Gangnam Station sashimi restaurant fish texture comparison: Damiseon

This week, my mom and I went to Gangnam Station for sashimi for the first time in ages. It had been such a long time since I had eaten sashimi, so I went in really excited.

Finding Damiseon from Gangnam Station Exit 5

It is three minutes from Exit 5 of Gangnam Station. The exterior is a wooden building that looks like a Japanese restaurant. We went inside and followed the stairs down past the potted plants.

It is at B1, Daewoo Do-Ci-Ebit 1-cha, 365 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul. From Exit 5 of Gangnam Station on the Shinbundang Line, go in beside the pharmacy to the right of the exit; it is on the left side of the stairs leading to the back street. It is a Japanese-style fish restaurant, and they say they follow a same-day supply, same-day sellout policy.

The owner greeted and guided us so kindly.

A comfortable interior with partitioned tables

As you would expect from a sashimi restaurant near Gangnam Station, the interior was rather dark with plenty of lighting. The tables were more partitioned than I expected, and the seating was spacious and comfortable. My mom said it seemed like this place would get lots of customers. We took a table farther inside.

Ordering the small live-fish sashimi set

Meal menu

• Live-fish sashimi set: Large ₩160,000 / Medium ₩120,000 / Small ₩80,000
• Special set: Large ₩200,000 / Medium ₩150,000 / Small ₩100,000
• Lunch set ₩20,000; barley corvina and green-tea set ₩25,000
• Spring fluke sashimi: Large ₩120,000 / Medium ₩90,000
• Live fluke mugwort soup ₩28,000; grilled mackerel ₩15,000; golden red tilefish grill ₩18,000
• Fish roe stew ₩15,000; cod soup or clear cod soup ₩16,000; mulhoe ₩16,000; sashimi rice bowl ₩16,000

We ordered the small live-fish sashimi set, which was ₩80,000.

A generous spread of side dishes

The side dishes included vegetable salad, rinsed aged kimchi, corn salad, steamed egg, and a refreshing clam soup with lots of green onion.

They brought chojang (sweet-tangy chili dipping sauce) and soy sauce. I was surprised that even the side dishes were this generous.

How did flounder, sea bream, and fluke feel different?

Finally, the main event arrived: the live-fish sashimi set, worthy of a great Gangnam live-fish sashimi spot. There was flounder sashimi, sea bream, and fluke sashimi.

Whelk, sea squirt, abalone, octopus, soy-marinated shrimp, and wasabi came together with the sashimi on one tray. Everything looked so fresh.

I could clearly taste the difference between the flounder and fluke. The flounder was cut into thick slices of white, translucent flesh, with its characteristic chewy yet tender texture and mild flavor.

The sea bream showed its reddish skin and looked especially colorful on the plate. It had a springy, firm texture along with rich umami and a fatty savoriness. Comparing the flounder and sea bream, the textural difference was very clear.

The fluke was sliced thin and long to emphasize its bite. Its firm flesh had a pleasantly chewy texture, and the longer I chewed, the deeper its nutty richness became. I could taste the difference between the fluke and sea bream too, so it was fun comparing all three. For me, the fluke was the most delicious that day.

From octopus to sea squirt and abalone

The octopus was also wonderfully chewy and fresh. The soy-marinated shrimp was decent. It tasted like gejang (soy-marinated seafood), but with shrimp flavor.

The sea squirt was so fresh. Sea squirt is my mom's absolute favorite :)

The abalone was delicious dipped in chojang too. Just as we were finishing the sashimi, a fairly large, beautifully grilled mackerel arrived, and we enjoyed that too. We were about to get up after finishing the sashimi, but they told us not to leave yet because there was still food to come, which surprised us.

Finishing with seodeori-tang and maki

Soon, seodeori-tang (spicy fish-head-and-bone stew), maki, and shrimp tempura arrived. Seodeori-tang is a Korean soul-food-like stew, made by boiling the head, bones, skin, and other parts left after slicing fish into a hearty, spicy broth.

The rich broth drawn from the fish bones and head was spicy and refreshing. It had lots of fragrant vegetables such as crown daisy and water parsley, so I could enjoy it cleanly without any fishiness. After clearing a plate of sashimi, bubbling seodeori-tang made the best final treat: it was fun picking off the remaining fish meat, while the spicy, refreshing broth filled me up.

The shrimp tempura was truly crisp, with lots of shrimp meat in every bite, so it was delicious.

Then the maki arrived. Maki is a traditional Japanese-style seaweed rice roll, shaped into a cone with rice, seafood, vegetables, and more. It was sweet-tangy and mild. It was packed with ingredients including flying-fish roe, giving it a lovely popping texture. It was the perfect clean, filling finish.

Why I would recommend it for a Gangnam Station work dinner

It really felt like we had enjoyed a full course, so I was very grateful. I want to come back again next time.

For anyone looking for a good restaurant near Gangnam Station, or needing a place for a Gangnam Station work dinner, I would recommend Damiseon Gangnam Station Branch (다미선 강남역점). It is a Gangnam live-fish sashimi restaurant that is just right for a company meal too :)