Sushi Doku The Seongsu 스시도쿠 더 성수

Hitsumabushi, grilled freshwater eel over rice, uses a whole eel and is eaten in three rounds: eel and rice on their own, then mixed with seaweed and perilla leaf, and finally as ochazuke with hot tea or broth poured over. Dividing the bowl into three sections at the start keeps the eel from running out in the first round. Sushi is shaped only after you order, with small rice portions, and the 1.5x sushi set spans white fish, salmon, tuna and cooked toppings. The kitchen is open, so the cutting and shaping happen in full view. One piece stacks sea urchin and sweet shrimp, the creamy roe against the sticky sweetness of the shrimp. The room between Seoul Forest and Ttukseom Station leaves generous space between tables. On a cold day, sukiyaki or beef udon fits alongside; on a warm one, chilled salmon udon or cold soba.