Hwaseong eel buffet with pine-topped pork belly: Songrim Bok Jangeo

A Saesol-dong favorite where we feasted on everything from eel to pork belly and chicken neck 😆

With the weather getting chilly morning and evening, I kept thinking about a hearty stamina meal~ So I went with a friend, for the first time in a while, to an all-you-can-eat eel place in Saesol-dong: Songrim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Saesol Direct Branch (송림복장어 민물장어 무한리필 새솔직영점) 😆 It wasn't just eel, we also had pork belly and chicken neck, so here's my review of the big meal~♡

Location and opening hours of the Saesol Direct Branch

The restaurant is at 12-2 Kkotnaeeum 2-gil, Manse-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, and it's open every day from 11:50 to 23:00. It has parking, group seating, all-you-can-eat, takeout, reservations and even baby high chairs.

The big white sign with "All-you-can-eat ₩29,900" in large letters stood out even from far away~ A notice said the eel is prepped by hand every morning at dawn.

Is the atmosphere good for company dinners and group gatherings?

The restaurant is really spacious, and every table has a hood coming down, so I worried less about the smoke from grilling meat haha The black tables give it a modern, clean feel, and the tables are spaced out comfortably, so it seemed good for family get-togethers, office dinners and group gatherings~ There are disposable aprons too, so you can forget about splatters on your clothes haha

All-you-can-eat rules

The all-you-can-eat time limit is 2 hours! There's an environmental fee if you leave food, so take only what you can eat~ And don't forget that leftovers can't be packed to go!

How much is the all-you-can-eat at Songrim Bok Jangeo?

Going by the menu board, the prices are below. The buffet includes freshwater eel, a variety of meats and basic side dishes!

• All-you-can-eat, adult: ₩29,900
• All-you-can-eat, child (elementary school): ₩14,000
• Table setting fee (children excluded): ₩3,000

Basic table setting and the self-service corner

The basic table setting came with ginger strips, which are a must with eel, plus jangajji (soy-pickled vegetables) and other pickles, along with eel and pine-topped pork belly and chicken neck~ For anything else, like lettuce wraps or extra side dishes, you get them from the self-service bar 😆

The eel, pork belly and chicken neck are in the self-service corner too, so after the first meat they bring you, you fetch more there~ There are plenty of side dishes and wrap ingredients, so no worries haha

Besides the basic side dishes, we also brought wrap vegetables and garlic with sesame oil poured over! Now let's put the eel, pork belly and chicken neck on the hot grill~

How to grill eel, pork belly and chicken neck together

Eel and pork belly taste much better with a sprinkle of the salt provided on the table, so sprinkle it evenly on both sides~ The chicken neck is already seasoned haha The eel was cleanly prepped, too~

Once things are partly cooked, cut them into bite-size pieces~ Eel cooks a bit slower than pork belly and chicken neck, so flip it once one side turns golden, and you get crispy skin and white, moist flesh haha

Chicken neck

The chicken neck cooked faster, so I tried it first, and it was chewy and nutty! It's seasoned with pepper, so it's tasty as is, with no need to dip it in sauce haha

Pine-topped pork belly

The pork belly grilled with pine had no off smell, and the fat rendered off just right, so it was rich and nutty~ I sprinkled a moderate amount of salt at the start, and the seasoning was perfect, delicious on its own and also wrapped in lettuce!

Freshwater eel

The freshwater eel here had no fishy smell, and was nutty and mild, tasty even on its own~ It's good dipped in sauce too, and eating it with ginger strips cut the richness, so it went well together 👍

Songrim Bok Jangeo Saesol Direct Branch: my verdict

We went to this Saesol-dong favorite for a hearty stamina meal with a friend! I thought it was an eel-only buffet, but pork belly and chicken neck were included too, so there was more variety than I expected 😆

Since you can take as much as you like for 2 hours, eel lovers can eat until properly full! And with meat as well as eel, it looked good for a group where everyone picks what they want haha

The restaurant is spacious and the tables are well spaced, so I think it works for family meals as well as office dinners and group gatherings! That was Songrim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Saesol Direct Branch, where we feasted on everything from eel to pork belly and chicken neck 😆