Sushi near Bonghwangdae Park in Gimhae, with cold soba: Sushi Hwa

These days, with the cool mornings and evenings and such pretty skies, I just want to get outside. Today my husband and I went on a date walk around Bonghwangdae Park and then had lunch at Sushi Hwa, a Bongridan-gil favorite known for its smoky flame-seared sushi. I'd had my eye on it after seeing a review on a local moms' café that made it look delicious. Here's my full review after actually going!

The orange awning really made it stand out. There were tables set up outside for waiting customers, and I noticed a sticker certifying it as a safe restaurant from Gimhae city — nice to see, since it meant I could eat there with peace of mind knowing it was a hygiene-verified establishment.

Where is Sushi Hwa, and what are the hours and parking?

Sushi Hwa is located at 32 Gimhae-daero 2315beon-gil, 1st floor, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, and is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00 (last order 20:40). No break time, haha ^^ Groups, takeout, delivery, and reservations are all available, and there's Wi-Fi, a high chair, and Zero Pay.

Parking: free public parking lot nearby. Given how Bongridan-gil is, there's no dedicated lot for the restaurant, but you can park for free at a nearby public lot. That said, since the lot can get crowded, it's best to arrive a bit before lunchtime or avoid peak lunch hours.

Inside Sushi Hwa: seating and whether it works with kids

Inside, Sushi Hwa has a clean, stylish mix of wood and white interior. There are no private rooms, but a partition in the middle creates a sense of separated, more private space toward the back. I arrived a little past lunch peak and saw a family with a young child finishing up and leaving from the inner seats — there's a high chair too, so dining with kids looked comfortable.

The framed photos on the walls doubled as decor and made the food look so appetizing that they really built up my anticipation.

There's a bar counter in front of the kitchen, which looked like a nice comfortable spot for eating solo too.

There's no separate paper menu — you order easily through the tablet ordering system installed at every table.

Sushi Hwa menu and prices

<Set menus> Flame-seared sushi set 15.0 / Sushi Hwa flame-seared sushi set 38.0 / Eel rice bowl set 18.0 / Tuna flame-seared sushi set 16.0 / Salmon flame-seared sushi set 16.0 / Kids flame-seared sushi set 8.0 / Raw sushi set 15.0 / Salmon belly sushi set 18.0 / Tuna sushi set 16.0 / Shrimp sushi set 16.0 / Salmon sushi set 16.0

<À la carte> Flame-seared pork cutlet rice bowl 8.0 / Flame-seared cheese pork cutlet rice bowl 9.0 / Flame-seared chicken karaage rice bowl 8.0 / Cold soba 7.0 / Udon 7.0

<Side menu> Assorted skewer fries, 6 kinds 8.0 / Fried oysters 5pc 7.0 / Fried shrimp 5.5 / Chicken karaage 5.5 / Potato croquette 3pc / Takoyaki 4.0

As the name suggests, Sushi Hwa is famous for its flame-seared sushi. There's a wide menu, but looking around, most people were ordering the signature flame-seared, smoky-flavored dishes.

What we ordered: the Sushi Hwa Flame-Seared Sushi Set, 38,000 won

Sushi Hwa Flame-Seared Sushi Set (27 pieces flame-seared sushi + 2 salads + 2 bowls udon or cold soba)

I ordered the Sushi Hwa Flame-Seared Sushi Set. The portion was plenty for my husband and me to share. I loved that you could choose between udon and cold soba for the noodles — usually sushi restaurants default to udon, but since it's still late-summer weather and warm during the day, the cool cold soba was much more appealing. You can also choose the sauce: garlic, spicy, or half-and-half.

First up: cold soba and the yuzu dressing salad

Before the sushi came out, they brought the cold soba and salad first. One bite of the cold soba and I thought, this is good enough that I'd come back just to order it on its own as a single dish.

The salad was impressive too — the refreshing yuzu dressing whetted the appetite and paired really well as a starter before the sushi.

Garlic vs. spicy: how the half-and-half sauce sushi tastes

Since we ordered the set with half-and-half sauce, the sushi came out on a large plate with garlic sauce and a small plate with spicy sauce.

I started with the spicy sauce sushi — it had a pleasant level of spiciness. But more than that, the moment it hit my mouth, the smoky flame flavor came through so strongly it made my eyes light up. I cleansed my palate with the cold soba, then tried the garlic sauce sushi.

The garlic sauce suited my taste really well too. Alternating between the two made everything taste even better. If you're torn between the two, I'd recommend going with half-and-half.

I wondered what was in the cute little dish, and it turned out to be frozen blueberries. Blueberries can taste bland if not done right, but these were cool and sweet-tart, perfect as a palate cleanser.

In the end, we cleaned our plates completely. I usually don't post photos of finished dishes because they look messy, but this time it was practically just empty plates, so I went ahead and included it.

If you take part in the Naver or Instagram review event, you get a free drink or 2 pieces of sushi as a service.

Is Sushi Hwa worth it? My honest take

This was my first time trying flame-seared sushi, and the smoky flavor was more subtly blended in than I expected — I enjoyed it right to the last bite. Alternating between the garlic and spicy sauces especially gave a really nice balance of flavors. Best of all, it's close to Bonghwangdae Park, so combining a walk with lunch made for a great date course. On the way out, I thought about getting some to go for the kids, but decided to come back as a family meal instead. If you're looking for a Bongridan-gil favorite, Sushi Hwa, with its smoky flame-seared sushi, is well worth a visit.