Wondumak: A Rustic Seafood Omakase Near Jamsil Baseball Stadium
A coworker recommended a good spot, so I visited Wondumak near Jamsil Baseball Stadium (in Seoul). Since they called it an "omakase," I went in expecting a high-end vibe with a chef preparing pieces right in front of me. But to my surprise, I was greeted by a yellow signboard that looked just like a neighborhood diner. The interior feels more familiar and rustic than refined—it's a cozy system where the auntie in the kitchen roughly slices things up and casually serves them to your table.
When I first heard the price was 50,000 KRW (approx. $36) per person, I wondered if it could really be called a good deal. But once the food started covering the table, it actually felt like a bargain. They serve everything from thick slices of sashimi to yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). I'm not exactly sure what kind of fish it was, but the texture was so good that the somaek (soju and beer mixed) went down like a waterfall. I don't know much about sashimi, so I'll leave it to you readers to guess what it is.
The most memorable part was the roughly chopped abalone and seafood. The drinking snacks just kept coming: large abalone, some kind of white parboiled squid or cuttlefish, and parboiled octopus served with sesame oil and salt. It's not beautifully plated, but the chewy seafood is so addictive that my chopsticks couldn't stop moving.
Eating the chive pancake with squid, along with chewy conch and cucumbers, made it impossible to stop drinking somaek, so I just gave up taking pictures halfway through. If you don't care too much about the ambiance and just want to stuff yourself with a great-value seafood omakase, I highly recommend checking this place out at least once. If I'm ever in the area again, I'd definitely want to stop by.
