Tuna and giant sea urchin donburi course at Ilpum, Gangnam Station

I was really craving a proper kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) today, so I went to Ilpum. Honestly, at first I just went in expecting a good bowl of hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl).

But wait — here they brought out chawanmushi, cold udon, even dessert, all in sequence like a proper course! And the portions were huge too, so let me introduce this fancy spot that'll satisfy any big eater.

Ilpum Gangnam Branch: location and hours

Address: 23 Seocho-daero 74-gil, B1 106, Seocho-gu, Seoul / Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30 / Break time 15:00–17:30 / Last order 20:00 / Closed on Sundays

They're closed regularly on Sundays and open the rest of the week, Monday through Saturday, from 11am to 9:30pm.

It's located 195m from Gangnam Station Exit 6, in the basement 1F of Seocho Town Trapalace — about a 5-minute walk from the exit. Free parking for 1 hour is available.

Coming out of Gangnam Station Exit 6, Seocho Town Trapalace was nearby, and the building was really clean!

The signage heading down to the basement was quite sleek. You can see the name Ilpum written in Chinese characters — made it easy to spot right away.

Walking to the left after entering the building, you can find the restaurant without much trouble. The exterior gives off that fancy Japanese-restaurant vibe.

The menu was posted outside too, and the waitlist was completely full. Luckily we came a bit after the weekday lunch rush, so we avoided the wait.

I mentioned the hours above already, but there was a sign outside too so I snapped a photo. Closed Sundays, open Monday through Saturday.

There was something interesting called "Matdong World Map 2026" — looks like they're handing out a bunch of discount coupons, so be sure to grab the benefits while you're there!

Interior atmosphere and seating

As soon as we walked in, the walls were covered with celebrity signatures! Even a quick glance showed names we recognized, and I was most impressed to see food expert Lee Young-ja's signature haha.

A handy umbrella stand for these rainy days we've been having.

There was a long bar-style counter (jjatseok) set up, with chefs cooking right in the middle — you can enjoy it almost like an omakase.

There was also table seating for about 3 groups (maybe more if split into 2-person tables).

What we ordered and the prices

• (Special) Ilpum-dong — ₩30,000
• Premium Kaisendon — ₩37,000

We each ordered what we were craving: the special ilpum-dong and the premium kaisendon.

First they gave us seaweed, and the tray filled up an entire row like this. Jangguk (clear soup), chawanmushi, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), seaweed, soy sauce — a really solid lineup for what's technically just side dishes.

I photographed the menu outside too, but it only seemed to show the front page, so I took another shot. This front part had the main menu.

The back had add-ons, side dishes, and drinks.

Chawanmushi, baek-kimchi, and jangguk: the base spread

First off, the chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard) was seriously as soft as pudding, with a whole shrimp inside — the flavor was rich and nutty, just excellent.

Baek-kimchi is my personal favorite combo with raw fish, and having it show up here really hit the spot.

The jangguk had a clean, refreshing flavor.

(Special) Ilpum-dong — tuna and giant sea urchin

The special ilpum-dong came out first! Just looking at it, it's already super fancy, right?

It was made up of a variety of raw fish — tuna, sea urchin (uni), salmon roe, and more — with tuna clearly being the star. If you love tuna sashimi, this is the dish for you, no question!

There was green onion, perilla leaf, and other bits mixed in, and every single thing paired well together.

A dish that nailed both the visuals and the flavor.

Tuna plus sea urchin — and a genuinely huge piece of uni at that. With this combo, it's hard for it NOT to taste good, right?

The first bite: the tuna was soft and nutty, and with the uni mixed in it got creamier and richer somehow?

There was tempura crumble mixed in too. Even when you scoop out a bit like this, there's still a ton left. Personally, the special ilpum-dong felt like eating really premium seafood properly — I loved it.

Premium kaisendon — a different combo with every spoonful

And then the premium kaisendon, with even more variety of seafood!

It was packed with high-quality fish and all kinds of seafood, so each spoonful felt like a slightly different combination. That made it even more enjoyable, since I got to taste so many different flavors.

Some bites were clean and light, others were rich and nutty — all over the place, in a good way.

Above all, the seafood was genuinely fresh. Only premium fish species were used, and I don't think anyone could dislike this.

Eating raw fish in summer can make you a bit nervous, but here the fish was so insanely fresh that I felt I could trust it completely.

The visuals were next level, and there wasn't a single piece I'd want to skip.

The cold udon served mid-meal

Midway through the meal, they brought out cold udon, and the bold broth flavor really stuck with me. Not the usual light broth you'd expect — this was intense, in a way that woke you right up!

It was refreshingly cold too, and even better with chicken on top. You know that thin layer of ice floating on top — perfect for this kind of weather.

And that white powder-looking stuff in the corner is tempura crumble. It adds texture and makes everything even tastier.

Isn't it interesting how there was a little personal water dispenser set up right on the table? You just pour from that — I thought it was neat, so I snapped a photo haha.

Dessert: milk pudding

Last up, dessert. The milk pudding came topped with a sweet-tangy sauce, and the texture alone was incredibly good.

I'm kind of obsessed with anything milk-related (I love that rich, nutty flavor), and this one had such a deep, real milk taste that it felt like eating a properly fancy pudding.

And look at that bounce! Such a clean finish.

Final thoughts

Overall, the seafood was plentiful and the whole spread felt substantial, so I left really full and satisfied haha. Having each course come out one after another felt filling and gave off omakase vibes.

I especially want the tuna-loaded special ilpum-dong again next time. If you're looking for a spot that does Japanese food really well near Gangnam Station, I highly, highly recommend this place!