Magok kaisendon restaurant, counter-seat date on a diet: Ilpum Magok

Why am I always hungry the moment I decide to go on a diet? Still, I told myself, let's at least eat something that makes you less fat! And that's how I found Ilpum Magok (일품 마곡점), a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) place in Magok. It's a quick drive from my office to Magok, so I often go there for dates, and this time too I had a date with my boyfriend at a Magok restaurant 🤭

Where is Ilpum Magok, and what about parking and hours?

Ilpum Magok is at 228 Gonghang-daero, Unit 112, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is open 11:00-21:30 and closed every Monday. For parking, you can use the underground car park at the restaurant.

It's a 5-minute walk from Exit 8 of Balsan Station, so it's fine if you're going on foot, and since they cover parking time in the underground car park, it's fine if you come by car too.

Ilpum Magok's atmosphere and counter seats

Even from outside, Ilpum Magok gave off such a great vibe, and I fell for the interior right away. We came for an early dinner and I was still surprised by how many customers there were. The counter seats were already full, and some people were being led to tables. People say it's a famous sushi spot in Magok, and it really is!

There were two of us, so we were shown to the counter seats. You can watch the food being made, and it's nice because you can talk quietly with your companion and focus on the meal. Coats can be a hassle at a counter, but they'd thoughtfully put hooks on the wall.

Ilpum Magok's menu: what we ordered

At Ilpum Magok you can enjoy everything from kaisendon to sushi. I agonized so much over what to eat, but maybe because the kaisendon photos looked more appetizing than the sushi and sashimi today, I was really craving a bowl!

• (Special) Sashimi Don ₩39,000
• Salmon Sake Don ₩26,000

That's what we ordered. Every main dish comes with chawanmushi (savory steamed egg), a noodle or fried dish, and dessert. The people next to us were eating sushi and it looked amazing too, so I decided that next time I come back, I'm definitely getting sushi.

The basic set and chawanmushi

The set at Ilpum Magok came with a clear soup, chawanmushi and white kimchi. It seemed the seaweed (gim) only comes if you order a kaisendon.

The chawanmushi is a fluffy steamed egg, and I still can't forget its savory depth. You can taste that the broth was made separately... honestly, I could have eaten two more bowls of just chawanmushi. There was even a little shrimp in it, so cute haha

(Special) Sashimi Don ₩39,000: thick, aged seasonal fish

The (Special) Sashimi Don is what my boyfriend ordered. It's a rice bowl topped with aged seasonal fish, and it's so colorful that my mouth is already watering. I hear it comes with sea bream, flatfish, salmon, tuna and other seasonal fish. The slices were thick from the get-go, and I couldn't help gasping when I saw it.

The fish itself is thick, so it's really satisfying to chew. They say it's good wrapped in gamtae (a type of seaweed) and also wrapped in gim! The (Special) Sashimi Don is the perfect order when you want just sashimi rather than a mix of seafood.

Salmon Sake Don ₩26,000: a bowl topped even with salmon roe

The Salmon Sake Don is what I ordered. If you read my blog often you'll know I'm a huge salmon lover,,, 🤍 Salmon topped with salmon roe, no joke, it's a violent-looking bowl.

At Ilpum Magok, udon comes with your main dish too! I was so hungry I ordered without reading the menu properly, so when the udon arrived it felt like getting a surprise gift.

The udon has tempura in it too. It's fried fish cake, and it was so chewy that at first I thought it was squid. The clear broth stands out and goes really well with the springy noodles. It's fine as an after-meal treat, and it's also a great combo to have alongside the sake don.

With the Salmon Sake Don, it's great to eat it together with the roe, popping them in your mouth, pop! pop! The rice itself is seasoned, so I tried it with gim and white kimchi, and can even that be this good?! Salmon, gamtae and wasabi, a no-fail combo, right? The salmon is aged so well that it's chewy and the oily richness of the salmon is lifted to its best, a truly great sashimi.

Dessert: panna cotta with mango purée

Dessert at Ilpum Magok was panna cotta. Honestly it was my first time trying it, so I looked it up for this post, and apparently it's basically cooked fresh cream? The texture was like pudding, soft but with a rich flavor. On top was mango purée, and as someone who loves mango, it was the best dessert ever. What's a Magok sushi place thinking, being good at dessert too?

Is Ilpum Magok good for a date or blind date?

If you're looking for a kaisendon restaurant in Magok, it's Ilpum Magok! The atmosphere is great from the start, so it's perfect for a blind date or a date. I also thought that if I ever hold a wedding invitation get-together (청모), a place like this would be a neat choice.