QR-order sushi set and E-mart parking in Hwajeong: Min Cook Dasima

Today I visited Min Cook Dasima, a Japanese restaurant in Hwajeong, Goyang. It's a place where you can enjoy all kinds of Japanese-style dishes at once, including a sushi set course, and it's also a certified "century-old store" (백년가게) that's held its ground for a long time, so I'd been curious about it even before visiting. This time I ordered the sushi set course and tried everything one by one — the composition was varied, and I could enjoy it in order from start to finish.

Where Min Cook Dasima is, opening hours and parking

Min Cook Dasima is on the 2nd floor of a building in the commercial area around Hwajeong Station, at 37 Hwasin-ro 260beon-gil, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Hours are 11:30–21:00, with a break time from 15:00–16:50, and last order at 14:30 and 20:30. It's closed on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month.

Parking is available. If you park at Hwajeong E-mart right in front, you get a 1-hour parking discount.

Min Cook Dasima's exterior and entrance on the second floor near Hwajeong Station

Arrived at the building where Min Cook Dasima is! The big Min Cook Dasima sign was visible even from outside the building, so it wasn't hard to find. It's located in the commercial area around Hwajeong Station, so there are plenty of restaurants and cafés nearby, and it's a good spot to walk around after a meal. Even from the exterior you could catch a bit of that old-school Japanese restaurant feel.

Go inside the building and up to the store entrance, and a sign reading "Japanese Restaurant Min Cook Dasima" comes right into view. It felt different from the outside — the entrance had a fairly calm atmosphere. Even on a first visit, the sign is large enough that it wasn't hard to find.

The waitlist and the Century Store certification

By the entrance, a waitlist sheet was set up. The notice says that if orders pile up, seating may be delayed, and even if seats are empty, guests are seated in waiting order for smooth cooking. When I visited, there were already names written ahead of me on the list. If you're planning to visit Min Cook Dasima, especially during meal times, it's a good idea to keep the possibility of waiting in mind.

One thing that caught my eye at the entrance was the century-old-store (백년가게) certification mark! It definitely gave off the feeling of a place that's been running in the same spot for a long time. Even as a first-time visitor, seeing that certification made me a little more excited.

Inside Min Cook Dasima: atmosphere and window seats

Walking in, you find the counter and the main hall. The interior uses a lot of wood tones overall, which suited the Japanese restaurant feel well — not too flashy, more comfortable and calm. There was a large window on the window side so it didn't feel cramped, and several tables were set up. It looked good for anything from two people to a family meal.

On the other side, there's plenty of table seating as well. The tables weren't packed too closely together, so eating didn't feel cramped, and overall it felt neatly managed.

We sat at a window-side table. The table itself was wide, which was good for a set-course menu that comes out on several plates. Water was already set out at the table, so you can sit down and browse the menu at ease.

How QR code ordering works at the table

At Min Cook Dasima, you don't need to flag down a staff member — you can order via the QR code on the table. Scan the QR with your phone camera, the menu comes up, and you choose and order what you want. Being able to look over the menu slowly and order was personally convenient. What we ordered that day was the sushi set course! True to being a set course, it wasn't just sushi — several dishes came together as a set.

What comes with the sushi set meal

The first thing to arrive after ordering was egg porridge. It comes in a light portion meant to be eaten before the main dishes arrive, with sesame seeds and dried seaweed flakes lightly sprinkled on top of the soft porridge. Rather than starting with something bold or spicy, it began with warm, soft porridge that slowly woke up the appetite. The portion wasn't much, so it was easy to eat without feeling weighed down before the main dish.

And then the main event — the sushi set course spread appeared! The composition was more varied than I expected, almost too much to fit in one photo. Centered around sushi, it came with steamed egg, fried food, braised eel, salad, and side dishes, so it felt less like a few pieces of sushi and more like a proper full meal. Being able to taste a little bit of many things at once felt like the biggest advantage of the sushi set course.

The sushi

Looking closely at the sushi, the variety was quite impressive. There was salmon, tuna, white fish, and several other types of sushi, along with inari sushi (fried tofu pouch) and rolls. Rather than eating the same type over and over, there was fun in picking one piece at a time. The sashimi was fresh, and the rice in particular was very good. The wasabi inside was measured appropriately, and extra wasabi was provided so you could adjust to your taste. Seeing even mackerel included is a good sign of freshness. The sushi portion alone was far from small.

Japanese-style steamed egg

The Japanese-style steamed egg that came alongside can't be skipped either. Unlike typical Korean-style steamed egg, its surface is smooth and it's very soft in style. There were ingredients inside as well, so it was fun to scoop it up with a spoon, and it made a good in-between bite while eating the sushi. It's a warm, soft dish that fit well with the overall set course.

Fried shrimp and the assorted tempura

The set course also comes with fried food. A large fried shrimp along with fried shishito peppers and sweet pumpkin arrived in a basket, and just looking at it, the batter looked quite crispy. With crispy fried food mixed in among the softer dishes like sushi, the texture changed dramatically, making the set feel even more varied. The fried items were crispy as if just made, and moist inside — really delicious.

Braised eel

A small plate of braised eel came out too. Eel and radish were braised together in a soy-based sauce, topped with ginger and chili. The portion wasn't large, but it felt like a nice side dish to enjoy one bite at a time during the course. To my taste it was a little sweet, and I'm not usually a big fan of eel, but the seasoning here made it enjoyable. With braised dishes and fried items alongside the main sushi, I never got tired of eating through the whole course.

Salad with fruit dressing

Salad came along as well. Crisp vegetables were topped generously with dressing, making it good to eat now and then while going through the sushi and fried food. The dressing was a fruit dressing, so it felt refreshing and fresh. Eating salad after the oily fried food felt like a nice palate reset! Each of these small menu items turned out to matter quite a bit within the set course.

The hot soup

And a warm soup, good to eat alongside the meal, came out too. It's a Japanese-style miso soup with green onion and fried tofu pouch, which paired well with the sushi. Eating a piece of sushi and then a spoonful of the warm soup really gave it the feel of a proper meal. Starting with porridge and moving through sushi, steamed egg, fried food, braised dishes, salad, and soup, the sushi set course lived up to its name with a full, satisfying lineup.

Hwajeong E-mart parking discount: give your plate number at checkout

After finishing the meal, if you drove, be sure to check the parking discount when paying. According to the signage in the store, there's 1-hour free parking at Hwajeong E-mart. Beyond that, it's ₩1,000 per 10 minutes, and if you parked at E-mart, you need to tell the counter your license plate number at checkout to get the free parking applied. If you're using the parking, don't just leave — remember to mention your license plate number when paying!

Is the Min Cook Dasima sushi set meal worth it?

Overall, Min Cook Dasima felt less like a place for a quick, simple plate of sushi and more like a good spot to enjoy a full Japanese-style course. The fact that it's a certified century-old store was impressive, and the spacious interior looked good for a family meal, a date, or lunch or dinner. In particular, the sushi set course was packed with variety — from egg porridge to sushi, steamed egg, fried food, braised eel, salad, and soup — so it's worth trying at least once if you like sampling a bit of everything. If you're looking for sushi or a Japanese-style set course in Hwajeong, Goyang, consider checking out Min Cook Dasima.