Nowon eel restaurant with staff-grilled set: Cheonsanga Jangeoga

Parking and the atmosphere at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagae Branch

Exterior

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagae Branch, a great restaurant in Hagae-dong, has parking right in front, and there are weekday lunch specials too, so it would be great for an office-worker lunch.

Interior

The inside was cleanliness itself, and its upscale atmosphere made it just right for entertaining, family gatherings, group get-togethers, or company dinners. We booked ahead, but I hadn't given them my name, so they cleverly marked the table with a heart instead, haha. That made it so easy to settle into our reserved table.

The 3-person set and the starter sides

Here is the menu at Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagae Branch. There were lots of options starting with sets for two, plus a surprising number of add-ons and side dishes, so even people who can't eat eel would have quite a few other dishes to choose from.

• 3-person set: ₩104,000
• 3 large eels + stone-pot sushi + eoriguljeot (seasoned salted oysters) or deodeok (bellflower root) + doenjang-jjigae (soybean-paste stew) + nurungji sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)

I only found out later, but we forgot about the nurungji sungnyung—and we were so full that even if they had brought it, we probably couldn't have eaten it... haha.

Starter sides

The starter sides were the sort that pair well with eel, and they generously set out sauce and ginger in a sauce dish for each person.

How do they grill the eel?

Charcoal ready!

How is even the charcoal such a pretty color? hahaha. I could just zone out watching the charcoal... heh.

The grilling begins!

At Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagae Branch, the staff grill everything from beginning to end, which was so convenient—and they really cook it perfectly crisp outside and tender inside!!! I thought, how big can “large” eel really be? But the eel that came out was genuinely huge, which surprised me. It was making my mouth water before it was even cooked... haha.

Stone-pot sushi, doenjang-jjigae, and deodeok

Not long after the eel went on the grill, the stone-pot sushi, doenjang-jjigae, and deodeok arrived. I thought there would be only one doenjang-jjigae, but perhaps because there were three of us, they thoughtfully brought two. That kind of attentive service is so moving >< Thanks to that, we could eat really comfortably. 👍

And that deodeok really was a specialty. It was so good that I considered ordering more, but we decided to try the eel first and didn't order it. I should have ordered more... hahaha.

While it cooks

The staff member never left our table and kept grilling, so I could just zone out watching the eel, haha. They carefully trimmed the bony parts of the skin and browned it beautifully on both sides—definitely the touch of a professional. 👏

The final grill!!

It was almost at the very end of grilling!! It was browned so beautifully that my mouth was watering before I even ate it. They also cut it into easy bite-size pieces, which made it even more convenient to eat. The cooked eel was moved to one side of the grill, so from here all we had to do was eat +_+

Eel with ginger and stone-pot sushi

Ginger is an absolute must with eel!! It cuts right through the eel's richness, making it taste nuttier and cleaner! And that sweet sauce? You have to dip generously, heh ><

Cheonsanga Jangeoga Hagae Branch is truly... confirmed as a great eel spot. Take a bite of the perfectly cooked eel and the outside is crisp while the inside is moist and tender—so delicious. Eel isn't something I seek out often, but the eel here is the kind of flavor that makes me want to keep eating it...? haha.

Let's try it other ways too

I tried the eel over the stone-pot sushi and wrapped in ssam (lettuce wraps), and since the eel itself was so delicious, every way was good. I was happy with every single bite, haha.

Self-service bar

You can refill wrap vegetables and side dishes at the self-service bar. It was so clean, which I loved.

An extra order of sausage

We were full, but it felt a little sad to eat only eel, so while looking over the menu, I spotted sausage? hahaha. So we ordered it, and they grilled the sausage from start to finish too, which made it easy to eat. It was really plump and savory-salty, perfect with rice. Not that it's a secret that the friends I came with ordered rice to eat with it... haha.

Overall

• Parking right in front made it easy to visit by car.
• The restaurant was clean with an upscale atmosphere, making it great for family gatherings or company dinners.
• The staff grilled the eel from start to finish, so we could eat comfortably.
• The eel was large, crisp on the outside, and moist inside.
• It was great to enjoy it in different ways with ginger, sauce, and stone-pot sushi.
• The deodeok was a specialty and paired well with the eel.
• It was nice to conveniently refill wrap vegetables and side dishes at the self-service bar.
• If you're looking for a great eel restaurant or a place for a family gathering or company dinner in Hagae-dong, I would recommend it.