Gangnam Japanese restaurant solo eel bowl & tea ice cream: Manmok

A polished Japanese restaurant in Seolleung Station’s dining alley

Manmok near Seolleung Station is the kind of place I find myself looking for on a special day, or when I’m craving a polished Japanese course meal. It came up in recommendations while I was searching for good restaurants nearby, so I went—and came away more than satisfied with the atmosphere and the quality of every dish.

Manmok address and business information

• Address: 1F, 9 Seolleung-ro 82-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 14:20, 21:20
• Parking: Available in front of the restaurant (calling ahead is recommended)

It is tucked inside Seolleung Station’s dining alley, and its subdued wooden exterior immediately caught my eye.

The moment I opened the door, elegant landscaping details and a sophisticated interior welcomed me in. High partitions between the tables are generously spaced out, and there are private rooms too. The lighting is lovely and the atmosphere is quiet, so I’d recommend it for a date. In fact, most of the tables next to me were couples that day hahaㅠㅠㅠ

A whole eel rice bowl ordered for a solo meal

I took a photo of the eel rice bowl menu too. I visited alone for lunch, and the menu was nicely simple, which made choosing easy. I debated between the whole eel and one-and-a-half eel sizes, then ordered the whole eel rice bowl.

The kitchen was semi-open, so I could see a little inside. At a glance, it was extremely tidy and hygienic.

While I waited, I ordered a cold draft beer too. Maybe because I had walked there in the hot weather, but that first sip of Yebisu draft beer was so cool and refreshing. I recommend having a beer through the review event while you wait for your food..!!

Finally, the full eel rice bowl set arrived. The whole eel came as two rows of five easy-to-eat pieces. Just look at that glossy eel haha.

A complete set, from salad to soup

Before the eel, I started with the salad and soft steamed egg. The salad was fresh and bright, while the steamed egg was soft and savory! It also had shrimp in it, which added great flavor.

The clear soup with matsutake mushrooms was wonderfully refreshing too. It was hot and soothing, the kind of flavor that keeps you reaching for more..!

Kanto-style charcoal-grilled eel with a gentle smoky aroma

Time to properly dig into the grilled eel...! Manmok’s grilled eel is Kanto-style: brushed with a special sauce and grilled once more over charcoal. It was beautifully browned and less salty, exactly to my taste. The subtle smoky aroma and non-overpowering seasoning made it perfect with rice.

Eel alone can start to feel rich, but they also served vegetables and pickled side dishes to have alongside it. They even offer refills!!

My favorite combination was well-grilled eel topped with sharp wasabi, eaten with rice. The kind of flavor that makes the beer go down so easily...!

I had some pickled ginger, which goes so well with eel, then ate it with white kimchi and seasoned shredded radish too.... Embarrassingly, before I knew it, I had scraped up every last grain of rice haha. It was genuinely that delicious!!! I felt full and properly restored too :)

Finishing with black tea ice cream

I happily finished my eel rice bowl and was about to pay when they told me dessert was included too! I mean... isn’t that such a great set? hahaㅠㅠ You can choose matcha or black tea ice cream for dessert. Since I was dining alone, I was hesitating, but a couple at the next table recommended the black tea flavor, so I chose it—and it was incredibly good!!

The black tea ice cream was like a not-too-sweet milk tea, leaving my mouth feeling pleasantly refreshed. I was extremely satisfied to have such a high-quality eel rice bowl set near Seolleung Station!! I’m almost jealous of the office workers around Seolleung Station haha. I strongly recommend it for dates, family meals, or anyone looking for a high-quality meal :)