Daechi-dong eel bowl with sansho berries, better than Japan: Manmok

I had errands in Daechi-dong and was wondering where to find a fancy lunch, and I ended up at Manmok, where I had an eel bowl! I always thought eel bowls were all the same, but apparently the texture and flavor change a bit depending on how the eel is cooked. Manmok uses Gochang freshwater eel and cooks it Kanto-style, so let me tell you what makes Kanto-style special and how it tasted!!!!! Come on, let's go!

Where is Manmok, and what is the atmosphere like?

Manmok (만목) is a Japanese eel restaurant a 5-minute walk from Seolleung Station Exit 2. It's on the ground floor on Seolleung-ro 82-gil in Daechi-dong, so it's an easy walk from the station.

The storefront is in the natural wood style I love, and it looks so classy that I was in a good mood before I even ate, haha

Inside, there's elegant wooden furniture and the tables are spaced widely, so it felt comfortable and tidy! Like being in a high-end shop in Japan, you know?????? Good..👍

The long table pushed together in the middle looks great for a company dinner or group gathering!!

The restroom was clean too!

Group dinners at Manmok: how many people can sit together?

Manmok has a big table that could seat about 8 people. I went with a reservation, and they showed us to a table so huge it was almost awkward for just two, haha. It would be so nice to have our team dinner at a classy place like this someday!!!!!!! (Boss, are you watching?)

Manmok menu: eel bowl at lunch, grilled eel at dinner

At lunch Manmok serves eel bowls, and at dinner you can order grilled eel and nabe (hot pot) too, so keep that in mind when you visit! Give the menu a good read first~!

We came at lunch and ordered the whole-eel eel bowl (₩39,000) for two!

What is Kanto-style eel cooking?

Kanto-style means the eel is grilled once, then steamed, then brushed with sauce and grilled two more times. Apparently this brings out the eel's texture and makes it taste cleaner and milder!

Honestly, I was always too busy eating to know there were different cooking methods, so I learned something today, haha!!!!!!!!!!!

Manmok whole-eel eel bowl: the set and the taste

My fancy lunch today: the eel bowl at Manmok near Seolleung Station!!!!!! Opening the lid~ Why is my camera focus so bad at capturing fancy food....

Wow.. look at that eel color.......👍

The eel bowl comes with a sesame dressing salad, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), and wasabi, pickled radish, pickled ginger and sansho berries to eat with the eel. The sansho berries are the kicker, haha

At first I thought the broth was just udon broth, but when I tasted it, it seemed like mushroom broth! It was lightly seasoned, which made it easy to have alongside the meal!

The chawanmushi was so soft that my attempt to show it off failed. I wanted to show how jiggly it was.. sob. There was shrimp inside too!

Manmok's eel is thick and plump!!!!!!! I first tried it with just wasabi on top. The sauce had a charcoal-grill aroma, and the eel itself was really soft, maybe because it's steamed!!

How to eat eel bowl with sansho berries

The sansho berries are the real killer kick!!!!!! Their distinctive tingly sharpness cuts the eel's richness and leaves a clean aftertaste~

I also like putting both wasabi and sansho berries on top!

The sauce is sweet and salty, haha. The eel is seasoned enough to eat on its own, mild and tasty! The rice has sauce too, so it's not bland, and eaten together with the eel the seasoning is just right!!

Dessert ice cream at Manmok

Manmok even takes care of dessert..❤ There were two flavors, black tea and matcha, and since I'd just had a Japanese-style rice bowl, I picked matcha!!!!!!! It tasted exactly like Häagen-Dazs matcha!

Kanto-style eel bowl plus matcha ice cream for dessert~ that was my fancy lunch at Manmok near Seolleung Station!

Is Manmok's ₩39,000 eel bowl worth it? An honest review

Manmok uses Gochang freshwater eel, top-tier for eel, and the eel was thick and plump! I loved the soft texture from the Kanto-style cooking and the charcoal aroma soaked into the sauce. I'd never had sansho berries before, and eaten with the eel they gave a clean aftertaste with no greasiness, which I loved!!

The price is a bit high for one meal, but for a proper eel bowl in a nice setting it's not a waste at all! Personally, I once paid ₩50,000 or ₩60,000 for an eel bowl in Japan, and Manmok was much tastier, haha

Manmok has an upscale atmosphere and widely spaced tables, so I'd recommend it for dates, and also for important business meals or company dinners!! A classy Japanese restaurant near Seolleung Station in Daechi-dong, Kanto-style eel bowl at Manmok, highly recommended 👍👍