Tuna Workshop 참치공방 @ Seoul

South Korea is blessed with excellent seafood given its long coastline. And it shares a heritage of eating tuna as sashimi and sushi with Japan albeit serving it differently.

Tuna Workshop 참치공방 has a restaurant located at Bukchangdong, a district in Korea well known for its prosperity.  If you have not figured out by now, the meal is all about the tuna.

Tuna is one of the most favoured fish for sushi and sashimi.  The Japanese word for bluefin tuna is maguro, and for yellowfin tuna, kihada. But as sushi migrated around the world the language became less precise. The main demarcation is between the top or back of the tuna and the underside. Back meat – or akami – is deep red indicating leanness. Underside meat, at any rate from the middle underside – the chest area or toro, which means “melting” – is lighter in colour, veined with fat and fantastically tasty.

To keep the prices low, they use seafood from different countries of origin, not necessary from Korea – 생대구: 동해안 Fresh Codfish (East Sea) / 대구: 미국, 러시아 Codfish (U.S.A, Russia) / 알: 미국 Roe (U.S.A) / 새우: 베트남 Shrimp (Vietnam) / 날치알: 아이슬란드 Flying Fish Roe (Iceland) / 참치: 인도양, 대서양, 태평양 Tuna (India Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean) / 쌀, 김치: 국내산, 중국산 Rice and Kimchi (Korea, China).

점심 스페셜 코스 Lunch Special is a set menu that comes with everything they have to offer at SGD 35 per person. You get 10 items that included a bibimbap and pollack roe maeuntang.

참치요리 Stewed Tuna

First up, a stewed tuna dish made from cooking the less desirable parts of the tuna with a savoury sweet sauce with radish. It tasted like braised pork belly, yes, it was that delicious.

참치샐러드 Tuna Salad

A regular shaped block is used for sashimi and presentation is part of the enjoyment of the fish. So what do you do with the corners and bits? Itamae would use them for maki. The Koreans tossed them with a salad. Tangy and spicy with the gochujang dressing.

튀김 Deep-fried Platter

Another starter which looks like karaage, a less harmful nugget. Instead of chicken, akami cut of the tuna is used for the deep fried karaage.

참치타다끼 Spicy Tataki

At first glance it looks like an okonomiyaki, but it’s actually seared albacore tuna with the okonomiyaki sauces served on a bed of chopped cabbage and lettuce.

사시미 Sashimi

The different cuts of tuna are served – akami, chutoro, otoro from both the bluefin tuan and yellowtail tuna.

And eating sashimi in Korea is different from Japan. It is usually served with pea shoots and eaten wrapped with nori sheets. Also the method of slicing the tuna is different from the Japan as they like to accentuate the veins across the belly for the aesthetic as well as texture.

초밥 Sushi

As you can see from these pieces of sushi, the tuna is sliced diagonally, leaving large areas of the sinew that can be quite chewy.

Also, they are often quite creative with the amount of neta (topping) vs shari (rice), like this one barely has any rice.

At this point the rest of the meal comes fast and furious, which includes a sautéed cabbage.

오징어튀김 Deep Fried Squid

After that comes the deep fried squid, which is made with a lightly seasoned batter and deep fried like calamari rings. Good variation with something that is not tuna.

매운탕 Spicy Fish Roe Stew

Maeuntang or spicy fish stew is a hot spicy fish soup boiled with gochujang, gochusgalu 고춧가루 or red pepper powder, and various vegetables. This variation is called altang 알탕 or spicy fish roe soup, which is made with unsalted pollack roe with the minty vegetable called minari 미나리 or water dropwort.

알밥 Fish Roe Rice

Albap 알밥 is a type of bibimbap made with one or more kinds of fish roe, most commonly flying fish roe, and served in a sizzling hot ttukbaegi or dolsot. Their version uses salted pollack row, which is called myeongran jeot 명란젓 or mentaiko in Japanese.

The savouriness and umami from the salted fish roe is perfect with the crusty rice that has been slightly baked on the hot stone. The gochujang provides the spice while the kimchi provides the tart and texture.

This place is great value for money. But I came with a Korean colleague. I read somewhere that if you come in the evening as a tourist, you will most likely not get a table. And I have tried as a single diner, they did not seat me as well.

Tuna Workshop City Hall 참치공방 시청점
64 Sejong-daero, Taepyeongno 2(i)-ga, Seoul, South Korea
Tel : +82 2 7745200

Visited Sep 2024