Seongsu izakaya date with mackerel sushi and aged sashimi: Tenba

I found this atmospheric izakaya in Seongsu and came in for a date night. From the fresh, thick-cut aged sashimi and mackerel pressed sushi to the kind service from the staff, it was an all-around very satisfying dinner.

Tenba Seongsu hours and parking

• Hours: 17:30–24:00
• Last order: 23:00
• Closed every Monday
• No parking available

Since this is Seongsu, parking is difficult, so you will need to use a nearby public parking lot. Tenba is on the first floor of the building.

Soft lighting and counter-seat atmosphere

Tenba's interior is a little dark but softly lit, and it felt like the kind of izakaya that many groups of women and couples come to visit.

There are seats ranging from counter seats to tables for four, so you can choose where you would like to sit. Since there were two of us, we chose the counter, and it was nice to watch the cooking right in front of us.

From the cabinet décor to every individual dish, everything fits the restaurant's mood so well and feels stylish.

What you can order at Tenba

These are Izakaya Tenba's signature dishes :) There were so many choices—including aged sashimi, mackerel pressed sushi, uni cream gim pasta, marinated Korean melon with prosciutto, large Spanish mackerel fry with smoked tartare, negitoro-don, and sea bream carpaccio—that it was hard to decide. The red scallop and clam butter sake steam, as well as the futomaki, also seemed to be popular choices.

Please refer to the photo for the paper menu and prices! There is also a wide selection of drinks.

Aged sashimi and mackerel pressed sushi dinner

The basic sides were dressed seaweed and sashimi soy sauce. The seaweed salad was slightly tangy and nutty, so I kept reaching for it.

They sliced and prepared our mackerel pressed sushi right before our eyes. Preparing mackerel seems like a dish that quietly takes a lot of work, and they made it look incredibly pretty too.

Our order arrived~ We ordered the two-person assorted sashimi, mackerel pressed sushi, and Sapporo draft beer.

A presentation that makes you happy just looking at it. Snap a photo, and the table is set!

Two-person assorted aged sashimi

The assorted aged sashimi comes with 10 kinds of fresh seasonal sashimi.

They first told us to eat the live abalone topped with abalone innards sauce before it cooled, so we did. It was the best abalone I have eaten in my life.. The warm, chewy yet tender abalone and savory sauce felt heavenly in my mouth. I only wished there had been more than one piece.

The sweet shrimp was also amazing lightly dipped in soy sauce—it melted and spread through my mouth like exceptionally luxurious marinated crab meat.

As befits such a premium ingredient, the uni (sea urchin roe) had a rich, soft nuttiness that went wonderfully with gim (roasted seaweed).

The lean and belly cuts of red sea bream were mild and pleasantly chewy.

The lean and belly cuts of bluefin tuna, along with the salmon, were softly savory with just the right amount of richness.

For a blue-backed fish, there was lightly vinegared herring. It had no fishiness at all and was a flavor I was trying for the first time. I had heard herring is difficult to prepare, and indeed, there were no fine bones and it tasted so clean.

The smoked Spanish mackerel was mild and chewy, with a pronounced smoky aroma that felt very refined.

Shime saba bo-zushi

The mackerel pressed sushi was a dish I was especially excited about because it was made right in front of us. Lime juice over the sushi gave it a subtle tang, while the top of the mackerel was lightly torched for a hint of charred aroma, letting its freshness come through. It is delicious on its own or wrapped in gim.

Mackerel can usually leave a fishy aftertaste, but the fish was so fresh and the lime juice cut through it, leaving my mouth clean even after the meal. I was very pleased.

I also watched them make futomaki, and it looked delicious with such a generously filled center. I would like to try some other dishes next time.

When we paid and left, I noticed that Izakaya Tenba even offered free hangover-relief drinks. It was a great restaurant with wonderful service and thoughtful touches too 👍🏻