논현동 김수사 스시 (Nonhyun-dong Kim Soo Sa Sushi)

김수사 (Kim Soo Sa) is perhaps the hottest sushi restaurant in Seoul today.  Not because they are serving the best sushi in Seoul but because their sashimi and sushi courses are considered the best bang for your buck.  High end sushi-yas such as Sushi Cho and Sushi Sunsoo have solidified their status as the best sushi in Korea but the competition for mid-level sushi-ya is extremely fierce with over 20 decent sushi-yas just off the top of my head.  Here's a review of a couple of my favorite mid-level sushi-yas in Seoul before I start on Kim Soo Sa:

오가와 스시 (Ogawa Sushi): http://woongkyoandyujung.blogspot.kr/2014/01/gwanghwamun-ogawa-sushi.html
스시 고 (Sushi Go): http://woongkyoandyujung.blogspot.kr/2014/05/seorae-maeul-sushi-go.html

Six seats at the counter, four tables that can seat 2-4, and several rooms make up the restaurant.  You'd be lucky to find a seat/table without a reservation so make sure you call beforehand.  

Special Sashimi Course 90,000 won

Sashimi Course 70,000 won

Sushi Course 50,000 won

Went with the Sushi Course

Another great thing about this place is that there is no corkage fee for whiskey, wine, or sake.

As always, made reservations for a seat at the counter.  I find it best to sit at the counter in order to talk with the chef about the ingredients, tell him my likes, dislikes, etc.  

A bowl of veggies

This restaurant is very Korean-ized compared to other sushi-yas.  Something you'd see at a 회집 (Korean Sashimi Restaurants).

So this is a Father-Son restaurant business.  The father, pictured on the right, has 40 years of Japanese cuisine experience and has worked at places such at Grand Hyatt Seoul's Akasaka Japanese Restaurant.  The son followed in his father's footsteps and has recently apprenticed at Ichon-dong's famous 기꾸 (Gikku) sushi restaurant before joining his father's Kim Soo Sa.  The restaurant has been in operation since 1986 but I'm assuming the younger son has attracted a wider audience (to include myself).

Sushi chef on the far left is the son mentioned above, Chef Jung.  Another rave on the Korean food blogs is that young female chef on the far right.  It's rare to see a female sushi chef anywhere to include Japan so she's been the talk of the town.  Chef Jung told me that she's been working for four months now and is doing a great job.

Abalone Porridge

I heard about the free corkage so took a bottle of white wine for the meal.  Asked for it to be chilled and they provided an ice bucket.  Awesome service.

A glass of Suntory Draft while the wine chills.

Alright, let's get started.

A good variety of tsukemono.

Miso Soup

Hirame (Flounder)

A lot of influence from Gikku with the long pieces of sashimi.

Otoro (Fatty Tuna)

Akami (Lean Tuna)

Forget what this piece was.

Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna)

Sayori (Japanese Halfbeak)

Ika Uni (Squid and Sea Urchin Roe).  Beautiful.

Beer.  Soju.  Wine.  Got it all covered.

Avocado Kani (Avocado with Crab Meat)

Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp)

Kazunoko (Herring Roe)

Saba (Mackerel)

Aburi Engawa (Seared Flounder Fin)

Aji (Japanese Horse Mackerel)

Uni Nigiri (Sea Urchin Roe)

Forget the fish but it was marinated with fish intestines.  Too fishy even for me.

Kani Miso (Crab Meat with Crab Intestines)

Whew.  After 17 pieces, finally the udon.  Must be the last dish.

Or not.  More sushi.

Fugu Shirako (Pufferfish Sperm Sac)

I've had shirako before in Japan and it was extremely rich and delicious.  This on the other hand wasn't as tasty.  Still nice to see them offer such a precious piece of sushi.

Negitoro (Tuna with Green Onion)

Aburi Otoro (Seared Fatty Tuna).  This was amazing.

Anago (Salt Water Eel)

Gyoku (Egg Castella)

After 22 pieces of tuna and a small bowl of udon, I was uncomfortably full.  It was just too much food.  But like most other sushi-yas, Chef Jung asked if there was a final piece I'd like to have.  I probably should have stopped but I just can't pass up free food!  I asked for a piece of otoro for Christine and uni for myself. 

Three layers of uni goodness

So I asked for otoro for Christine and uni for myself and Chef Jung decided to give both of us a piece of each.  Did I mention that my stomach was about to explode?

And of course, Christine passes her otoro to me to finish.  A rare occasion where I really wanted to pass up on eating otoro.

So now you can see why this restaurant has the hype.  50,000 won divided by 24 pieces of sushi comes out to an average of roughly 2,083 won per piece (about $2).  That's an amazing deal especially when you consider the quality of the fish, not to mention the uni and otoro.  And this is not including the side dishes.  The lunch sushi course is 40,000 won and from the looks of other blog posts, it's not too much different from the dinner sushi course.

For someone that enjoys the true flavors of each fish, Kim Soo Sa is definitely a must try.  Chef Jung doesn't put a lot of sauce or other flavors on the sushi so it can be rather difficult for a novice sushi eater.  In that case, I would recommend Ogawa Sushi where they smear a light layer of sweet sauce on every piece of sushi and the price per piece is about $2 as well.  As for me, I already made reservations for this coming Wednesday for another meal at Kim Soo Sa with a business partner.

논현동 김수사 스시 (Nonhyun-dong Kim Soo Sa Sushi)
강남구 논현동 4-19 (Gangnam-gu Nonhyun-dong 4-19)
02-542-5235