Sushi izakaya in Hapjeong: walk-in late lunch & ankimo, Sushi Sakaba

My boyfriend and I hadn't had good-quality sushi in a while, so I searched carefully for a good sushi spot around Hapjeong and Hongdae. Sushi Sakaba caught my eye, and here's my honest take on our visit!

Is there a wait at Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong?

Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong takes reservations through Naver, but we just walked in, and since it was a slightly late lunch hour there was no wait. It sits in an alley between Hapjeong Station and Hongik Univ. Station, so getting there isn't bad at all. Inside, the space is small but tidy and clean, which made a really good first impression.

How do you order, and what did we pick?

You order on a tablet at each table, and after some deliberation we went with the Hap sushi set for two! The menu is bigger than I expected, so it was hard to decide. As a sushi izakaya, it has lots of dishes that go well with drinks, not just sushi, so I thought coming for dinner would be a great option too.

What's in the ₩24,000 Hap sushi set?

The set came out quickly, and the moment it arrived I was amazed by the quality. The lineup is surprisingly generous for ₩24,000, right?

It isn't padded out with things like egg or fried tofu pouches just to hit the count; it's packed with the kind of sushi you'd expect at an omakase. The glossy shine of the pieces as soon as they hit the table had me snapping photos right away.

A slip of paper naming each sushi

Here's what made Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong feel clearly different from other sushi spots in Hapjeong and Hongdae: it comes with a small paper kindly listing what each piece is. Honestly, when we eat sushi we often don't really know which fish we're eating. I feel bad flagging down the staff every time I'm curious, but here the names are right there, so I could actually savor knowing what I was eating. Much better.

How were the sides: steamed egg, salad and cold udon?

Before getting into the sushi, we soothed our stomachs with hot steamed egg (gyeran-jjim). It was so soft it melted in my mouth, and the seasoning was just right.

The crunchy, fresh salad was delicious too. It cleans your mouth right away!

Cold udon that outshines the mains

The Hap sushi set also comes with a clear soup to sip between pieces and refreshing cold udon. And this cold udon is so good it could put the main dishes to shame, honestly!

The rich broth is excellent, and the noodles are so chewy and springy that they're fun to eat. The udon or soba in sushi sets usually has swollen, soggy noodles, so I'm not a fan, but Sushi Sakaba's cold udon noodles are springier than those at most udon restaurants, and I was very happy with them.

Neta and shari: an honest review

Now for the sushi! I started with the mild white fish, and the neta (the topping) was thick and long, which was exactly my thing. It tasted fresh with no sense of age, and the temperature wasn't overly cold, which was just right.

The shari is light on vinegar and salty

In sushi the shari (sushi rice) matters as much as the neta, and Sushi Sakaba's shari had a salty feel with not much vinegar. Personally I like shari where the vinegar is a little present, sweet and tangy, so this was a bit disappointing.

Still, the rice grains were large and not mushy, and the portion was just right, so the overall quality was fine.

The best of the 12 sushi: ankimo

The tastiest of the 12 sushi in the Hap set was the ankimo (monkfish liver)! Rich and luscious, it was outstanding. It melts creamily the moment it hits your mouth, and the nutty depth specific to monkfish liver spreads heavily through your whole mouth. There's no fishy taste, just richness, so it was totally my taste.

We left with a full, satisfying meal. If you're looking for a high-quality sushi spot near Hapjeong and Hongdae that isn't the usual, I recommend stopping by Sushi Sakaba +_+