Doma 29

The Room

Doma 29 is a basement sushi counter in downtown Daegu's Dongseongno district, ten seats, dim and quiet, finished in hinoki cypress. The chef, Lee Jae-min, trained at Sushi Mizutani's lineage and ran sushi counters in Seoul and Tokyo before opening here. The room is as close to a Ginza omakase experience as Korea currently offers outside Seoul's most expensive rooms.

The menu is a strict edomae-style omakase — around twenty pieces, counter-only, progression from white fish through silver to oily and tuna cuts, with seasonal exceptions. Rice is vinegared to a tighter seasoning than most Korean sushi counters and served at body temperature. The chef switches fluidly between Korean and Japanese and will adjust wasabi, rice temperature, and garnish on request.

The beverage list is focused: around twenty-five sakes, a small list of Champagne, and a carefully chosen selection of Japanese whisky. Pairings are excellent but optional. The room moves quickly — the full omakase runs 90 minutes — and there are two seatings most evenings.

Prices run ₩220,000 to ₩300,000 per head, depending on the market price of tuna and sea-urchin that day. Reservations open two weeks ahead via Catch Table. The chef's counter is the entire experience — there is no other seating.