Hanseongho

What They Stand For

He came into the business in his thirties — late by industry standards — and spent his first years watching what the older hands did and quietly deciding to do the opposite. No more reusing fish-handling towels; his kitchen runs on disposable kitchen paper. Every surface gets scrubbed like a home kitchen, not a port stall. He earned a blowfish-handling license so fugu could appear in almost every assorted sashimi platter, year-round, barring a month or two when it isn't available. His margin runs 30–40% while the industry average is 50–60%. His rule on quality is simple and expensive: if a fish doesn't clear 75–80% of his own standard, it gets thrown out, even if the cost was ₩50,000 or ₩60,000.

Behind the Signature

The house sets are built from the owner's own name — 한 (Han), 성 (Seong), 호 (Ho) — one character per course. Han is the red-crab set, the friendly entry point. Seong is the snow-crab set, the mid-premium option. Ho is the pure-sashimi set, for tables that want to taste what came in that morning without the crab spectacle. Every assorted platter, whatever the set, leans on seasonal wild fish first — the kind of fish most diners never get to try unless they're at a port. And thanks to the blowfish license, fugu is almost always in the mix. Ninety percent of what goes out is a set, and seventy percent of guests are repeat customers who learned the sets by heart and bring friends.