Dongdaemun seafood restaurant for fatty flounder: Simdo Hoetjip

Why you need a dinner reservation at Simdo Hoetjip in Jegi-dong

I suddenly had the biggest craving for sashimi, so I looked for a seafood restaurant around my office in Jegi-dong and went to Simdo Hoetjip because the reviews were so good :) It was about 10 minutes by bus from work and close to home too, which made this Cheongnyangni seafood spot even better! There were lively fish in the tank outside haha. (Sorry... but... sashimi is delicious, you know...)

They said lunch runs by reservation only!!! If you reserve, they give you a little taste of braised sea bream or flounder jeon (pan-fried fish), so definitely book before visiting ㅠㅠ (I'm curious about that flounder jeon..!!) I booked ahead because I heard dinner waits could be long, and they had even written down my seat... hehe. So cute.. haha.

Make a reservation for dinner! I would have been in trouble without one ㅠㅠ

The table right beside us was reserved too ㅠㅠㅠ Since it's a popular spot, there are lots of customers. I recommend checking whether there is a table available or making a reservation beforehand :)

The table setting and menu

They had chojang (sweet-tangy chili dipping sauce), soy sauce, soju glasses, paper cups, and sauce dishes ready :) I eat a ton of chojang, so it was nice that I could keep having it without feeling self-conscious!! They also served bottled water, and it was so cold ㅠㅠ!! (I chugged it the second I arrived hehe..)

This is the menu at Simdo Hoetjip near Gyeongdong Market! So many options, right!! There were great-value sets, and even sampler portions of raw shrimp that did not feel like a big commitment haha. Beyond sashimi, there were seafood dishes, soups and stews, rice bowls, salt-grilled and butter-grilled raw shrimp, mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup), and more, so decide what you want in advance haha. (I thought about it for ages too ㅠㅠ)

Ah...!!! There was a reason it was so busy..! The owner reportedly has 40 years of cooking experience and was a head chef at overseas embassies. (No wonder everything was delicious..!)

We ordered Assorted Sashimi B (medium)! I had actually wanted the A set, but they said there was no salmon... sigh... I was a little disappointed because I had been looking forward to salmon, but the B set came with red seabream, which was at least some consolation haha.

Generous banchan before the sashimi even arrived

The banchan (side dishes) just kept coming..?? The owner kept bringing them over, and every single combination was impossibly good haha. It has been so long since I found such a generous neighborhood seafood restaurant ㅠㅠㅠ

The most memorable and special side dishes were the kimchi pancake and braised fish!! I suddenly cannot remember the name of the braised fish...ㅠ The kimchi pancake was seriously insanely crisp and seasoned just right ㅠㅠ It had been a while since I had one, and it was absolutely delicious..! Huge recommendation for anyone who loves kimchi pancakes!! It was perfect as a drinking snack hehe.

Seaweed soup and steamed egg also came as basic sides, and the broth was incredible ㅠㅠㅠ I do not usually like thick seaweed, but the seaweed here was really tender ㅠㅠ And the steamed egg? What more needs to be said ㅠㅠ

The braised fish was really delicious too hahaha. My boyfriend said the item in the second photo was roe, and it was so good?? I thought the sides might be cold because they had been prepared ahead of time, but everything came out hot, so we enjoyed it so much ㅠㅠ!!

The soy sauce from the braised fish? This was seriously delicious!! It was good dipped with fish and shredded scallions, and even a little dip with the kimchi pancake was tasty, so I had already started a one-person eating marathon before the sashimi arrived.. hehe.

And these clams? The sauce on these was really good too haha. There were chilies, so it was spicy, but I am not someone who cannot handle spice haha. And it is no secret that the sauce was so good, I later mixed rice into it hehe.

It was fun to watch them catch the seafood themselves too haha. They caught what might have been live octopus or webfoot octopus, as well as fish haha. Seeing that just makes me think people who grab them so decisively are amazing ㅠㅠ!!

Assorted Sashimi B (medium) for ₩66,000 and flounder

Finally, our assorted sashimi arrived ㅠㅠㅠ There were a lot of orders before ours, so it came out a little late, but it was fine because we waited while eating the basic sides!!! It included four kinds: flounder, rockfish, red seabream, and flounder!! They said the selection can change with the season, and the B set includes seasonal red seabream :) The sashimi was really fresh and generously portioned, which I loved. The flower decoration was complimentary lol, and I gave the lemon that came with it a good squeeze hehe. Sashimi and soju are impossible to resist!!! It had been a while since my boyfriend and I had sashimi with soju together!!!!

The sashimi here is sliced really thick..!! People at the next table were saying they loved how thick it was too..! hehe

The flounder at Simdo Hoetjip was honestly among the best flounder I had this year..!!! I like fatty sashimi, and this flounder was so tender, springy, and rich~ haha. Pure flounder goodness ㅠㅠㅠ I dipped it generously in makjang (savory fermented soybean dipping sauce), which I love ㅠ Ah.. delicious sashimi tastes great with anything, as expected..! I also made proper wraps in perilla leaves!! By the way, there was aged kimchi too hehe.

Looking at the photos now, I think I ate all the flounder that came to our table today hahaha. They are all flounder photos ㅠㅠ That is how delicious the flounder sashimi really was... My boyfriend was amazed by the size of the flounder and rockfish slices haha. We thought we would need rice as we ate, so we added rice and wrap vegetables right away :) Rice, makjang, and perilla leaf all wrapped together was so tasty ㅠㅠㅠ

Complimentary gimmari and the outside-restroom guide

The owner gave us gimmari (seaweed rice rolls) on the house ㅠㅠㅠ!!! It had been such a long time since I had seen this served at a seafood restaurant,,, and they even sell three for ₩5,000. The owner is the best..!!

It had been so long since I ate one that I had forgotten what was inside haha. I do not think I had eaten one since elementary school..! The owner said it would taste even better topped with sashimi, so I was going to try it that way!! I added a spoonful of rice too, hoping for something like a sashimi rice bowl... Ah.. there was rice in it already... hahaha! I was eating it thinking I was a genius for adding rice, but it already had rice in it, haha!! (Awkward.) I topped the last bite with sashimi too and finished it in two bites!! It was packed with flying-fish roe and really delicious..!! Please try the gimmari..!

The restroom is outside!!!! I was a little startled because it felt farther away than expected hahaha, but it is not actually that far—just a nice distance to walk off your meal lol. Bring the card key and toilet paper from the restaurant :) Maybe because it is the Lotte Castle shopping arcade restroom, security was thorough and it was clean, which was nice haha.

I came back from the restroom and my boyfriend was not eating the gimmari? I asked, “Why are you not eating it~?” and he said I looked like I was enjoying it so much that he wanted me to have it all hahaha. (Thank you..) I added sashimi one more time and ate it~

I finished with one last bite wrapped in perilla leaf hahaha. (The garlic was complimentary~ haha.) As always, I was having a wrap party all by myself today hahaha. The perilla leaves were fresh and large, so I made such satisfying wraps hehe.

It had been a while since I had a proper sashimi-and-soju meal at a neighborhood-style seafood restaurant like Simdo Hoetjip ㅠㅠㅠ Simdo Hoetjip was the place that made me realize, “So flounder can taste this good,” hahaha. The staff were all kind, and I loved the generous banchan at this Cheongnyangni seafood restaurant!!!