Red snapper–raw shrimp half-and-half, Namdong patio: Veteran Fish

Hi, it's Ttubi! Now that evenings are getting cooler, there's one dish that comes to mind first — raw shrimp sashimi! That's because shrimp get plump and meaty from September through November. I figured more people would start seeking it out soon, so I hurried over before it got harder to enjoy.

But my husband has never tried raw shrimp sashimi, so to play it safe I looked for a place that serves both live fish sashimi and raw shrimp sashimi together, and it just so happened there was one near Incheon City Hall Station — so I ran straight over to Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch! Let's get into the review.

How to walk to Veteran General Fish Market from Incheon City Hall Station

Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch is only a 5-to-10-minute walk from Incheon City Hall Station, so it was really easy to find. The big, bold sign at the entrance made it easy to spot at a glance.

Inside Veteran General Fish Market: patio tables and group rooms

The moment I stepped inside Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch, I noticed something: most raw fish restaurants have that distinct fishy smell, but this place is so spacious and well-ventilated that it felt really pleasant! The space is roomy and clean, so it seemed perfect not just for small gatherings but for group dinners too. In particular, there's a cozy room set aside for group guests, which looked great for enjoying a more private meal.

On top of that, there are outdoor tables set up on one side of the restaurant! These days when the breeze is cool, sitting outside with a cool wind, a bite of sashimi, and a drink in hand really hits different, seriously...

Self-serve kimchi pancake, seaweed soup and the side dish spread

As soon as we sat down and ordered, the first place we headed was the self-serve kimchi pancake corner! You can fry your own kimchi pancake as a pre-meal snack, and once it turned golden and crispy, the smell alone was so savory that we polished off a whole one before the sashimi even arrived.

The basic side dishes on the table were also solid, but the seaweed soup (miyeokguk) that came as the default soup was on another level. Wow... this place is seriously a seaweed soup destination! Somehow, even though I hadn't had any alcohol, the refreshing broth made me feel like I was recovering from a hangover haha. Filling up on kimchi pancake and seaweed soup before the sashimi even showed up...

What comes with the raw shrimp + live fish sashimi half-and-half (small)?

Raw shrimp sashimi + live fish sashimi (small)

Here comes the main event~ I let out a gasp the moment I saw it! Glossy raw shrimp and vividly red red snapper sashimi were laid out cleanly on the plate, and you could tell just by looking how fresh it was.

Seriously the ultimate visual...! My husband and I have slightly different sashimi preferences, so we were torn — but I really wanted raw shrimp sashimi, and my husband, who isn't great with raw shrimp, was after live fish sashimi, so ordering the raw shrimp + live fish half-and-half (small) turned out to be a great compromise, right? The shrimp wasn't just a token taste-sized portion either — there was plenty to fully enjoy.

How to eat raw shrimp sashimi: soy sauce, or laver with white kimchi?

I wanted to pick it up just like this haha, but the shrimp was so firm and springy it wasn't easy to grab with chopsticks. I personally prefer dipping it lightly in soy sauce rather than chojang (vinegar-chili sauce), since it lets the shrimp's natural sweetness and savoriness come through much better. My husband, who was a bit wary of raw shrimp sashimi at first, tried a piece and said it was cleaner-tasting than he expected — and he ate it well!

It had been so long since I'd had raw shrimp sashimi that I was buzzing with excitement, and the moment I put a piece in my mouth, the bouncy, chewy texture hit first — dopamine round one — and as I kept chewing, that distinct sweet umami flavor rose up — dopamine round two — and I couldn't help but smile. I've been cutting back on drinking lately, but how am I supposed to not drink with this...? Couldn't resist the soju. Absolutely the best, seriously.

I didn't want the raw shrimp sashimi to disappear too fast so we cut pieces in half, but since the shrimp were so plump it was totally fine. My husband, who hasn't had much raw shrimp sashimi, actually said he preferred the texture of the halved pieces!

And I tried out a combo I'd seen online! I put crunchy white kimchi on a piece of laver (seaweed sheet), then topped it with half a piece of the firm raw shrimp sashimi and wrapped it up. The salty laver and the sweet-and-sour white kimchi combined with the shrimp's chewiness to double the umami — it was a better combination than I expected. But the shrimp's own flavor got a little muted, so personally I'm firmly on team soy sauce haha.

Grilled shrimp heads at Veteran General Fish Market

They also brought out shrimp heads grilled until crisp! The outside was crackly like a cracker, and the moment you bit in, the moist, rich savoriness of the shrimp innards burst out — a totally different charm from the sashimi, and great as a palate refresher in between.

Red snapper sashimi wrapped in lettuce

The red snapper, which has quietly become our favorite, had its skin well torched (maskawa-style), giving it a crisp-yet-chewy texture that we loved, and the more we chewed, the more its savory, clean flavor came through — reconfirming why it's become our favorite.

And did you all know red snapper pairs really well with a lettuce wrap? A red snapper specialty restaurant taught me this combo, and I really recommend it.

• Lettuce
• White kimchi
• Red snapper
• Ssamjang (dipping sauce)
• Garlic
• Chili pepper
• Pickled young ginger

Wrap it all up and eat it — seriously such a great combo, so delicious!

The complimentary grilled saury

Partway through, grilled saury came out as a standard complimentary dish. Eating only sashimi can get monotonous, but picking apart the crispy-outside, savory-inside grilled fish flesh added variety to the textures — you'd normally have to pay for grilled fish like this, so it was a great bonus.

Finishing with fish bone spicy soup and ramen noodles

And of course, a raw fish restaurant meal has to end with spicy soup! We added an order of fish bone spicy soup (seodeori maeuntang). There was plenty of thick fish flesh in the soup, making it fun to scoop up the chunks. With the chewy dumpling dough that comes standard, plus unlimited ramen noodle add-ins simmered into a spicy broth, the flavor really soaked in and we finished the meal stuffed to the brim.

We were originally going to have 3 bottles but the owner cleared them away. I had work the next day so I had to pace myself, but if it had been a Saturday, I have no idea how much we would've had... Seriously the kind of place where soju just flows, so highly recommended for gatherings or group dinners!