Pot rice lunch with a kid at Gardenfive: eel & cheese katsu, Gomemui

I had to go to Gardenfive with my child and wasn't sure where to have lunch, so I ended up at Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive. We arrived around 11:30 a.m. on a weekday, and the food came out quickly, so we could eat at a relaxed pace. But as noon got closer, office workers from nearby started coming in one by one, and before long there was a line. I guess a lot of people look for this place as a Gardenfive favorite!

This time it was just me and my child, and we ordered cheese katsu and eel pot rice. When you eat pot rice with a kid, you worry about little hands getting burned on the hot pot, right? So I picked the cheese katsu for my child, and it was much better than I expected. Very satisfying.

Where is Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive, and what about parking?

Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive is at B1, 66 Chungmin-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea, inside the Food Street of Gardenfive Hyundai City Outlet Techno Building. It is open daily 10:30-20:30, with a break time of 15:00-17:00 and last orders at 14:30 and 20:00. Parking is covered.

It's close to Jangji Station (Line 8), Exit 4, so it's easy by public transport too. I came by car, and I liked that parking was covered for 4 hours. It's not a quick eat-and-leave situation, so you can also do some shopping or run other errands at Gardenfive without feeling rushed.

The restaurant is inside the B1 food street, so it wasn't hard to find.

Gardenfive lunch wait at Gomemui: what time should you go?

When we arrived at Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive around 11:30 a.m. on a weekday, there were plenty of seats. As noon approached, office workers from nearby filled the place and a line formed. It was still before the real lunch rush, so our food came out soon after we ordered.

When you're eating with a child, waiting a long time for food is quietly exhausting, so I was glad it came fast. As we ate, though, people kept coming in the closer it got to 12:00. Lots of nearby office workers come for lunch, and that's what creates the line. If you're looking for a lunch spot in Gardenfive, it's better to go a little early than late.

Gomemui cheese katsu, the kid's pick

For my child I ordered Gomemui's cheese katsu (breaded pork cutlet). There was no gamey smell at all, and it was full of cheese, so my child ate it happily.

Pot rice means handling a hot pot, and I worried my child might burn a hand, so I chose katsu, and in the end I'm really glad I did. First, I couldn't detect any gamey smell in the katsu, and the meat tasted clean. Above all, there was really plenty of cheese, which made it great for a kid. It's not a cheese katsu with just a little cheese tucked in: when you cut it, you can see the cheese is quite generous.

My child said it was delicious and ate it all up, so as a mom it was one of the most satisfying dishes. Personally, I thought it was as good as a katsu specialty shop. We came for the pot rice, but if you're visiting with a child, it's worth ordering the cheese katsu too.

Gomemui eel pot rice: tender with no fishy smell?

The Gomemui eel pot rice (sotbap, rice cooked in an individual pot) I ordered came with plenty of eel on top, and the flesh was tender with almost no fishy smell. It looked delicious too.

Eel can sometimes have a distinct fishy odor if it's not done well, but Gomemui's eel had almost none. Above all, the flesh was really tender. It came apart softly with just a light touch of my chopsticks, which made it great to eat with rice.

The sauce wasn't too salty or overpowering, just pleasantly sweet with a savory depth, and it went well with the rice. The ginger served alongside changed the flavor again when I ate it with the eel. The tender, sweet eel plus the sharp, clean bite of ginger left my mouth feeling fresh.

Eel pot rice with mustard greens kimchi: a surprise best pairing

What I remembered most at Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive was the gatkimchi (mustard greens kimchi). The pot rice itself was good, but eating the mustard greens kimchi with the eel pot rice really woke up my appetite.

The sharp, crunchy mustard greens kimchi went surprisingly well with the tender, sweet eel. A piece of eel, a spoonful of rice, then the kimchi too, and I kept reaching for more. Pot rice or eel can get a bit heavy, but the kimchi balanced the flavors along the way, which I liked.

Eel pot rice + ginger + mustard greens kimchi: I really hope you'll try this combination together.

With pot rice, finish with the nurungji

At Gomemui, after you scoop out your rice, you can pour warm water into the pot over the remaining rice and eat it as nurungji (scorched rice soup). Being able to enjoy that last bit was another thing I liked.

Finishing with hot nurungji felt gentle on the stomach, and it felt like a proper meal. When eating with a kid, they sometimes ask for something else right after finishing, but this day both my child and I felt full and satisfied.

Is it self-service even though it's in a food court?

Gomemui is inside the Gardenfive food street, but it isn't self-service: staff bring the food to your seat and clear up after the meal. It was a little different from a typical food court.

With just me and my child, this was quietly convenient. I didn't have to keep going back and forth to pick up food while looking after a kid, so I could focus on the meal.

If you're having lunch at Gardenfive with a child

The two of us ordered cheese katsu plus eel pot rice at Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive, and it was a good combination. My child got the katsu packed with cheese and I had the tender eel pot rice, so each of us ate what suited our taste.

What I remember most is that the eel had no fishy smell and was tender, and the cheese katsu was tasty with no gamey odor. Also, at 11:30 on a weekday we could eat right away, but around 12:00 office workers poured in and a line formed, so at lunchtime it's best to go a bit early. Parking is covered for 4 hours too, so it's easy to add some shopping at Gardenfive afterward.

If you're looking for a place to eat in Munjeong-dong or Gardenfive with a child, I recommend Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive: with everything from pot rice to katsu, it worked well as a family meal spot.

Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive at a glance

• Restaurant: Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive
• Address: B1, 66 Chungmin-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
• Location: Food Street, Gardenfive Hyundai City Outlet Techno Building
• Nearest station: Jangji Station (Line 8), Exit 4
• Hours: 10:30-20:30
• Break time: 15:00-17:00
• Parking: 4 hours covered
• Ordered this time: eel pot rice, cheese katsu
• Visit time: weekday, around 11:30
• Tip: office workers crowd in around noon and a line can form, so arriving early is recommended