Kikukawa in Magok: kizami hitsumabushi weekday lunch, ₩3,000 off in a

I'd stopped by Traders Magok and spotted Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa on the corner of the ground floor of One Grove Building A, and thought — I have to try this place!

I'd been craving eel ever since the dog days of summer, but since my daughter isn't a big eel fan, it was hard to find the chance to go. Then, when I mentioned eel rice bowls to a friend, it turned out she'd also gotten a recommendation for Yondaime Kikukawa's authentic Nagoya-style eel rice bowl from an acquaintance and was planning to check it out. We made plans right away.

From a Gangnam Matinee Concert to Magok

After summer break ended, my friend and I caught a Gangnam Matinee Concert, skipped lunch in Apgujeong, and headed straight over near my place.

The 185th Gangnam Matinee Concert in September featured cellist Hong Jin-ho! Pianist Kim Jung-won seemed to have a busy schedule — he played just one piece and appeared twice! This year's Gangnam Matinee Concert schedule has one session left next month, and if it continues next year I'm definitely getting tickets! For the 186th session, Brandon Choi will be playing saxophone — an instrument that suits autumn so well! Can't wait!

I heard cellist Hong Jin-ho also composes his own music, and has released albums! For his encore he played one of his own compositions, adding accompaniment all by himself — it was so good! I need to look him up ^^

The walk from Magoknaru Station to One Grove

Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove Branch 165 Gonghang-daero, Building A, 1F E101/E102, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea Daily 10:30–22:00 (last order 20:50)

Then off we went! After the concert we took the express Line 9 and got off at Magoknaru Station. Magok Station on Line 5 is closer, but walking through Le West at Magoknaru — no transfer needed — connects directly to the One Grove building, so the route is much smoother!

Once you pass through Le West and One Grove comes into view, take the escalator up to street level! Cross the crosswalk and you're right at One Grove Building A! It's on a corner, so it's easy to spot!

Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa, this eel rice bowl spot, runs with no break time, so a late lunch after the concert wasn't a problem at all.

A quiet room for a late lunch

Even though we arrived a bit later than our reservation time, we were greeted warmly and shown to a quiet private room instead of the main hall, so we could settle in comfortably for our meal.

The interior is really spacious, clean, and has an upscale atmosphere.

The room itself had a cozy, upscale vibe!

The menu at Kikukawa

Here's the Yondaime menu! You can order a full set meal or just an à la carte item!

There's a menu where a whole eel is laid on top, too!

There's also a menu with the eel sliced thin for easier eating!

And one with the eel chopped even finer for maximum ease!

Corkage-free wine and the Dassai promotion

At this Magok eel rice bowl spot, ordering a Kikukawa course meal gets you corkage-free service for one bottle of wine! There's also a Dassai 23 or 39 promotion running — 30% off! Dassai is genuinely one of my favorite sakes, so that got my attention — great aroma, really smooth going down! One Grove tenant employees also get 5% off for a delicious meal~

Kizami hitsumabushi and hitsumabushi (2/3 eel)

What we ordered was kizami hitsumabushi and hitsumabushi (2/3 eel)! It's served neatly on a tray set, and there was zero fishy smell typical of eel — really clean-tasting.

The kizami hitsumabushi in particular got the weekday lunch special (until 3pm) discount — ₩3,000 off! Such a steal~

My friend, who ordered the kizami hitsumabushi (finely chopped grilled eel), said it was easy to eat, and there was plenty of rice underneath so she ended up really full!

Served like this, even kids who like eel could eat it easily — an eel rice bowl for the whole family!

Such a soft, tender rolled egg omelet! With a piece of eel tucked inside! The egg roll at this Magok eel rice bowl spot was special too!

What I had, the hitsumabushi (2/3), was fun because you get to mix and match the eel on top of the rice in different ways!

An instruction card for how to best enjoy hitsumabushi comes with the meal! The staff also explained it to us before leaving!

Three ways to enjoy hitsumabushi

First: taste the eel exactly as it is, plain!

Wow — amazing! Seriously such a high-quality eel flavor! The flesh is so tender! The aroma is artful~

Second: add the toppings provided — scallions, wasabi, dried seaweed flakes. Clean, refreshing flavor!

Third: scoop rice and eel into the small bowl, add toppings, then pour in warm dashi broth to enjoy it ochazuke-style! Goes down so smoothly!

Every method was delicious! That's exactly why it's fun — I rotated through all three ways! The soup (suimono) served alongside had a clean flavor, and apparently sprinkling a little sansho pepper on top brings out even more flavor — but I didn't try the sansho pepper! Haha. It said they'd give you more rice if you ran out during the meal, but honestly I had leftover rice! Hahaha, I was more than full!

If a fishy taste lingers in your mouth after the meal, just take a mouthwash packet and use it! Provided free at the table!

They also sell gift cards and offer takeout! There's also a business card giveaway event running, so leave one on your way out! I didn't have any on me, so I skipped it! Haha.

Who is this restaurant good for?

Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa, this eel rice bowl spot in Magok, is quite popular as a lunch spot for office workers near One Grove, and with the tenant discount, prepaid card points, and takeout service, it's also handy for late nights at work! There's a kids' menu too, so it works well for family visits ^^ Thanks to the upscale rooms and neatly composed course meals, I'd recommend it for gatherings near Magok Station, lunches, family get-togethers, or even more formal occasions like a meeting between families before marriage. Next time I'm going to try the mentaiko hitsumabushi.

Exploring One Grove after the meal

One Grove, a hot spot in Magok! So much to see and explore! There was a wine shop right out front so I popped in — wanted to eat everything! Haha.

Such a cute sun totem! It's an object you put a chilled bottle of champagne into, and it keeps it cold for up to 90 minutes — perfect for enjoying champagne outdoors. I really wanted it, but it was pricey, so I just walked out~ lol.

Instead, my friend bought me a latte at Baeksmidang and I drank that on the way out~ Let's have another fun time next month too ^^