Monkfish liver gunkan and toro at a Cheonan sushi restaurant: Ganghan

This time I went for sushi in Buldang-dong on a Saturday evening, to Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch. It's known as one of the few places in Cheonan serving omakase-style sushi, so I went in with high expectations!

Maybe because it was Saturday evening, there were quite a lot of diners inside. Still, the place itself was neat and tidy, and the staff were kind, so even as a first-time visitor I could eat comfortably.

Location and parking at Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch

📍1st floor, Unit 111, First Plaza, 67-12 Buldang21-ro

✔️The restaurant is on the building's 1st floor, so it wasn't hard to find, and it's an easy spot to reach on foot.

🅿️Parking — you can use the basement parking lot in the building, and registering at the store's kiosk gets you 3 hours free. That's plenty of time whether you're just eating and leaving or planning other errands nearby, which I really liked.

✔️There's a restroom inside the building, convenient to use during the meal, and I personally liked that it's on the 1st floor. Just be sure to ask the staff for the door code before you go.

✔️There's also a menu board outside the restaurant, so you can check the menu and prices before going in.

The Saturday evening atmosphere

Visiting on a Saturday evening, there were quite a few customers inside. I saw families as well as couples on dates like us, so the vibe wasn't skewed toward just one type of crowd.

Above all, the restaurant was clean overall and the staff were friendly, so there was nothing uncomfortable during the meal. They also had a high chair ready, so it seems like a fine spot for a family meal out too.

The Ganghan Special Sushi 12P set and price

Looking over the menu board, we ordered two Ganghan Special Sushi sets at ₩17,000 each. The Ganghan Special Sushi is a 12-piece set including flounder, honmaguro (bluefin tuna), swordfish belly, seaweed-wrapped shrimp, soy sauce shrimp, squid, scallop, egg, ankimo (monkfish liver) gunkan, and more. Based on current menu info, the 12-piece Ganghan Special Sushi is still listed at ₩17,000.

⬇️See the detailed breakdown below!⬇️

Looking at this lineup, I felt it was less about pure value-for-money and more about the satisfaction of the experience. It wasn't just a basic sushi set — it included more special items like honmaguro and swordfish belly, so I was excited even before eating.🤤

The mini udon and seafood croquette that come standard

While waiting for the sushi, mini udon, seafood croquette, salad, and doenjang soup (soybean paste soup) came out first.

The mini udon was nice and warm to have before the sushi, and the seafood croquette was better than I expected. I thought of it as just a side that comes with the set, but after tasting it I felt it'd be worth ordering extra. It's actually sold as a standalone item too, so next time I'd like to add it alongside the sushi. Filling up on sides even before the sushi arrived meant I was already getting somewhat full.

Wasabi served separately, and thick cuts of fish

While nibbling on the side dishes, the sushi we'd been waiting for finally arrived.

One unusual thing about the sushi was that the wasabi wasn't tucked inside — it came served separately. So you could add as much as you wanted yourself. I tend to like different amounts of wasabi on different pieces, so this way actually suited me better.

Overall the fish was quite thick-cut with a chewy texture. It felt different from typical sushi, to the point I wondered if they age the fish themselves, and yet it still kept that fresh, distinctly fish-like flavor.

In particular, having honmaguro and swordfish belly included gave it a slightly more upscale feel compared to a typical sushi set.

The swordfish belly was soft with a melt-in-the-mouth texture I loved, and the honmaguro was clean-tasting and went down smoothly — personally, it stuck with me.

Trying ankimo gunkan for the first time, plus soy sauce shrimp

One of the items I tried for the first time this visit was ankimo gunkan.

Ankimo is a Japanese dish made from steamed monkfish liver, known for its soft, rich texture and deep, savory flavor. Since it was my first time trying it, I was curious what it would taste like — it turned out savory, with what I thought was a slightly tuna-like richness. It had a distinctly rich flavor unlike regular fish sushi, making it feel like the most special item in the whole Ganghan Special Sushi set.

The soy sauce shrimp also stuck in my memory. Staff told us it's aged in-house, and it had a sweet flavor along with the shrimp's characteristic springy texture — I enjoyed it a lot.

The 4 pieces of inari sushi from the review event

Ganghan Sushi was also running a review event. You could check the details at the kiosk and join in, and for our review we received 4 pieces of inari sushi (fried tofu pouch sushi).

After finishing the 12 pieces of sushi and then eating 2 more pieces each, I ended up much fuller than expected. At first I thought two sushi sets would be just right, but with the sides plus the review-event sushi added on, it turned into a pretty hearty meal.

The event menu may change depending on when you visit, so it's worth checking what's shown on the kiosk when you order.

How was it as a date spot in Buldang-dong?

Trying Ganghan Sushi in person, the overall sushi lineup felt substantial. In particular, having honmaguro, swordfish belly, seaweed-wrapped shrimp, soy sauce shrimp, and ankimo gunkan all together in the Ganghan Special Sushi meant we could try a wide variety in one sitting, which I liked.😆

This seems like a great fit for anyone who wants to try a variety of fish cuts and gunkan rather than just filling up on basic sushi, and if it's your first visit, ordering the Ganghan Special Sushi seems like a solid choice.

After the meal, we browsed nearby claw machine arcades and gachapon shops to let the food settle. With 3 hours of free parking and things to see nearby, it also worked well as a Buldang-dong date course centered around a meal.

I visited this time while looking for a good sushi restaurant in Cheonan, and I was satisfied overall — not just with the food lineup, but the clean restaurant, friendly staff, and conveniences like parking and restrooms. If you're planning to eat sushi in Buldang-dong and continue a date nearby afterward, this place is worth keeping in mind as a meal stop.