Goyang sushi restaurant VIP set with aged fish: Hwangje Sushi

With this pleasantly cool, walk-perfect weather lately, I took a light, healing stroll around Ilsan Lake Park and then raced over to Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch to fill my hungry stomach! After eating my fill, I made a proper grocery run at the nearby Costco and headed home—the perfect route.

Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch: location and visitor information

Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch is on the first floor of the SK M City building. It is open daily from 11:00 to 21:20, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00; parking and pets are allowed, and corkage is free.

Even the exterior has that polished, unmistakably Japanese-restaurant presence. True to a Japanese restaurant, the space was very neat, and the generously spaced tables made it comfortable for a relaxed meal.

The tidy, clean atmosphere also makes it a great date spot.

It is not just for dates, either—it is great with parents, children, or the whole family. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a lovely green view outside. There are bar seats for solo diners too, so it is good even if you come alone! The self-service station has the items you might need, while the staff set up all the basics at the table for you ^^

I wanted a glass of sake, but I held back because if I drank at lunch, I might end up crawling home instead of shopping at Costco haha. The sushi was so fresh and tasty that I kept craving sake.

A whole shrimp with a Naver review!!! I spotted this only as I was leaving, so I could not use it—but who can resist shrimp tempura?! Haha.

What comes with the VIP Sushi set?

After some deliberation, my friend and I both ordered the VIP Sushi set.

There are many other Japanese dishes besides sushi, so you can enjoy plenty of variety! Next time, I am going to try the kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), haha.

There was gari (pickled ginger). Unlike elsewhere, the sweet-and-sour seaweed salad came with the seaweed, cucumber, and onion separately. At first I wondered what it was, but it was deliciously tangy, with each ingredient keeping its own flavor rather than being mixed together.

Abalone porridge and fried salmon

The abalone porridge was nutty and soothing on the stomach, hehe. I absolutely loved that abalone porridge came with the meal at this price, haha.

The fried salmon was chewy yet tender, with an explosion of rich flavor!! Seriously, one bite and I nearly ordered sake ㅜ

Hwangje Sushi's VIP Sushi! When you order sushi, this set comes with porridge, grilled salmon, a fried item (croquette), and udon, so it is an excellent-value combination!!

Non-fishy aged sashimi and springy sushi

I normally do not like tuna sushi because it often has a slightly fishy taste, but Hwangje Sushi's tuna sushi had absolutely none of that fishiness and was so delicious!!

Every single piece of sushi was high quality. Look at that shine, haha. And the croquette was crisp outside and moist inside.

I am the type who thinks sushi or sashimi is only complete with some kind of savory pancake or fried dish, so I really loved this set and enjoyed it.

The grilled salmon was wonderfully chewy. The swordfish belly simply melted in my mouth—melted!! It was so delicious that I wanted to eat 12 pieces of swordfish belly alone, hahaha.

Eel, abalone, beef and raw shrimp tataki, and sea bream sushi. Overall, the sashimi quality was excellent! It was not fishy at all, and the wonderfully springy texture was a work of art. There was none of that mushy feeling; it settled perfectly in the mouth. I kept thinking, “Ah, so this is what properly aged sashimi is!” and my friend and I silently demolished it, nom nom haha.

Lastly, mini udon!! It comes with mini udon, but the portion was generous, the broth was good, and the noodles had not gone soft—it was delicious.

Wow, there is absolutely no fishy smell—it is crazy good!

I actually visited with a friend from Busan who is known for being very picky about food, you know? Since Busan friends live near the sea, everyone knows they absolutely cannot eat sashimi if it is even a little fishy, right? But after one piece, this friend ate so well, haha. They said this really is a great sushi place in Ilsan and that we should come every time we visit Costco, hahaha. I think it is officially going to be part of our Costco route now.

A filling sushi course before Costco

Considering the sushi's quality and freshness for the price, plus the porridge, udon, fried item, and grilled fish that come as standard in the dining room, it felt incredibly good value—almost hard to believe at this price. If you want to properly enjoy high-quality sushi in Ilsan, do stop by.