Daechi-dong eel bowl lunch: 1.5 eel, rice refill ochazuke, Manmok

What kind of eel rice bowl restaurant is Manmok in Daechi-dong?

Manmok (만목) is a Japanese eel rice bowl restaurant near Seolleung Station in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, serving unagi-don (eel rice bowl) and hitsumabushi (eel rice served in a small tub). It's a proper Japanese eel bowl place with quality eel and neat, tasty side dishes, and I had a really great lunch.

Manmok is less than a 10-minute walk from Seolleung Station Exits 1 and 2. The exterior looks like a wooden building with a dragon painting on it. It's open for both lunch and dinner: lunch is eel rice bowls only, and dinner adds hot pot dishes (jeongol).

Manmok's atmosphere and seating

The inside is stylish in wood tones and really clean. I loved the mood the moment I walked in, and the big windows let in lots of light.

The seats are nicely separated by partitions, so it feels just right for a slow, chatty meal over a premium eel bowl. There's also a long table in the middle, which I thought would work well for groups.

What's on Manmok's lunch menu, and how much is it?

Lunch at Manmok is a single eel rice bowl menu, with prices varying by the amount of eel. I'm told Manmok is a Kanto-style eel bowl specialist that uses only Gochang freshwater eel (grilled, steamed, then grilled again over charcoal). There's a range of alcohol too.

Ebisu draft beer and highballs get an extra lunchtime discount.

Side dishes served with Manmok's eel rice bowl

The eel bowl comes out shortly after ordering, neatly arranged with the sides on a wooden tray. The basic set was so, so good, and tasty too. I was very satisfied.

• Pickled radish (danmuji) / pickled ginger / sansho pepper / wasabi: condiments to eat with the eel bowl
• Lettuce salad with sesame dressing: a nice light palate cleanser
• Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) with shrimp: soft like pudding, moist and so tender that I really enjoyed it

Matsutake mushroom soup

Manmok's soup tastes like a really clean, delicious udon broth. They even put expensive matsutake mushrooms in it, which gives it a luxurious feel. The broth is refreshing and tasty, and when I later used it for ochazuke (rice in broth), it was so good I was surprised.

White kimchi and spicy radish salad

To suit Korean tastes, Manmok even serves baek-kimchi (white kimchi) and mu-saengchae (seasoned shredded radish) as sides, and I was shocked by how good both were. I've been to lots of eel bowl places, but this was the first to give sides like these, and I really loved it.

What I ordered for a weekday lunch at Manmok

• 1.5-eel rice bowl ₩50,000
• Lunch-discount Ebisu draft beer ₩9,000

How is Manmok's lunch-discount Ebisu draft beer?

Manmok discounts alcohol at lunchtime, so I tried the Ebisu draft beer, and as expected it was insanely good.

The foam ratio was fantastic, the temperature was perfectly cold, and its signature toasty flavor and clean finish were the best.

Manmok's 1.5-eel rice bowl: how big, and how good?

The 1.5-eel bowl comes in a square tiered box topped with thick pieces of one and a half eels. The portion is truly huge. With the 1.5 size, you can basically eat as much eel as you want.

Time to dig into the 1.5-eel bowl ~ and when I opened it, it looked amazing. They handle Gochang freshwater eel, so the quality is top-tier. Japanese eel bowls come in several styles, and Manmok is Kanto-style: grilled, steamed, then grilled again over charcoal, so it's moist and tender with a charcoal aroma too. The eel looks the best, with a gentle charcoal smell, and it's just so good. Perfectly grilled seasoned freshwater eel.

The eel is quite thick, so the flesh tastes great. It's super moist, and because it's finished over charcoal, it has a nicely grilled texture too, which is really delicious. There's the charcoal aroma, the soy sauce is tasty, it's just plain good. This is eel with a pretty strong charcoal flavor.

And it isn't greasy or tiring at all, just really good. A perfect match with the Ebisu draft beer.

How is the rice under the eel?

The rice in Manmok's eel bowl is drizzled with soy sauce and lightly pre-sprinkled with seaweed flakes and scallions.

The grains are fluffy and tasty, just right for a rice bowl.

Putting a piece of charcoal-scented eel on top and taking a bite is, of course, delicious haha

Eating the eel with wasabi, sansho pepper and pickled ginger

At Manmok you can top your eel bowl with wasabi, and sansho is fine too, since the sansho aroma isn't too strong.

Pickled ginger with wasabi is good too. So delicious.

How to refill rice and make self-serve ochazuke at Manmok

If you ask Manmok for a rice refill, they serve it prettily in a rice bowl, and if you ask, they refill the sauce too. The amount of eel was so large that I asked for a rice refill.

For my experiment, I moved only part of it into the main bowl. Maybe because it's Kanto-style, Manmok doesn't seem to have an ochazuke option. So, DIY!! I put eel sauce, eel and wasabi on the rice, poured in the soup served as a side dish, and mashed it all together to eat.

Ahh, this is the taste. This!!!! It was seriously so good that I had it twice. This is my favorite way to eat hitsumabushi, and since Manmok's soup is delicious to begin with, it went so well. I'd have been disappointed if I hadn't done it.

For the finish, I went back to eating it as a rice bowl and scraped it clean.

Complimentary green tea ice cream for dessert

I was full and happy, and Manmok gave us an ice cream dessert on the house!

They gave me a green tea ice cream bar. It's a flavor I love, so I really enjoyed it. Happy ~

Manmok's service and final verdict

The staff at Manmok are very, very kind.

I've eaten a lot of eel bowls, and Manmok is one I can confidently recommend in the Gangnam area. But do try the ochazuke style, mixed into the soup.

Manmok location and parking near Seolleung Station

Manmok is in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Seolleung Station Exit 2. Parking is available for up to 2 cars right in front of the restaurant.

When it's full, you can use a paid parking lot nearby.