Korean Restaurant Review: Pohang Susan by Joel Park

Pohang Susan 02-408-8817

Pohang Susan (soo sahn) is a restaurant (and I use "restaurant" loosely) in the fish market section of Garak Market. Most people go to Noryangjin for fresh fish and maeuntang (spicy fish stew), but I'm not a big fan. I've only eaten at a Noryangjin restaurant once and wasn't too impressed. The banchan was minimal and the maeuntang pretty much just had the fish we bought plus veggies.

Maeuntang: Spicy Seafood Soup with octopus

At Pohang it's different. Instead of buying the fish from a vendor and bringing it to the restaurant, the restaurant already has the fish in its tanks, presumably handpicked daily. If there's anything they don't have, just ask them and they'll have a guy bring it over from one of the vendors.

Raw Red Snapper done Korean Style

The quality of the fish is excellent, of course. We had wild red snapper, and it was awesome. The meat was firm and had no fishy smell whatsoever. It's such a huge difference from the pre-frozen sashimi in the states. The banchan is plentiful. We were served clams, shrimp, sea squirt, sea cucumber, the weird worm thing, gaejang (marinated crab), and some other stuff. The maeuntang had more than just the fish. They add a whole crab, big shrimp, little shrimp, an octopus, clams, and fish roe, all adding to the depth of the broth.

Pohang Susan is located in a food court-like area in the fish market by pillars 8 and 9. The restaurant itself isn't very clean. It's in a fish market, after all. Wear clothes that can get dirty. During peak hours, be prepared to wait. Seating is very limited (like four tables), and of all the places there, this is the busiest by far. I've been there when it was busy and also when it wasn't. This place always has the most customers. Try not go at night; unless you Ike standing around in a tiny, wet area with fish being chopped up all around you.

The fish before the knife

Located in the fish market in Garak Market, Garak Market Station on line 8 and 3 according to wiki. Taxi drivers will know. It is located in Songapa-gu. The phone number for the restaurant is the one in the picture. English is probably not spoken.

Joel Park originally hails from Seattle. He is a world traveler, but the taste of Korea keeps bringing him back. You can contact Joel here:  Joel Park.


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