Parents' lunch at a Songjeong eel restaurant in Busan: Yuok

My mom and dad and I travel to Japan pretty often, and the eel rice bowl I had in Nagoya is still vivid in my memory ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ We still talk about the original Nagoya eel bowl place we waited 2.5 hours for. So when I heard there was a jumbo eel rice bowl spot in Songjeong, I had to check it out. I was curious how it would compare to the real Japanese thing, haha.

Yuok, a Japanese eel restaurant near Songjeong Station in Busan

Yuok is within a 10-minute walk of Songjeong Station in Busan! It's a quiet area, and honestly the whole neighborhood vibe feels like a Japanese residential street, lol.

What Yuok looks like from the street

This is what Yuok looks like from outside. Fittingly for an eel-focused restaurant, it has this serene, Japanese-style look — kind of similar to that Nagoya eel place. I bet it looks even better at night once the lightbulbs are on.

Yuok has its own private parking lot — room for 4 cars! Honestly, at lunchtime you could probably just park on the street nearby, haha. If you're worried, there are pay-and-park lots within walking distance you can use through apps like Kakao T.

Yuok serves Osaka-style freshwater eel. Open 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM, with a break time from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. They even keep goldfish in a little pond — the whole place is dripping with Japanese atmosphere ٩(๑´0`๑)۶

Inside Yuok: counter seats and tables

The interior! The main hall has an 18-seat counter (dachi-style) plus four 4-person tables. There are also high chairs, so it seems good for coming with a baby! We'd booked ahead, so we were shown to our reserved seats!

Yuok menu: jumbo unaju set and salmon rice bowl set prices

This is Yuok's menu. The signature dish is the 'jumbo unaju set,' and the most popular one is the 'salmon rice bowl set.' There are also single dishes like mazesoba and tempura udon, plus add-ons like fried shrimp and grilled mackerel! In the evening you can also get their 'signature eel' and beef sukiyaki. I think this place would be perfect with sake or a spirit of some kind ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ Feels like a great date spot.

Since we went for lunch, we ordered two jumbo unaju sets at ₩28,500 each and one salmon rice bowl set at ₩23,500!

Each table has instructions for how to best enjoy the unaju bowl, plus pickled radish (rakkyo) and ginger. If you take part in the review event, you get a free drink or beer!

What comes with the jumbo unaju set at Yuok

The jumbo unaju set came out first! It arrived on a tray, plated like a neat set meal. The eel was bigger than expected — I was honestly floored, lol. The flesh was tender and there wasn't a hint of fishy smell! And under the eel, there was this thick layer of tamagoyaki (rolled egg omelette)... that was genuinely the highlight ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ I couldn't believe how they made it ㅠ

You cut the eel lengthwise and crosswise, put it in the bowl, and eat it however you like. I tried it plain first — just eel, egg, and rice — then with scallions and wasabi, then poured over with the ochazuke tea they provide, and finally however I felt like it! The eating method was the same as any regular eel bowl place ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ But I'd never seen such an aggressively huge eel bowl before, lol. Plus the fried tofu side dish...? That was really good too.

My dad, hard at work cutting up his eel, lol. My dad loves Japanese food and said this place was surprisingly solid!

Thick salmon rice bowl and the dessert that ends the meal

And then the salmon rice bowl! The basic setup was similar, with fried shrimp, karaage, and cream cheese crackers added. The salmon wasn't fishy at all, and the size was impressive too. This is one of those rare places that goes big on portions and still delivers on taste ★

Just look at the size of that salmon... I could really fit a full mouthful in one bite. It made me so happy, haha. Felt like a total salmon bourgeoise!!! With scallions and wasabi, the seasoning was spot on. I actually refilled the wasabi once and it was still slightly not enough for me. The wasabi wasn't spicy at all — instead it just made everything taste better! I've heard that wasabi that's only spicy isn't good wasabi, so I guess they're using the good stuff.

A spread that fills you up just by looking at it...

Our whole spread for the three of us! The table was completely packed, lol.

We finished with cream cheese crackers and plum tea to cleanse the palate, and the cream cheese crackers were genuinely amazing. The crackers were Ivy and Zec, and the cream cheese seemed homemade — there were bits and pieces mixed in you could really chew on. Honestly the kind of taste that makes you want to pop open a bottle of wine right then, lol.

Our family cleaned the table like we'd never seen food before... lol.

Is Yuok in Songjeong worth it? Final verdict

• Japanese-style atmosphere — probably even nicer in the evening
• Eel and salmon portions are seriously generous and thick
• No fishy taste at all, and genuinely delicious
• The side dishes and palate-cleansing dessert that come with the meal are also tasty
• You might have to wait a bit for a table seat

Songjeong has basically become Busan's own Nagoya, lol. My parents were happy too, which made me so proud of this lunch. They said it was delicious and that they had no idea a place like this existed. I'd definitely come back next time I'm down here on vacation!!!!