Seonleung eel bowl portion sizes compared, with wasabi: Manmok

I was looking for somewhere to eat lunch near Seonleung Station and ended up at Manmok. The Daechi-dong area has so many offices around it that lunch options are seriously varied, but that day I wanted something a bit heartier and more special than my usual go-to, so I went for Gochang eel rice bowl.

When I think of eel, I usually picture a dinner dish or grilled eel skewers, but served as a rice bowl it turned out to be surprisingly clean and easy to enjoy for lunch too. Having tried it myself, the eel and rice combo worked really well together, so let me introduce it for anyone looking for a different kind of lunch spot around Seonleung Station or Daechi-dong.

I ordered the one-portion eel rice bowl, and the friend I went with ordered one and a half portions! Placed side by side, the difference in amount was pretty noticeable — I was already plenty full with just the one portion.

What Manmok near Seonleung Station looks like inside

Manmok is an eel specialty restaurant on Seonleung-ro 82-gil, and honestly, even the exterior sets a good mood. At a glance it feels less like a typical rice restaurant and more like a Japanese unagi specialty shop.

Once you step inside, the wood-toned interior and soft lighting made it feel calmer and more upscale than I expected. The tables weren't crammed together either — the space was divided up nicely, which I liked.

It's a quiet spot that's good for eating and chatting, so it could work well for anyone looking for a team dinner venue near Seonleung Station too. It feels less suited to a loud, rowdy get-together and more to a proper meal with good food among a smaller group!

One eel vs one and a half at Manmok: how big is the difference?

Manmok's eel rice bowl comes in sizes you can choose based on how much you want to eat: half portion 26,000 won, one portion 39,000 won, one-and-a-half portions 50,000 won.

• Half portion — ₩26,000
• One portion — ₩39,000
• One and a half portions — ₩50,000

I went with the one-portion at 39,000 won, and my friend chose the one-and-a-half at 50,000 won. True to its name, the one-and-a-half really did come with a noticeably bigger amount of eel — the second it arrived we both went "oh!" haha.

For a normal appetite, the one portion was plenty. If you love eel and can eat a lot, go for the one-and-a-half; if you just want a decently hearty meal, the one portion should be enough.

How Manmok grills Gochang freshwater eel Kanto-style

While looking at the menu I learned that Manmok uses freshwater eel from Gochang. The cooking method was a bit unique too — apparently it's a Kanto-style technique where the eel is grilled once, steamed, brushed with a secret sauce, and then grilled two more times over charcoal. At first I just thought, okay sure, but once I actually tasted it, I could really feel the difference in texture.

The outside had that properly grilled feel, while the eel flesh inside was genuinely soft.

What the Manmok eel rice bowl looks like when it arrives

And finally, the eel rice bowl arrives 🤎

The moment it landed on the table I grabbed my phone and took a photo haha. The sauce was glistening on top, and even the charred bits scattered around looked incredibly appetizing. My friend's one-and-a-half portion in particular had eel covering almost the entire bowl of rice, and even my one portion had more eel than I'd expected.

I picked up a piece of eel with my chopsticks and the flesh was on the thicker side. The outside had the sauce well soaked in, while the inside melted apart softly — delicious. The sauce wasn't overly sweet either, so it was just right eaten together with the rice. There was even a little sauce soaked into the rice underneath the eel, so scooping up a big spoonful of rice with eel on top was genuinely amazing haha.

Try the eel with pickled radish and wasabi

Personally, the tastiest thing about Manmok's eel rice bowl was the combo of eel + pickled radish + wasabi. At first I just ate the eel with rice, but partway through I started adding the side condiments one by one.

This combo was really something. Eel is a rich, fatty food, so eating it continuously can start to feel a bit heavy, but with a little wasabi on top your palate got instantly refreshed and I just kept going haha. It also went well paired with the ginger, and switching up the combo bite by bite made the meal even more fun.

The full set: salad, steamed egg and soup

At Manmok, you don't just get the eel rice bowl on its own — it comes with salad, steamed egg (gyeranjjim), soup, and side dishes.

The steamed egg in particular was so soft, and good to eat before the eel arrived.

Eating the salad in between bites was great for resetting the palate every so often while working through the eel. The side dishes weren't heavily seasoned either, so they went well alongside the eel.

Everything comes out neatly as a single set per person, so it should also be comfortable for anyone looking for a place to eat eel rice bowl solo in Gangnam.

Why Manmok works for a hearty Daechi-dong lunch

Price-wise it's a bit more than your everyday office lunch, to be fair! But you know how it is — some days you just don't want kimchi jjigae or jeyuk bokkeum and you want something proper haha. This feels like the right place for those days.

I had the one portion and was completely full, while my friend's one-and-a-half was noticeably more generous. It seems like a good place to take your parents for a meal, or for an important lunch appointment — if you're around Seonleung or Daechi-dong and want a Daechi-dong lunch spot that's a bit different from usual, I'd recommend the eel rice bowl.

Dessert to finish the meal at Manmok

By the time I finished the eel rice bowl at Manmok I was genuinely stuffed, but then dessert showed up at the end 💚. After eating eel your mouth can feel a bit heavy, but finishing with something cool and refreshing tied the whole meal together neatly. It really felt like a proper full course from start to finish.

What I liked most, above everything, was that the eel had sauce well soaked in on the outside while staying soft inside. I had one portion, my friend had one and a half, and I liked that you can choose based on how much you're each planning to eat. If you're craving a hearty lunch in Seonleung, or looking for a quiet spot for a team dinner near Seonleung Station, this place is worth a visit :)

One portion was plenty filling for me, but if you love eel, the one-and-a-half might tempt you too haha. A place to remember whenever you're craving eel rice bowl in Seonleung — Manmok 🤎