Post-workout eel buffet near Ansan City Hall with booths: Songnim Bok

A review of a visit made with a discount: Songnim Bok's Ansan City Hall branch, an eel restaurant in Ansan with all-you-can-eat freshwater eel.

An all-you-can-eat eel buffet in Ansan after a workout

After a hard workout with my friend Mokseong Yangban, we went looking for an all-you-can-eat eel place to restore our energy. Filling up our workout-empty stomachs and getting a stamina boost at the same time made us look forward to this meal even more.

Where to park

The Ansan City Hall direct store has underground parking inside the building, so it is easy to come by car. Eating at a relaxed pace without worrying about parking was a plus.

Partitioned tables, ventilation and the atmosphere

The restaurant is spacious overall, with plenty of room between tables, so it felt comfortable to eat in. Every table has a partition, which is nice for a cozy meal with your group, and the warm lights on the ceiling made it feel even snugger.

Each table also has proper ventilation, so we ate comfortably without worrying about the smoke and smell typical of a barbecue restaurant.

The menu: all-you-can-eat and meals

The menu is split mainly into all-you-can-eat and meals. The meals are more varied than I expected: eel soup, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), galbitang (short rib soup), buckwheat noodles (memil makguksu) and spicy ramyeon. That makes it easy to bring a friend who doesn't eat eel, or to come just for a meal.

According to the notice posted in the restaurant, the benefits of freshwater eel and pork are described like this.

• < Benefits of freshwater eel > The byword for health food and stamina food. Reduces fatigue-causing substances and is excellent for recovering energy. Boosts immunity. Rich in nutrients such as calcium and iron, and especially high in vitamin A.
• < Benefits of pork > Rich in collagen, thiamine, iron, minerals and vitamins B1 and B2, so it is good for blood production and nervous system function, and excellent for skin health, anti-aging and brain function. Digestive enzymes aid digestion, and the dietary fiber has a positive effect on gut health.

The all-you-can-eat time limit is 2 hours! There is an environmental fee if you leave food, so take a little at a time, only what you need!!

First came the basic side dishes: various kinds of kimchi and jangajji (pickles) that go well with the meat.

The all-you-can-eat menu offers eel, chicken neck and pork belly. Even people who can't eat much eel can enjoy chicken neck or pork belly without pressure, so you can choose to suit your taste.

Free bokbunja wine

When we visited, the owner gave every table a free bokbunja wine (black raspberry wine). Wow, really... I had no plan to drink, haha, but yes, we finished the whole bottle. Not exactly a secret.

Helping yourself to eel, chicken neck and pork belly at the self-bar

The self-bar is neatly kept. Here you can bring over not only side dishes but also the eel, chicken neck and pork belly yourself. (In other words, you can eat as much as you like without feeling awkward!)

How to grill eel well

We grilled the eel first.

01. Grill the fresh eel skin-side down first.

02. Once both sides are cooked, remove the middle of the back, the side fins and the head fin.

03. Cut it into bite-size pieces, then stand them up and grill the cut sides until golden brown, and it tastes great.

How did the eel taste?

I topped a nicely golden piece of eel with shredded ginger, dipped it lightly in the special sauce and took a bite. The glossy look alone stirred my appetite, and the texture, crisp outside and moist and soft inside, was really excellent.

It was so clean that I could barely notice any gamey smell, and the light yet nutty flavor filled my mouth. I understood right away why people seek out eel as a health food.

Chicken neck

Next we grilled the chicken neck until golden and tried it. It was nicely browned outside and juicy inside, and just looking at it made my mouth water.

With the first bite, the mild, clean flavor of chicken spread out, and the chewy yet tender texture was appealing. It wasn't greasy, so my hand kept reaching for more, and its clean taste is different from eel, so it was perfect to alternate with it.

Finishing with pork belly

We finished with golden grilled pork belly wrapped in fresh ssam vegetables (leaf wraps). The nutty juices and crunchy greens went well together, and we enjoyed it to the end without getting tired of it.

Dessert coffee and overall verdict

There is also a coffee machine for dessert, so it was nice to relax with a cup of coffee after the meal. Even I, who don't usually eat eel, ate far more than usual thanks to its clean, light taste with no gamey smell.

I also liked that you can enjoy chicken neck and pork belly along with the eel, so it never gets boring. For this quality in an all-you-can-eat format, the price felt really reasonable. If you want a hearty stamina meal, a family dinner or a place for a group gathering, I'd confidently recommend it.

33 Dangok-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea (Units 201 and 202)