Guwol-dong fish restaurant for 3, raw shrimp and spicy stew: Veteran

Raw shrimp sashimi is in season lately, and I keep craving it, haha. The plump, sweet raw shrimp kept popping into my head, so this time I went out to eat it along with some sashimi! I visited Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch.

I'd been to Veteran General Fish Market's Incheon City Hall branch before, so I was curious about their other branches. So this time I decided to check out the Guwol branch!

Self-fried kimchi pancake before the sashimi arrives

You've got to get the kimchi pancake when you come here, haha. It's great as a light bite before the sashimi comes out, and there's the fun of frying it yourself, so I kept reaching for it while waiting. I whipped up a kimchi pancake while the crowd thinned out! This time I even nailed the flip in one go! Flipping kimchi pancake always makes me a little nervous, lol. Getting it in one try felt oddly satisfying.

A nicely golden-brown kimchi pancake! Crispy on the outside and slightly chewy inside, it was perfect as a light snack before the sashimi. With kimchi mixed in, it wasn't greasy at all, and eating it hot definitely made it taste even better, haha.

Basic side dishes: saury, salted roe, and aged kimchi

The basic side dishes were also really generous! They gave us saury, salted pollack roe, aged kimchi, corn kernels, salad, and more, so there was plenty to pick at before the sashimi arrived. The aged kimchi in particular went well with the sashimi too, and the salted roe was salty enough that I kept reaching for it. Nibbling on the side dishes one by one while waiting for the main dishes made the time fly by, haha.

What we ordered as a group of 3

There wasn't much deliberation over the menu that day, lol. Since I'd come determined to eat raw shrimp sashimi, I ordered it right away and also picked out an assorted sashimi platter. Raw shrimp sashimi alone felt like it might not be quite enough, so I also ordered the assorted platter to try several kinds of sashimi together. And after sashimi, you can't skip out on a hot soup, so we finished off the order with spicy fish stew! I figured eating like this would fill us up properly, haha. For reference, there were 3 of us!!

The thickness and pairings of the assorted sashimi

First, we checked out the assorted sashimi platter. Being able to eat several kinds of sashimi at once really does make the assorted platter the most convenient option for sashimi lovers, haha. Eating just one kind of sashimi can sometimes feel a bit lacking, but with the assorted platter you get to try one of each kind, which was nice. The slices were also a good thickness, so it was great to enjoy that chewy texture while eating. We tried dipping it lightly in vinegar-chili sauce or soy sauce, and also paired it with aged kimchi, mixing and matching different combinations.

Seasonal raw shrimp sashimi, just a light dip in soy sauce

Just looking at it, it was full of that plump, springy feel. Of course, you have to grab a piece of raw shrimp sashimi and eat it right away, haha. Taking a bite, the shrimp meat was plump and chewy and tasted great. Personally, I think raw shrimp sashimi tastes best with just a light dip in soy sauce rather than a lot of sauce, so you can taste the shrimp's own natural sweetness. The springy texture was great and the sweet flavor was great, so I kept reaching for more, lol.

This alone would be delicious enough,

I thought, but I'm still glad we ordered the sashimi platter along with it.

If raw shrimp sashimi has that plump, sweet flavor, the assorted platter has slightly different textures and flavors depending on the type, so it was fun to alternate between them. A piece of raw shrimp sashimi, then a piece from the assorted platter, then raw shrimp sashimi again... lol. Eating like that, the plates emptied out before we knew it. I really do think sashimi tastes better when you eat several kinds together rather than just one, haha.

Spicy fish stew with dumpling flakes and instant noodles

And the dish you can't skip after sashimi! It's the spicy fish stew, haha. After eating a fair amount of sashimi, having it simmered up hot and spicy was so satisfying with that hot, sharp broth. You know how after eating sashimi, a spoonful of hot broth just goes down so smoothly, right? Lol. With dumpling flakes (sujebi) and instant noodles added into the spicy broth, it was the perfect way to finish the meal.

At first I wondered if we'd be able to finish the stew too since we'd eaten so much sashimi, but once it arrived, we somehow found room, haha. On a day you eat sashimi, you really do need to finish with spicy fish stew to feel like the meal is complete!

Wrapping up the Guwol branch visit

This time I visited the Guwol branch of Veteran General Fish Market. I had a good memory of enjoying sashimi at the Incheon City Hall branch before, so I was curious about the Guwol branch too, and from raw shrimp sashimi to the assorted platter to the spicy stew, I came away really full that day too, haha. Especially during a season like now when raw shrimp sashimi keeps coming to mind, that plump, sweet raw shrimp really is a special treat. If you love raw shrimp sashimi, give it a try while it's in season! I thought I wouldn't crave raw shrimp sashimi for a while after eating that day... but looking at these photos again, I want it again, lol.