Japanese pot rice for one in Munjeong's legal district: eel, Gome Mui

Hot Japanese premium pot rice made with top-grade rice, a filling and tidy solo meal near Munjeong Station

I ate alone at Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong (고메무이 송파문정) in Terra Tower near Munjeong Station, with eel pot rice and a fried shrimp. When you have to eat solo, the menu is one worry, but whether the place feels comfortable matters quietly too, right? The pot rice came with neatly arranged side dishes, so even a meal for one felt like a proper meal. It's a good spot when you want to fill up on warm rice. ^^

Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong: location, parking and opening hours

Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong is at 167 Songpa-daero, Terra Tower Building A, B1 G115, Songpa-gu, Seoul, about 296m from Exit 3 of Munjeong Station on Line 8, so it's easy by public transit. Head out toward Culture Valley, follow the plaza path, and you'll find it on the basement level next to Mega Coffee.

You can use the Terra Tower underground parking lot if you're driving. Hours are 11:00 to 21:00, Monday to Saturday. Break time is 15:00 to 17:00, and last orders are at 14:30 and 20:30.

On Sundays it's open 11:00 to 15:00, with last order at 14:30. If you're planning lunch or dinner, check the hours beforehand. :)

What makes Gome Mui's pot rice different?

Gome Mui focuses on Japanese premium pot rice made with blended top-grade rice, and tonkatsu aged at low temperature in salt koji (fermented rice malt). Rice koji is used across the menu, and the tonkatsu is prepared by that salt-koji low-temperature aging, as I understand it.

The brand name combines the Japanese "gome" (米, rice), "mui" (無二, one and only), and the French "gourmet". The idea of offering a one-of-a-kind taste and quality was impressive.

Besides pot rice and tonkatsu, there's udon, soba, curry and more, so you can choose by taste. They also use seasonal ingredients, so I'd like to try other dishes next time. haha

Are there solo dining seats in the Munjeong legal district?

Besides 2-person and 4-person tables, Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong has bar seats for solo guests and window seats overlooking the outdoor plaza. The interior is done in wood tones, so it feels warm and clean overall. The lighting is calm too, so even in the busy lunch hour it was comfortable to stay.

I liked that there are bar seats for solo diners. The window seats should also work for people who feel awkward about where to look when eating alone. ^^

Sitting alone at a big table can feel a bit much, so seats made for one are a relief. I thought it suits office workers for lunch or dinner after work. There are coat hooks on the wall, and each table has a tablet ordering system, so ordering is easy.

Gome Mui menu and prices

Pot rice at Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong runs from ₩14,500 to ₩23,000, and the menu also covers tonkatsu, udon, soba and curry. The pot rice options are:

• Eel pot rice ₩23,000
• Perilla oil mushroom pot rice ₩14,500
• Wild sea bream with seasonal greens pot rice ₩17,000
• Steak pot rice ₩17,000
• Abalone pot rice ₩17,000
• Salmon soboro pot rice ₩17,000
• Tomato snow cheese pot rice ₩15,000

There's a good range of tonkatsu too:

• Salt-koji aged loin katsu ₩14,000
• Fillet katsu ₩15,000
• Whole mozzarella cheese katsu ₩13,000

There's also maze udon (₩11,500), mentaiko butter udon (₩12,000), cold katsuo soba (₩11,500), Ichiban curry (₩11,000) and tonkatsu Ichiban curry (₩15,000). Sides include handmade fried shrimp (₩2,500), mini loin katsu (₩6,000), 2 pieces of fillet katsu (₩5,000) and mini curry (₩4,000).

With several kinds of pot rice, you can pick meat or seafood as you like. Even dining alone, adding one side to your main makes the meal a bit richer. :)

How was Gome Mui's eel pot rice as a solo meal?

I ordered the eel pot rice (₩23,000) and the handmade fried shrimp (₩2,500). Since it was a meal for one, I wanted warm rice and tasty sides for a filling meal rather than something too simple. The eel pot rice is a little pricey, but it's a good pick when you want a different kind of pot rice.

Side dishes served with the eel pot rice

The eel pot rice set comes on a tray with neat side dishes that go well with pot rice, such as pollock roe, octopus jeotgal (salted seafood), mustard leaf kimchi and pickled ginger. They're lined up tidily and look clean at a glance. You can take a little of each, so you get a variety of flavors instead of just eel, which I liked. ^^

The pot rice is topped generously with glossy, sauce-glazed, golden grilled freshwater eel, with chopped scallions on top.

The eel covers the rice, so it looked appetizing right away. You get the eel's rich flavor and the sauce's savoriness together with the rice. Rather than mixing everything at the start, it works well to put eel on the rice and enjoy each taste. The sauce soaks into the rice naturally, which goes nicely with the eel.

How to finish eel pot rice as eel-broth ochazuke

When some rice and eel are left, you can pour in the warm eel broth served alongside and eat it like ochazuke (rice with hot broth). The way of finishing was unusual.

You just pour the eel broth over the leftover rice and eel.

Add wasabi and seaweed flakes and you finish with a different taste from the pot rice you started with.

The warm broth soaks into the rice so it's moist, which should suit anyone wanting a new way to enjoy pot rice. Eating one dish in two ways is the charm.

Is the 2,500 won fried shrimp worth adding?

Gome Mui's handmade fried shrimp is ₩2,500: a big shrimp in a crisp coating, served with tartar sauce. I added it to go with the eel pot rice, and it was crisp outside with bouncy shrimp inside, a good side with pot rice.

When pot rice alone feels a bit lacking, a piece of fried food adds texture and makes the meal more fun. At ₩2,500, it's a relatively light add-on to a main. haha

Solo dining at Gome Mui in Terra Tower, Munjeong: verdict

Eating alone at Gome Mui Songpa Munjeong with eel pot rice and fried shrimp, I liked that you can have a tidy, filling meal even by yourself.

The eel pot rice in particular is eaten with the side dishes first, then finished ochazuke-style with warm broth, which made the meal varied. Adding the fried shrimp made it richer still. ^^

If you're looking for a solo meal near Munjeong Station Terra Tower and the legal district, or want a filling lunch or dinner of pot rice instead of an ordinary set meal, check out Gome Mui. It has seats made for solo diners and a varied menu, and I'd like to try the tonkatsu or other pot rice next time. It was a pleasant place on a day I wanted a properly warm bowl of rice ♡