Jongno sashimi restaurant with shrimp basil pasta: Suksseong Susan

The weather's getting cooler these days, isn't it? Maybe that's why I've been craving seafood nonstop. Shrimp are in season right now too, so I've seen a lot of people eating raw shrimp lately, but for some reason I really wanted chewy aged sashimi, so I went to Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch.

They're open daily 11:00–24:00, with last order at 23:00.

Where is Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch, and what does it look like?

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch is on the 3rd floor of a building at 16 Samil-daero 19-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. There's a sign at the building entrance so I could spot it easily.

I didn't think much of it at first, but the higher I climbed to the 3rd floor, the more upscale the atmosphere got.

Curtained room-style seats and kiosk ordering at Suksseong Susan

Inside Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch, every table is separated like its own little room. Thanks to that, even though the space was huge and packed with customers, it was really easy to chat and enjoy the meal together.

There's something like a curtain next to each table, and pulling it down completely separates the space — it really felt like a private dining experience haha.

You can even order from a kiosk right at your table, so there's no need to flag down staff — everything can be handled comfortably from your seat.

Ordering the aged sashimi platter, shrimp basil pasta and clam odeng soup

What we ordered at Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch was the aged sashimi combo (small), sweet shrimp basil pasta, and clam odeng soup.

• Aged sashimi combo (small)
• Sweet shrimp basil pasta
• Clam odeng soup

For the main we ordered the aged sashimi along with a pasta and clam odeng soup that pair well with it, and each dish came out looking so pretty. Honestly I didn't expect much coming in, but once I saw how beautiful the food looked, my expectations for the taste went up too haha.

Aged sashimi platter: red sea bream, salmon, tuna and amberjack

First, the aged sashimi was arranged so beautifully, and each piece had a label so you'd know exactly what fish it was. Thanks to that, even though I don't always know which fish is which just by looking, I could eat each piece while learning what it was, which made the flavors feel even richer.

Maybe because it's aged sashimi, every piece had an insane chewiness. It felt like if you pulled it apart with your hands you'd feel that stickiness. The sea bream in particular had the skin still on, and it was lightly seared like aburi-style sashimi, so the umami really came through — so irresistible. The salmon was also incredibly soft, and it didn't have that distinct salmon smell that a lot of people dislike, so I think even people who aren't fans of salmon could enjoy it.

The tuna genuinely melted in my mouth — I barely chewed or swallowed it before it just disappeared..!! The amberjack had a fatty part too, and the texture was almost meat-like while still tasting incredibly rich and nutty. Eaten with wasabi, it cut through the fattiness a bit while staying really savory.

Flying fish roe came with the sashimi too, so topping the chewy aged fish with it gave a popping texture on top — and since the roe was black, it kind of felt like eating caviar, which was a nice touch haha.

What does the sweet shrimp basil pasta taste like?

Next up, the sweet shrimp basil pasta. There were a lot of pasta options and I picked this one to share, but the portion was way bigger than I expected and it looked so pretty.

There was a ton of basil in it, so the first bite was full of fragrance, and it seemed like there was some pepperoncino in there too since I could taste a bit of spice — so instead of feeling heavy, it was actually clean and refreshing. The baguette that came alongside was soft, perfect for pairing with the pasta.

Clam odeng soup: more clam soup than fish cake

Lastly, for a soup dish we ordered the clam odeng soup, but honestly this wasn't odeng soup — it was basically just clam soup...❣️ There were so many clams that the broth was genuinely refreshing, and the clam meat itself was plump and fresh, with a natural sweetness. The fish cake mixed in didn't have that flour-y taste either — it was sweet and nutty, so it was way tastier than expected!

Is Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch worth a visit?

• A great aged sashimi spot in Jongno
• Sashimi that melts in your mouth
• Recommended room-style restaurant in Jongno