Sushi Hwajung 化丁 (화정) @ Seoul

I was wandering around Bukchangdong looking for something to eat. Most of the Korean restaurants need two to dine. I had to settle for somewhere that would take me in.

I was missing some comfort food after a long trip abroad and sushi sounded nice. Sushi Hwajung is located on the upper floor of a building at the back lane of Bukchangdong and I decided to try my luck if they would accommodate me.

I was surprised the place was empty, and the servers did not speak much English. I asked if they were opened, and I was accommodated at the sushi counter. It didn’t seemed to be ready for service at 6pm.

I picked the omakase as I wasn’t in the mood to try ordering. The decor was simple and the utensils were not the usual stainless steel ones.

This VIP Omakase course features 7 pieces of the day’s finest aged sashimi, 12 pieces of sushi, and a uni bowl, along with cooked dishes.

Appetiser – Deep Fried Shrimps

Once the order was placed and the cold beet served, the first appetiser was promptly placed in front of me while the itamae worked on the rest of the meal. Deep fried barley shrimps (aka sakura shrimps in Japan) was savoury, crispy and great with the beer.

Appetiser – Chawanmushi with gamtae

Next up, a chawanmushi with gamtae floating on top. Gamtae 감태 takes root on mud flats and it’s impossible to breed them. With the aroma of the deep sea, a slightly bitter taste takes centre stage at first but soon gives way to a mild sweetness, and its deceptively silky texture tickles the taste buds.

Appetiser – Salad with truffle soy dressing and fish trimming in shiroika sauce

I was almost full by the time they served the third round of appetisers, and we weren’t even at the first piece of sushi! The small bowl of fish trimming in shiroika sauce gave me some ideas of what to serve at the next family gathering. They mixed all the trimmings of the raw fish and mixed it with salted guts of squid, simple and very satisfying.

The sequence of the omakase was quite different from the Japanese one. There’s no logical explanation why the chawanmushi was served so early in the meal, and then the miso soup (refillable) came along. The soup was rather watered down. And then some wasabi was placed on my serving plate on the counter. Maybe this was the start of the sushi course.

Seven Pieces of Sashimi

The aging sashimi, or “sugseong sashimi” 숙성 사시미, has a soft texture, subtle sweetness, and umami taste through proper aging techniques. It opens up a different taste world from live fish sashimi, the more common type of sashimi in Korea. I loved the presentation of the sashimi platter. The kanpachi was rolled into a rose, everything was folded into a small parcel, the botanebi (deep sea shrimp) was accompanied by sea urchin.

Uni Bowl

Sea urchin, called “seongge” 성게 or “bamsongi jogae” 밤송이 조개 in Korean, is known differently in Jeju as “gusal.” Jeju sea urchins are best harvested during summer, often harvested by haenyeo, the female divers of Jeju Island. Sea urchin roe is a prized ingredient, known for its rich, creamy texture and briny flavour.  The sea urchin spreads like a soft and rich cream cheese, filling the rice with a taste of the sea. It is a dish that captures everything good about the seas of Jeju.

Twelve pieces of Nigiri Sushi

I missed out the first piece, which was a hirame (flounder) nigiri. The sushi were ok, but not something that I would dream of at night. The fish were pre-cut and had dried out quite a bit.

The awabi (abalone) was braised in light soy sauce, and was tender and flavourful. It was counted as one of the twelve. And the traditional tamagoyaki rounded up the twelve pieces of sushi.

Noodles with Tempura

The main course was a bowl of Korean style noodles with bean curd and tempura. It was quite delicious, and I loved the chewy noodles, you know the type they used for cold noodles.

Dessert – Two Slices of Fruits

Seriously this was the most pathetic dessert I had in a high end sushiya – a piece of pineapple and a piece of watermelon. They might as well not try.

It started off very well with the appetisers, and then the sashimi was not bad. The sushi, which was supposed to be the main highlights, turned out subpar, and the finish was really bad. Not sure what attracted me to come here in the first place, perhaps it was a long week in Seoul and I needed some comfort food.

Sushi Hwajung 化丁 (화정)
29 Sejong-daero 14-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Bukchang-dong, 1st and 2nd floors above ground) 서울특별시 중구 세종대로14길 29 (북창동, 지상1~2층)
Tel : +82 (02) 774 9397

Visited Jun 2025