Bar-seat sake-don lunch, 15,000 won, near Hwajeong Station: Min Cook

Maybe it's because it's the day before a holiday, but I've been in a good mood since morning haha 😆 Felt like I needed something delicious for lunch today, so I went to Min Cook Misoyaki near Hwajeong Station! Deliberated over the menu a bit and settled cleanly on sake-don (raw salmon rice bowl)! Here's my lunch review, eaten happily with pre-holiday excitement.

Where is Min Cook Misoyaki near Hwajeong Station?

Min Cook Misoyaki sits on the 1st floor across from Hwajeong E-Mart! It's the same restaurant group as the famous Min Cook Dashima, but Min Cook Misoyaki focuses on grilled fish and rice bowls! For sushi you'll need to head up to Min Cook Dashima on the 2nd floor!

Apparently it's run directly by a Japanese cuisine master! 👀 A great spot to drop by casually at lunchtime for good Japanese food. I walked there since it's near my office, but if you drive, parking at Hwajeong E-Mart is free for 1 hour!!!!

Bar tables and window seats that suit solo diners

I personally love this wood-tone interior — the warm tables plus the lighting made for such a nice atmosphere! Clean and cozy overall ✨ There are more bar table seats, so it's easy for solo diners, and the place is pretty quiet, so I ate comfortably haha.

There were window seats on one side too, with a big window letting in nice sunlight and a pretty vibe — I'd love to sit there next time haha. Since I came right at noon lunchtime, customers kept coming in behind me! Lots of solo diners, and lots of locals from around Hwajeong too.

Min Cook Misoyaki's menu and how QR ordering works

The menu at this Hwajeong Station lunch spot! Starting with the main grilled fish, then rice bowls, and even pork cutlet.

• Grilled fish comes in two styles: miso-grilled or salt-grilled
• Salt-grilled raw salmon collar is limited to 2 servings a day

Ordering is simple via QR code, and you pay after finishing your meal!

🎉 There's also a fried shrimp coupon on Naver, so grab it and use it~!!

Sitting at the bar, I got a front-row view of fish grilling to a golden brown. The smell of grilled fish drifted over and almost made me order it too... but I went with sake-don haha.

They bring out appetizer porridge and side dishes first — savory and warm, it was really good.

How is the 15,000 won sake-don (raw salmon rice bowl)?

✔️ Sake-don (raw salmon rice bowl), ₩15,000. Since it needs no cooking, it came out super fast! I'd recommend it too if you're looking for a quick place to eat near Hwajeong Station when you're short on time...!

A rice bowl piled high with raw salmon. Underneath the salmon was onion, rice, and a drizzle of the house special sauce!

Scooped up a big spoonful — yum 😋😋😋😋

One piece of salmon was pretty large, so I cut it in half haha. The salmon was soft, with zero fishy taste, and it was even better with a bit of wasabi on top.

I don't usually eat radish sprouts, but a little on the side wasn't bad!? Still, wasabi alone was more my style... With bowls like this, by the time you're done, the main topping is usually gone and you're just left eating plain rice — but Min Cook Misoyaki's raw salmon bowl had so much salmon that it stayed delicious all the way to the end!!

Looking around while eating, I noticed a knife on display on one wall that's apparently been in use since 2001! Such a curious-looking Japanese knife...

Next visit: the grilled fish at Min Cook Misoyaki

Enjoyed the salmon bowl so much! This time I had sake-don, but next time I think I'll come back for the grilled fish I saw other customers eating. There wasn't really a good grilled fish place near Hwajeong Station before, so I'm so glad this one opened 👍🏻👍🏻 If you're stuck on what to have for lunch around Hwajeong, I recommend this clean, solid Japanese restaurant, Min Cook Misoyaki~!!