Magok kaisendon restaurant, weekend dinner before Traders: Ilpum

This is where I went for dinner before a weekend grocery run at Traders, hahaha. I stopped by Ilpum Magok, near Magok Station, which serves sushi, kaisendon (raw fish rice bowls) and more.

How to get to Ilpum Magok from Balsan Station

Ilpum Magok is a 5–7 minute walk from Balsan Station. Roughly speaking, you just walk two blocks.

Weekend dinner wait: full even at 6 PM

Dinner at Ilpum Magok opens at 5:30 PM, and when I got there around 6 it was already full. Seriously, why is it so packed here?! It was full last time too, so I couldn't eat.

This day was breezy and cool, though, so I put my name on the waitlist and waited outside. Luckily a table opened up right away, and in we went!

Ilpum Magok menu and order: 2 kaisendon and a crab cream croquette

The menu at Ilpum Magok is really varied, from the signature kaisendon to unagi don (eel rice bowl), hon-maguro (bluefin tuna) and karaage don (Japanese fried chicken bowl). Before it gets completely hot out, you've gotta treat yourself to something like this.. so I ordered 2 kaisendon and a croquette. You get the croquette if you leave a receipt review, but I ordered it anyway, hehe.

Shrimp chawanmushi as an appetizer

Once you sit down and order, the food gets set out right away. A piping hot chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) comes out first.

There's shrimp inside the soft, jiggly egg. It's a perfect appetizer before the kaisendon.

Is the regular kaisendon hearty too?

I ordered the regular kaisendon at Ilpum Magok, and it's still generously loaded. While I was eating the egg custard, the star of the day, the kaisendon, came right out.

First, a bite of the thick, chewy fish.

I set the wasabi aside next to the white kimchi. Haha.

As you'd expect from a top Magok kaisendon spot, the fish is aged and so tender.

It's tasty on its own and great with rice. Since seaweed comes alongside, wrapping it up is great too.

Udon that comes with the kaisendon

At Ilpum Magok, ordering kaisendon comes with udon too.

Unlike other places, these udon noodles are really chewy, and the fish cake was good too. The broth was refreshing, better than a clear soup.

Salmon, ankimo and fried lotus root wrapped in seaweed

I ate it with salmon, then had the rich ankimo (monkfish liver) too. The fried lotus root is a treat as well, hahaha.

The raw shrimp is good, but the rich ankimo suited my taste, so I kept wrapping it in seaweed.

Ankimo hidden under the rice and gamtae (seaweed), a piece of fish with white kimchi, yum yum. Every kind of fish I ate was delicious.

One crab cream croquette is enough for two

The crab cream croquette at Ilpum Magok comes out crispy and hot. If two of you visit, ordering one to share is just right.

Mango to finish

After you're stuffed with kaisendon and udon, dessert comes out too.

Finished with refreshing mango. A truly perfect meal.

If you want sushi, kaisendon, unagi don and more in Magok, give Ilpum Magok a visit. I think it's a good spot for office workers nearby for lunch or dinner. Okay, that's all, bye!