Weekday lunch hitsumabushi after the Deoksugung guard ceremony: Tawa

Deoksugung Palace guard-changing ceremony, then a walk to City Hall Station

I visited Deoksugung Palace for the first time in a while. After slowly walking through the grounds, I even got to catch the guard-changing ceremony. It's right in the middle of Seoul, but walking through the old palace always makes me feel like I've briefly gone on a trip somewhere else, which is why I come back sometimes.

If you're visiting Deoksugung and the timing works out, I'd recommend catching the guard-changing ceremony too.

How to walk from Deoksugung Palace to Tawa at City Hall Station Exit 10

After all that walking and sightseeing, I started getting hungry. So I looked for a good restaurant near Deoksugung and ended up at Tawa (타와) for lunch. It's right in front of City Hall Station Exit 10, so the walk over from Deoksugung was easy. Since you can go straight from sightseeing to a meal, I thought it'd make a nice route for anyone looking for a date-course spot near City Hall Station.

• Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:00–16:00
• Last order: 20:20
• Closed: every Sunday
• Naver review event: coupon for 180ml sake or Coca-Cola

Inside Tawa: counter seats, hall tables and 4 private rooms

Nagoya-style hitsumabushi ₩30,000 | eel with a smoky char

Tawa is on the basement floor of the first building from City Hall Station Exit 10. Walking in, the whole place felt calm and tidy. Along the inner hallway there were 4 private rooms.

When I visited, three of the rooms were already in use, and one happened to be empty, so I snapped a quick photo of the inside. Since you can close the door and eat privately, it seemed like a good spot for a work dinner or a quiet gathering.

Watching the eel grilled at Tawa's counter on a weekday lunch

It was a weekday lunch, but the hall seats were nearly full. I sat at the counter first, then moved to a regular table once a few guests had left.

There was one thing I really liked about sitting at the counter while waiting: I could watch the eel being grilled right in front of me. Seeing it turn a golden brown built up my anticipation before the food even arrived.

I filmed the eel being grilled all the way through to the finished hitsumabushi.

Tawa's 30,000-won Nagoya-style hitsumabushi and how to eat it three ways

I've had hitsumabushi many times at other places, but Tawa's version that day suited my taste really well. Above all, there was a generous amount of eel, and the thick cuts had a nice smoky char to them. The sauce wasn't overly sweet or salty either, which let the savory flavor of the eel come through. With hitsumabushi, the fun is dividing the rice and eating it a few different ways rather than sticking to just one method. So I tried it three ways myself.

First way: eel and rice on their own

First I ate the eel and rice together with nothing else added. The thick eel had a good smoky char, and since the sauce wasn't overdone, it suited my taste from the very first bite. The eel was tender yet savory.

Second way: wrapped in seaweed with wasabi and radish

Second, I wrapped the eel and rice in seaweed (김) and added wasabi and radish. The savory eel combined with the sharp kick of wasabi and the crunch of radish gave it a completely different character from the first bite. Eating it this way in between kept the eel from getting repetitive all the way through.

Third way: ochazuke with hot broth poured over

Of the three, ochazuke (rice with hot broth) was my favorite. Pouring the warm broth over let the smoky char and sauce from the eel naturally dissolve into it. The broth itself was seasoned just right for my taste, and mixing it together with the eel and rice made for a much softer, deeper flavor. I already tend to like ochazuke when eating hitsumabushi, but this one was especially good.

In the end, I cleaned the bowl right down to the bottom.

Would I return to Tawa? The hitsumabushi again

I tried all three methods, but the ochazuke version was still the most memorable for me. The eel was plentiful and the balance of smoky char and sauce suited my taste, so if I visit again, I think I'll order hitsumabushi once more.

Being right in front of City Hall Station made it easy to get to, and having private rooms made it good for meals or gatherings too. Since it's a nice route to follow up sightseeing at Deoksugung with a meal, I think I'll think of it again next time I'm in the area.