[Grand Hyatt Seoul] Kaori — Honest Review of the Lunch Sushi Omakase and Tray Set. Earn Double World of Hyatt Points.

Director Baek’s rating ★★★★★

Hello.

I’m Director Baek from Rev Dental Clinic, a Gangnam teeth-whitening clinic.

I visited Kaori, the Japanese restaurant at Grand Hyatt Seoul, for the first time in a while.

It feels like it had been almost two years, but even after all that time, it was still a wonderful space.

I went for lunch and, on a whim, enjoyed both the lunch sushi omakase and the lunch tray set!

Grand Hyatt Seoul Kaori

As the title of my old post suggested, this was a place where the sushi was so delicious that I never felt overly full.

A review of how it was still just as good after visiting again following a long break..

Location: 322 Sowol-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Parking: Valet parking available.

Grand Hyatt Seoul is very generous when it comes to valet parking.

It is included without exception on the hotel’s complimentary valet parking lists for most credit cards. I suppose that is because guests rarely leave their cars at the hotel and then go elsewhere nearby, so there are not many people using the benefit without actually dining or staying there.

Oh, right! There is currently a promotion from August 1 through September 30 offering double World of Hyatt points.

I couldn’t find it on the website when I looked.. It was a promotion that had been sent to me through KakaoTalk, and it is a very generous offer that awards double points when dining at the restaurants and bars!

Normally, points worth around 10 percent of the amount spent are awarded, so getting double the points is quite something...!!!!

I have the Hyundai American Express Platinum card and the Hyundai Card 대한항공 the First, so I also make sure to take advantage of earning two to three times the points.

Exterior

I went to Kaori one day on a whim.

It was my first visit in a really long time, and it is a cozy yet sophisticated space.

Interior

There are window seats with a clear view outside, counter seats, and table seats.

Since we were walk-ins, we were shown to a table. It was a corner table with plenty of space, which was nice.

I heard that the remaining seats require reservations!

The menu on the left is Kaori’s lunch sushi omakase.

Since we were not seated at the counter, the five pieces of sushi were served in two rounds at the table.

The menu on the right is Kaori’s tray set.

Personally, I recommend the Kaori tray set.

Especially when eating at a table.. there is not as much difference in the overall impression between the sushi omakase and the tray set as you might expect.. haha

In any case, the prices are 160,000 won versus 108,000 won. Since the day we visited was a public holiday, I could not receive the 10 percent discount from the Hyundai American Express Platinum card.

Let’s begin the meal!!!

Let’s first take a look at the lunch sushi omakase I had.

To start, they served boiled octopus topped with banana vinegar and tomato sauce.

The genuine banana aroma was fascinating. haha It was a very memorable way to stimulate the appetite.

Kaori is delicious, as always~

Plenty of soy sauce and wasabi are essential. ^^

Sashimi of flounder and amberjack.

I did not know amberjack was also available in summer. In any case, it looks quite good, doesn’t it?

These are also served in the lunch tray set.

The amberjack was chewy and savory, which left a strong impression.

I thought it had been aged well.

Flounder is a delicious white-fleshed fish no matter when you eat it. When enjoying sushi omakase in Korea, it is one of the items that simply cannot be left out.

A clear soup made by removing the bones from sea bream and simmering them arrived.

The round item in the middle was made by gathering sea bream meat and boiling it.

It was something like the wontons in wonton noodles, right?

It was unusual that five pieces of sushi were served together.

As I will review shortly, the sushi lineup is very similar to that of the lunch tray set.

So I found myself thinking.. wouldn’t it be better to have the tray set than I expected?

Because the lunch sushi omakase is served one piece at a time, and the pace is rather slow...ㅠㅠ

At the top are sea bream and longtooth grouper sushi.

The aged sea bream had a tender texture and a pleasant umami flavor.

The longtooth grouper had a pleasantly chewy texture. It is Jeju longtooth grouper, which tends to be served only at somewhat expensive places, right? haha

Also, I have really come to enjoy shellfish sushi lately. I remember liking the shellfish flavor very much; I enjoyed the soft texture filling my mouth and the slightly briny taste.

This is a mini seafood rice bowl.

Sea urchin and salmon roe were placed over rice, with several sheets of Japanese seaweed served alongside.

Mix everything together, pile it generously onto the seaweed, and eat it that way.

The savory richness of the sea urchin seemed to cover the briny flavor of the salmon roe~

Depending on how you look at it, you might think it is a little fishy, but.. who doesn’t like a seafood rice bowl~

This was the second sushi assortment.

There was lean tuna and fatty tuna, along with pressed mackerel sushi, eel sushi, and rolled omelet.

The neat and clean flavors were as good as ever. There was nothing particularly unusual about it, but everything went down easily.

The meal concluded with tofu pockets and udon.

The selection was good, but with the person next to me eating the lunch tray set, I felt as though I was the only one having the sushi omakase ㅠㅠ

The meal ended with a delicious combination of matcha ice cream and red beans.

Refined sweetness is what makes it special, right? haha It was an elegant dessert with the sweetness turned up to the fullest :)

This is Kaori’s lunch tray set. The price is 108,000 won.

It arrives neatly arranged on one platter, and I actually liked this better...

This is what the platter looks like from above. Let’s take a look at each item.

First, the flounder and amberjack sashimi that I had received with the lunch sushi omakase also appeared here!

Maybe it was just my imagination.. but the sashimi did look a little smaller. In any case, these were included..

There was also seaweed and natto.

And the miso-grilled sablefish in the distance tasted better than expected.

Looking around, I started thinking about what else I had eaten.. It was the seafood rice bowl and udon.. hmm..

A total of 10 pieces of sushi were served, and they were truly very similar.

The five pieces on the left were identical to the first sushi platter,

and the five pieces on the right were the same as the second sushi platter except that there was no conger eel sushi.

I remember that one piece of rolled omelet was complimentary.. haha

In any case!! The conclusion is that if you are visiting for lunch, the Kaori tray set offers much better value for money!!!

I had a truly, truly delicious meal again today.!!!

Conclusion

A wonderful space and delicious sushi no matter when you visit.

Be sure to take advantage of the double Hyatt points promotion!!

Having lived in Yongsan-gu, I find myself visiting Grand Hyatt Seoul from time to time.

I should stay there once during the outdoor pool season.. It is a shame I have not managed to, but at least I got to enjoy sushi at Kaori again after a long time.

This was my first time having the lunch sushi omakase, and my conclusion is that the Kaori lunch tray set offers better value.. haha

The double-points promotion runs through September, so make sure not to miss it and take advantage of it!!

You can earn around 20 percent back in points, and if you make good use of the offers, you can also receive an additional 5–10 percent in bonus points. ^^

Taste: ★★★★★

Value for money: ★★★★☆

Accessibility: ★★★★☆

Facilities: ★★★★★

Parking: Valet parking available.

It may not be one of the very top Japanese restaurants, but on the other hand, I do not think there are many places quite like this.

Oh, right! They have private rooms that are good for gatherings. There were two rooms, and they seemed suitable for groups of around eight or ten people.

The larger room also had a view outside the window (although it was a parking lot view) and looked like a nice, private space to enjoy.

Grand Hyatt Seoul’s Kaori seems like a place worth visiting once or twice a year.

Thank you for reading my restaurant review based on my own money and experience today as well,

I will strive to become a memorable restaurant coordinator through carefully selected posts. :)

This has been Director Baek of the dental clinic, who dreams of becoming both an implant expert and a food enthusiast.

Thank you.!!