Hanwoo hot pot dinner with a friend at Manmok, a Gangnam restaurant

These days, when I get dinner with a friend, I find myself gravitating toward places where we can eat good food slowly and talk, rather than loud, chaotic spots. This time I had a dinner plan with a friend near Seonleung Station, and after some thought I ended up at Manmok. It's known for its eel rice bowl, so I figured I'd be ordering eel, but when I saw hanwoo (Korean beef) hot pot on the menu, we decided to order that warm dish together instead.

The food was clean and well-made, the atmosphere was calm, and the staff were kind — overall a comfortable place to eat with a friend.

Manmok's location and parking

Manmok isn't far from Seonleung Station, so it wasn't hard to find. The address is 9 Seonleung-ro 82-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and it's fairly close to Exit 2 of Seonleung Station.

The exterior is clean and calm overall

It's not the kind of place that jumps out at you visually, but the warm wood-toned atmosphere gave off that neat, put-together feel restaurants have, even just passing by. Personally, I think this kind of atmosphere works well as a meeting spot — not too casual, but not so formal that it feels like a burden. It seemed like it would suit anything from a meal with a friend to a work lunch or a quiet company dinner.

There's also space in front of the restaurant for about two cars to park. That said, parking isn't very generous, so if you're driving, it's worth checking ahead.

A calm atmosphere the moment you walk in

Opening the door, the inside was just as clean as the exterior had suggested.

Wood tones are used a lot throughout, and the lighting is soft and warm

It has just the right amount of calm for eating and chatting with a friend. In restaurants that are too bright and busy, it's hard to focus on conversation, but here it was easy to talk while eating.

The tables were also kept very neat — turns out tissues and other dining essentials are tucked into storage space under the table.

Thanks to that, the tabletops stayed uncluttered and clean, which I liked.

Little details like this made me feel how carefully the people running the restaurant thought about the space, haha! There were solo seats as well as tables for 2–4 people, so it looked great for anything from eating alone to dining with friends.

Manmok's menu

Manmok is best known for its eel rice bowl. The menu centers on Japanese-style dishes — charcoal-grilled eel rice bowl, hanwoo nabe, chawanmushi, and more — giving the whole menu a clean, cohesive feel.

The eel rice bowl is known for its slightly crispy exterior, and it's apparently served with a shiitake wasabi accompaniment, which sounds impressive.

What I chose that day, though, was the hanwoo hot pot! My friend and I wanted something warm and soupy, and honestly, it was such a good choice,,,!!!

Look how busy it is!!!!!!

Chawanmushi and basic side dishes before the meal

Everything served as the basic accompaniments to the meal was clean and well made. The chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) had a pudding-like softness, and it was nice to eat before the main dish.

It went down smoothly, making it a light way to start before the hot pot. The basic side dishes — radish salad, glasswort greens, white kimchi and so on — were also clean and simple overall.

Having refreshing dishes like white kimchi and radish salad on the table was great for cleansing the palate between bites of hot pot. Overall, none of the dishes felt overly seasoned — they leaned toward letting the ingredients' natural flavors shine, which I liked.

Every single plate was beautifully plated too!!

Hanwoo hot pot: pull the meat out to eat it

Finally, the hanwoo hot pot we'd been waiting for arrived. The pot was generously packed with hanwoo and various ingredients, and it looked warm and filling just by itself.

The wild garlic greens,, and radish salad,, all of it was delicious,,,,

As the pot started bubbling, a delicious smell rose from the broth, and that's when I got even hungrier. With hanwoo in there, the broth picks up the meat's flavor as it simmers. The staff also told us it's best not to boil the hanwoo too long.

Beef can get tough if overcooked, so they explained that once the broth boils, you should pull the meat out and dip it back in the broth briefly each time before eating.

So we did exactly as they explained and took the meat out first.

Eating it this way, the meat was definitely tender and juicy.

Picking up a piece of hanwoo, dipping it briefly in the broth, and eating it gave you both the meat's nutty flavor and the broth's savory warmth at once — really tasty. I especially loved dipping it lightly in wasabi salt. The hanwoo's own savory taste stayed alive while the wasabi's sharpness cut through it, making it clean rather than greasy.

The broth wasn't overpowering, and I liked that

Another great thing about the hanwoo hot pot was the broth. It wasn't too intense or salty, so I kept going back for more. I started off mostly eating the meat, but once I tried a spoonful of broth too, it was warm and savory enough that the meal was satisfying on its own, even without drinks.

I thought it would be especially good on days when the weather is oddly cool, or in the evening when you're craving something warm.

Eating just meat can feel a bit heavy, but since it's a hot pot, you get to eat broth and vegetables together too, which was nice.

My friend and I chatted about this and that as we ate slowly, and before we knew it, the pot was nearly empty. Good food really does taste better over conversation.

It's known for its eel rice bowl, but next time I'd like to try some of the other menu items too.

All the various sauces ......... perfect. I'm not sure exactly what that shiitake sauce was, but it was so tasty and paired really well with the meat :()

Finishing with black tea ice cream

And the thing I loved most that day — the finish! Black tea ice cream. Honestly, after a satisfying meal, I don't usually expect much from dessert, but having black tea ice cream at the end made the whole meal feel complete.

One thing I personally care a lot about at restaurants is how the staff treat you, and the staff here were kind and attentive throughout, which made for a pleasant meal. I especially liked that with the hanwoo hot pot, they didn't just bring the food and walk away — they explained how to eat it for the best result.

This place would suit a dinner with a friend, a work lunch, a company dinner, or any kind of quieter gathering. Between the hanwoo hot pot and the black tea ice cream, it was a pretty satisfying evening. Next time, I'll have to try Manmok's signature eel rice bowl too.