• Noodle dish

Use the cute tongs and small plates to serve the pasta.

How were the starter porridge and aged sashimi?

Before the Gapposo course, a warm starter porridge came out first. It was smooth and nutty, perfect for settling and warming the stomach before the meal.

Next came the neatly plated Gapposo aged sashimi. It was generously made up of tuna, herring, salmon and mullet, and maybe thanks to the chef's aging know-how, each fish had its own deep savoriness and a wonderfully soft texture.

• Tuna: Clean-tasting and melt-in-your-mouth soft the moment it hit my tongue.
• Herring: Rich, fatty flavor burst out between the fine knife scores, with no fishy taste at all. Truly the best.
• Salmon: Glossy and shiny~ rich yet tender, salmon lives up to its reputation ♡
• Mullet: A subtle sweetness with a chewy, springy texture. I loved it.

6-piece sushi and futomaki

The Gapposo 6-piece sushi came on a stylish black plate: 2 pieces of mullet sushi, 2 pieces of salmon sushi, and 2 big, tightly packed pieces of futomaki (thick sushi roll).

Besides the mullet and salmon we'd already had as aged sashimi, the futomaki stood out. It was packed edge to edge with fresh salmon, seafood, crunchy vegetables and egg, so every bite was full and delicious~

Are the mini udon and chili chicken karaage spicy?

After the sushi came the Gapposo mini udon, which warmed us up, and the broth was really deep and rich, with a standout savoriness.

The springy, chewy noodles had soaked up the rich broth, so they went really well with the chili chicken karaage that came next.

The Gapposo chili chicken karaage came out crispy. With "chili" in the name I worried it might be too spicy, but it wasn't harshly hot, just a gentle sweet-and-spicy kick, so I could enjoy it without any strain.

Even though the outside was coated in sauce, it stayed crispy, and the meat inside was tender and juicy, so I kept reaching for more. It also went well with the chips served alongside.

Why the crab-miso soft-shell crab pasta was the highlight

For our Gapposo two-person sharing set I picked the soft-shell crab pasta, and it's no exaggeration to call it the highlight of this meal. The crab-miso soft-shell crab pasta had me going wow!

The big fried soft-shell crab on top was fried whole, shell and all, until crispy. The outside was crunchy while the inside kept the moist, tender sweetness of the crab meat.

The shell wasn't tough at all, so even biting into the whole crab just filled my mouth with nutty flavor. Even with little fried crabs I often end up spitting out the shell.. but wow, this was really soft and tender.

The springy pasta noodles were generously coated in a thick, rich crab-miso cream sauce. To make it even thicker and richer, I poured extra sauce over my noodles.

Piling the sauce on the baguette served alongside, or dipping it in, meant I finished every last drop. It was a top-tier dish. If you order it à la carte, I definitely recommend it👍

I cleaned the plate of pasta sauce completely.

Overall verdict: is Gapposo in Gasan Digital Complex good for dates or gatherings?

At Gapposo, the Japanese restaurant in Gasan Digital Complex, I could feel the care in every dish, and the aged sashimi and sushi were clean and tasty. The crab-miso soft-shell crab pasta, with a rich crab-innards sauce and a crispy whole fried crab, was truly the best.

The atmosphere is upscale but not overwhelming, more on the cozy side, so it looked fine for a date or a gathering too. If you're looking for a place with a nice mood in Gasan, I recommend Gapposo.

Gapposo location, hours and parking

• Address: 144 Gasan Digital 2-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, Unit 106, 1F Hyundai Terra Tower Gasan DK (Gasan-dong 459-14)
• Transport: 322 m from Exit 8 of Gasan Digital Complex Station (Lines 1 and 7)
• Mon–Fri 11:30–22:00, break time 15:00–17:00, last order 21:30
• Sat 11:00–20:00, break time 15:00–17:00, last order 19:30
• Groups, takeout, reservations available, one bottle corkage free
• Parking: available in the Hyundai Terra DK Tower underground garage, 2 hours free