Mapo Japanese restaurant for a quick ochazuke lunch: Ochaya Yeonnam

Ochaya Yeonnam in a Yeonnam-dong alley

I’d kept saving Ochaya Yeonnam, an ochazuke restaurant, on my map, telling myself I had to go—and I finally did.

Ochaya Yeonnam is on one of Yeonnam-dong’s restaurant-filled alleys, so it was easy to find. It really catches your eye.

It’s on the second floor. I think there can be a wait on weekends, but I went at weekday lunchtime and walked right in. Haha.

A second-floor view and a relaxed Japanese-style atmosphere

Being on the second floor gave it such a nice view. There’s a group table for six, plus four-person and two-person tables, so the seating is varied. I loved the overall relaxed wood-toned atmosphere and Japanese feel.

Further inside, there are unusually bamboo chairs. They have soft cushions, and don’t the trees outside the window go so well with those bamboo chairs?!

There are charging outlets inside, and you order at the kiosk. There are even hangers for your clothes—such thoughtful details. The whole place was incredibly clean. From my seat I could see the kitchen, and it was so clean it practically shone.

Ochazuke that arrived in what felt like one minute

Ochazuke is a traditional Japanese home-style dish where warm tea or broth is poured over rice. Some places use green tea, while others use udon broth and other variations. I read up on how to enjoy it before eating and waited—but the food came out unbelievably fast. It honestly felt like it arrived in one minute, haha. Isn’t this the perfect restaurant for busy office workers?

Ta-da. This is the Buta no Kakuni and eel ochazuke I ordered. I tried Ochaya’s best-selling Buta no Kakuni and eel rice bowl.

Eel ochazuke and Buta no Kakuni

<Eel Ochazuke> ₩16,000 An eel rice bowl full of sweet sauce and smoky grilled flavor.

<Buta no Kakuni> ₩14,000 This is braised pork belly simmered until tender in sauce. A whole slab of pork belly sits on top, and I hear it’s one of the popular dishes here.

At Ochaya Yeonnam, it isn’t just plain rice: it’s yeongyangbap, nutritious rice with mushrooms and beans. It seemed lightly seasoned, so it was tasty even on its own. It wasn’t especially sticky, which suited the rice bowls.

Pork belly so tender you can cut it with a spoon

The pork belly in the Buta no Kakuni was seriously so tender. Truly tender enough to cut with a spoon. Yet it was still moist and thoroughly seasoned. I liked that it wasn’t too salty. The pork belly wasn’t overly fatty either, but once it started to feel a little rich, it was perfect with wasabi or kimchi. Overall, it’s a gently seasoned rice bowl. It just cuts right through.

The eel ochazuke was even better with broth

Next was the eel ochazuke. The eel here was seasoned so well, too. At most eel rice-bowl places, the charcoal flavor is so strong that you can barely taste the eel itself, but here it was subtly smoky and nicely balanced. There was no fishiness at all, and I liked that the sauce wasn’t too sweet.

After eating about half, I poured in the broth as the instructions said. This broth was lightly seasoned, so the seasoning actually became just right!!! I mentioned that the rice wasn’t very sticky, right? It was a little loose, but once mixed with the broth it became moist and perfectly seasoned, so it went down in no time. -> My companion and I thought it tasted better with the broth added.

There are so many Japanese restaurants in Yeonnam-dong, but I hardly think I’ve seen an ochazuke restaurant. It had been a while since I’d had ochazuke, and although it was filling, it didn’t feel rich or fishy, so it seemed perfect for lunch—I think I’ll come again! Ochaya’s main branch is in Sangsu, Mapo-gu, and this is its second Yeonnam-dong location. The weather has gotten cold now, so come have some warm ochazuke! Their salmon rice bowl is supposed to be famous too; I’ll have to order that next time.