Date-night Korean beef sashimi at Yuksul, an Ansan bar in Gojan-dong

Looking for a nice Friday night date spot with my husband in Gojan-dong, Ansan, I found Yuksul, known for its yukhoe (raw beef) and beef sashimi~ The fresh beef sashimi satisfied my husband, who's serious about yukhoe and sashimi, so it turned into a really fun date~ The vibe was great too, perfect for a date spot, so let me introduce it~

Yuksul's location, hours, and parking

Address: 193-15 Gwangdeok 2-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor Yuksul / Hours: Mon–Thu 17:00–01:00, Fri–Sat 17:00–02:00 / Parking: Deoksan Tower parking, first 120 minutes free, extra ₩1,000 per 30 minutes, max ₩25,000

Free corkage for one bottle, why it's great for anniversaries

On a sign posted outside listing the 10 reasons this place has lasted so long in the neighborhood, the phrase 'free corkage for one bottle' caught my eye~ Being able to bring a cake and wine for an anniversary and enjoy it without any burden sounds so nice~ I might just throw my husband's birthday party here, since he loves yukhoe and beef sashimi!!!

After making a reservation, they had written my name and set aside a window seat for me~ It wasn't just a generic reservation sign but felt like they'd thought of me specifically, and that small touch of care got me feeling good from the start!!!

The atmosphere and two-story seating

The place had this mysterious appeal, like a bar out of a Chinese martial arts film crossed with a Japanese izakaya vibe~ The wide spacing between tables was great since conversations didn't blend with the next table over~ The second-floor tables in the two-story layout felt even more relaxed, so next time I'll head upstairs!!!

If you join the review event you can spin a roulette wheel for prizes~ You can also request songs, so feel free to request anything you want to hear~ The 19+ 'watermelon juice' drawing for grown-ups was so cute haha

What we ordered and the basic side dishes

We ordered Korean beef sashimi and the cream cheese 'flower' persimmon~ For basic side dishes they set out gim (dried laver), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), sauces, and beef radish soup~ Just so you know, only the gim costs extra at ₩1,500, everything else is free refill~

Wait, is the amount of beef in this beef radish soup for real? Every spoonful came up loaded with beef, which surprised me~ With that much beef in it, I actually double-checked whether refills were really possible~

Cream cheese 'flower' persimmon

The cream cheese 'flower' persimmon came out first~ It was cream cheese rolled in dried persimmon, served together with crispy candied walnuts, which was great~ It looked so much like an actual flower that I guess that's why they named it 'flower' persimmon instead of just cream cheese dried persimmon!!!

Baek-kimchi with strong sourness

To whet my appetite I tried the baek-kimchi that came as a basic side dish first~ It had sourness as strong as well-fermented kimchi~ The taste made me automatically wink, so I figured you could use the baek-kimchi as an excuse to flirt with someone you liked by winking at them~ If it works, it's a wink; if it doesn't, just say the kimchi made your eyes squint haha

A full spread of Korean beef sashimi, marbling like flowers

With the Korean beef sashimi out, the spread was complete~ The marbling on the sashimi bloomed so prettily like flowers that I feel like it should be called 'flower' beef sashimi too!!! I also liked that they sprinkled cinnamon powder on just one side of the cream cheese 'flower' persimmon, letting you try two versions~ Both versions were delicious, but I felt the cinnamon side had a more refined flavor~

The cream cheese 'flower' persimmon was cool and sweet, the dried persimmon meeting soft cream cheese for a taste as refreshing and sweet as ice cream~ The cream cheese wasn't too sour and had a strong smooth milk flavor that paired well with the persimmon~ The harmony with the crispy, sweet candied walnuts was also excellent~

How we combined gim, minari, and the sauces

Eating the Korean beef sashimi wrapped in gim together with minari (water dropwort), the salty gim and nutty sesame oil flavor passed and a subtle sweetness rose from the meat, chewy in a way that told me it was quality beef~ It went so well with the fragrant, refreshing taste of the minari~

Putting a piece of beef sashimi on gim with baek-kimchi and dadegi (spicy sauce) on top tasted strangely like eating a delicious oi-ji (pickled cucumber) side dish~ For someone like me who loves oi-ji, it was so delicious~ If you like oi-ji, you have to try eating it this way!!!

The pairing with squid jeotgal (salted fermented squid) was a subtly good meeting of sea and land~ The salty, chewy squid jeotgal lifted up the clean umami of the mild beef sashimi and matched well~

The garlic oil sauce had a salty, pungent nuttiness that felt like it maximized the umami of the beef sashimi, and the clean flavor was really nice!!!

The cut: inner eye of round

This was my first time seeing beef sashimi with such pretty marbling, so I wondered if it was a different cut instead of eye of round, but they confirmed it was indeed eye of round~ Except it wasn't regular eye of round — they said they only use the innermost part of the eye of round, which costs three times as much as regular eye of round~ I thought it was clearly different from regular eye of round, and sure enough, it was!!!

The dadegi was spicy, tangy, and nutty, and really delicious~ As you chewed, it mixed with the beef sashimi and brought out an intense umami~

The sesame sauce wasn't sweet and was rich, full of nuttiness~ My husband said dipping in the sesame sauce brought out the flavor of the beef sashimi more than the dadegi did~ Actually, my husband said he doesn't like covering good meat with seasoning, and that eating the beef sashimi plain with no sauce at all was the tastiest way~ He told me to go enjoy the true taste of the meat haha

In summary

That said, for my own taste, the dadegi suited me better than the sesame sauce~ Eating it combined with minari and dadegi tasted like a delicious minari muchim (seasoned minari salad), so good~ Of course, the beef sashimi is high enough quality to be delicious plain by itself, but since they serve it with all those accompaniments, that's clearly meant to be eaten together — so try it plain and try it with the sides, and enjoy it however you like~ If you're looking for a bar with great atmosphere or a clean spot for a gathering or a date, I recommend Yuksul!!!