a not-so-worthwhile Japanese meal

The old chicken-popper place in my building's basement went under a bit before I left for Jeju, and I wondered what was going to replace it. When I got back from Andong, I saw a new Japanese-themed restaurant in its place.

Last night, my curiosity got the best of me, and I ordered a meal of fried shrimp and a 10-piece nigiri combo. The guy prepping the meal told me it'd be ready in 15 minutes, so I did some errands before coming back (garbage, groceries, etc.). The guy still wasn't done prepping my meal when I came back after 15 minutes, and he bade me wait a little longer, which I did, sitting at the counter and futzing with my phone. The prep time ended up being closer to 30 minutes, but I got my meal—expensive at W33,000—and took it back to my apartment.

While the meal wasn't bad, it was—like most of the Japanese food I've eaten in Korea—overpriced and not exactly great. Here, take a look for yourself:

the ensemble

turned out to be whole fried shrimp

the rather boring 10-piece combo

mussel soup and sauces

The fact that the shrimp were fried whole was interesting. Ever since I discovered how tasty shrimp heads can be, I wasn't turned off by the presence of the heads, and since I don't mind eating shrimp shells, either, I simply crunched my way through all the shrimp. Not bad, but distinctly mediocre. Everything else was just as meh as well. All in all, this wasn't worth the hefty price tag, and I doubt I'll be going back to that place. I mean, I wish the resto luck, but I predict the place will go under in a year or two.