Seonleung eel bowl restaurant compared to Japan, ochazuke: Manmok

Where is Manmok, and what time is it quiet?

Manmok is an eel rice bowl restaurant recommended as a lunch and dinner spot for office workers near Seonleung Station. After eating eel rice bowls I loved in Japan, my expectations for Korean eel bowls went way up, so I decided to visit!

I visited on a weekday just past 1pm, and since it was after the lunch rush, the crowd had cleared out and I was seated right away without waiting. It's not far from Seonleung Station either, so getting there by public transit was easy.

It seems like lunch is eel rice bowl only, while dinner also offers hanwoo (Korean beef) nabe and eel nabe. I've never tried the premium eel nabe, so I'm curious what that tastes like!

Manmok's seating and mood: good for a first date or a group dinner?

Inside, Manmok has private table seating as well as a large shared table in the middle, so you can sit wherever you like. The space is spacious and comfortable, making it feel suitable for a more formal group gathering too. The lighting is pleasantly bright, so I'd recommend it for a blind date as well — you don't need to open your mouth wide to eat, and everyone can just enjoy their own dish, which felt perfect.

Manmok lunch prices: what a full eel bowl costs

The lunch menu is very simple.

• Half eel rice bowl - ₩26,000
• Full eel rice bowl - ₩39,000
• One and a half eel rice bowl - ₩50,000

So we ordered two full-size bowls.

There's also a spot to hang your coat, which will be perfect once the weather cools down and outerwear comes out.

What comes with Manmok's eel rice bowl, and how Kanto-style eel tastes

Manmok's eel rice bowl comes with the following:

• Eel rice bowl
• Clear soup
• Salad with sesame dressing
• Side dishes
• Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard)

Manmok's eel rice bowl goes for a clean, light Kanto style. Rather than soft and fluffy, it has a chewier texture. Because of this, you might notice small bones, so chewing thoroughly is recommended. If the eel starts to feel a bit rich, adding some ginger on top brings out a fresh new flavor — it kept things from getting tiresome!

The clear soup and chawanmushi at Manmok

The soup isn't the typical miso-soup feel you get at a regular sushi place — it's clearer. It tasted different from a typical clear broth, and cleaner overall. With a hint of mushroom aroma, its clean taste didn't clash with the eel rice bowl at all.

The chawanmushi was so good — and really, isn't steamed egg the thing Japan does best? Soft enough to practically sip down, with shrimp tucked underneath too.

I started with the salad as a palate cleanser, and it was nutty and sweet, just right. It really wakes up your appetite. A crisp salad followed by the smooth chawanmushi is a really good combo.

Is one whole eel enough for lunch?

I took a close-up shot of the eel, and you can really see the chewiness, right? It's grilled so the fat renders out, coated in a delicious glaze that gives it a savory-salty taste. Ordering the full bowl leaves you comfortably full — most people seem to find the full portion just right.

How to turn leftover rice into ochazuke at Manmok

Eating the rice with eel and wasabi on top, the wasabi's slight bitterness blended in nicely. And the radish salad served as a side dish here was really delicious — the water they give by default also seems to be green tea water. Try saving a bit of your eel rice bowl to turn into ochazuke (tea-poured rice). It has a completely different charm from the original bowl. Topping it with the radish salad is so good!!

Dessert at Manmok: black tea and matcha ice cream

For dessert they even give you ice cream, available in black tea or matcha flavor. Since there were two of us, we ordered one of each and tried both — and each of us had a different favorite. Both were delicious, so I'd recommend sharing and trying both. The staff took care of every little detail and explained things well, and were very kind. It's an eel rice bowl place you can visit in a good mood, so I'd recommend it as a group gathering spot too!