Japanese Restaurant near the Blue House

Ah, Japanese food, especially the 회 or raw fish is absolutely divine. I love love love raw chilled tuna with rice and raw salad greens topped with a sweetened spicey red pepper sauce. And in Hyehwa-dong near where I used to teach is a fabulous raw tuna restaurant. Uh, actually saying 'raw tuna' in English makes the dish sound disgusting, so it's much better to refer to the tasty tuna in Korean (참치회) as the culture connotations mix better with the flavors of the food.

This particular Japanese restaurant had a very attractive external appearance. A small rustic looking building with paned glass, which is rather odd in Korea, and the glass panes were painted with wandering stems of 5" cherry blossoms, Japan's national flower.

Inside the decor was cozy and quaint. The small tables were of rustic build - wood pieces of various sizes and painted in various faded colors were nailed in hodge-podge designs and chairs were brown wood warm. The counter lost the rustic and gave a more modern appearance with a long glass display case enshrining the raw fish choices and delicacies to be served. My friend was particularly hungry after hiking and eating a piecemeal breakfast so ordered a menu set with noodles and a side order of raw fish. I ate up the ambiance.



Such a friendly attractive setting with good food and service! Though I'd like to recommend the restaurant, I didn't get the name. Boo, I know. However, on the wall, there was a copy of a historial map of the area, and their map indicated with a red dot their location. From the description I've given and this map, the place would be easy to find for any interested.