Siheung Baegot eel buffet after moving prep, with somaek: Songnim Bok

Golden grilled freshwater eel, plus pork belly and duck neck, with plenty to go around. Here is our hearty family dinner in Baegot, at Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel Siheung Baegot Direct Branch, one more piece of eel at a time.

Why we went to this Baegot eel buffet on a worn-out moving-prep day

The Siheung Baegot Direct Branch of Songnim Bok is an all-you-can-eat freshwater eel restaurant in the Baegot shopping district, and you get pork belly and duck neck along with the eel. This time I went for dinner with my husband and our child, just the three of us.

I'm prepping for a move and I honestly don't know where my days go (T_T) There's so much to sort out and worry about that by evening my body just droops. So I figured, eat something good first, and asked my husband, "Shall we go get eel tonight?"

We usually eat eel at all-you-can-eat places where we can really stuff ourselves. If you're searching for an eel buffet in Siheung, here's why Songnim Bok is worth a look: besides freshwater eel, you also get pork belly and duck neck! It works well when an eel-loving adult and a pork-belly-loving kid go together, since everyone eats what they like.

How much is the unlimited refill at Songnim Bok's Baegot branch?

The unlimited set at the Baegot Direct Branch is ₩29,900 for adults and ₩14,000 for elementary-school children, with a ₩3,000 table fee per adult (children excluded). We ordered for 2 adults and 1 child.

• Location: 200-2 Baegot-dong, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi
• Order: unlimited for 2 adults + 1 child
• Adult: ₩29,900
• Child: ₩14,000 (elementary school)
• Table fee: ₩3,000 per adult, children excluded
• Menu: freshwater eel, whole pork belly, duck neck
• Hours: 11:30–23:00

Among the dinner guests there seemed to be a company dinner group, and others grilling eel in big parties. It looks like a Baegot eel favorite that locals use for family meals and also for hearty get-togethers with good conversation.

What comes in the basic table setting?

The basic setting at Songnim Bok comes with freshwater eel, whole pork belly and duck neck, and the table is laid with white kimchi, green onion kimchi, ginger slivers, pickled onion, eel sauce and myeongi namul. I told them how many of us there were once we sat down, and it was ready right away.

I was only waiting for the eel, and other meat comes out too, and it's unlimited!

The owner reportedly prepares live eel every morning and brings it in to use.

It wasn't thawed frozen eel but eel prepared fresh each day, which was something I'd noticed before visiting. A place that cares about ingredients even with unlimited refills made me look forward to it from the first piece on the grill.

The self-serve side dish bar

If you want more side dishes at Songnim Bok, use the self-serve bar. It had ginger slivers, white kimchi, green onion kimchi and myeongi namul, plus garlic, chili peppers and wrap vegetables.

A whole spread of freshwater eel, pork belly and duck neck for the whole family. The first side dishes are decent already, but if you like wraps, do stop by the self-serve bar. I grabbed vegetables and sides to go with the eel while it was grilling.

How do you grill eel well?

According to the notice on the wall at Songnim Bok, you put the eel skin-side down, cook both sides, cut it into bite-size pieces, then stand them up to brown the cut edges. Grilling eel is my husband's job at home!

Even though I've eaten it a lot, I somehow end up re-reading the "how to grill eel well" notice every time. While waiting, I also read the eel introduction posted next to it.

The eel sizzles on the grill and looks so tempting, but why does the wait feel so long, haha

"Is it done?" "Can we eat now?" After asking a few times, my husband finally said, "Yep, you can eat now" ^^.. and the moment he said it, my chopsticks went straight for the eel~

How the freshwater eel tastes, and the best combinations

The well-grilled eel was nutty on the outside and moist inside. My favorite combo is a light dip in eel sauce topped with ginger slivers.

Biting in, the soft flesh gives that deep, rich eel flavor, and the wait was worth it. The sweet sauce plus the sharp bite of ginger made the eel's nuttiness come through more clearly. Mmm, that's the taste! "Glad we came for eel" came out naturally. Moist eel, ginger slivers, a bit of sauce. This is when the chopsticks get busy.

Wrapped in myeongi namul, it gets a sweet-sour kick and is delicious again. With green onion kimchi, the spicy seasoning goes well with the eel. With white kimchi, the crisp, cool taste made me reach for the next piece right away. It's the same eel, but the taste changes with the side dish, so alternating is fun.

Is an eel buffet okay with a child?

Our elementary-school kid ate the eel well too. I cut it into bite-size pieces and handed it over, and the bones didn't seem to bother them much; they said it was nutty and ate happily~

I think the charm of an eel buffet in Siheung is being able to eat what the whole family likes without worrying about quantity.

If you think "one more piece?" while eating, you just put it back on the grill~ On days when you want plenty of eel, this kind of setup is extra welcome.

Whole pork belly and duck neck

After plenty of eel, we grilled the whole pork belly and duck neck included in the unlimited set. When the familiar pork belly went on, our kid was the one waiting for it this time?

Thick pork belly grilled golden had a nutty flavor different from eel. Even though it's unlimited, the meat wasn't tough or disappointing. The duck neck had a nice chew and was good alternated with the pork belly. Starting with eel and moving on to pork and duck, you get several flavors at one table, so the grill stayed busy the whole meal.

One more eel for the adult, one more pork belly for the kid. Different tastes, same full bellies. It was a neighborhood dinner out, so my husband and I had a glass of somaek (soju mixed with beer) each.

Between bites of eel and chatting, then putting more meat on the grill, we even set the moving talk aside for a while. Eating until full is nice, but sitting around the table as a family and taking our time was really lovely. If you choose Baegot restaurants by quantity and menu composition, Songnim Bok is worth remembering.

The store's commendation and the meal menu

In the Baegot Direct Branch hangs a commendation from the Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, awarded for contributions to community development and residents' harmony! Coming for a good meal and seeing traces of steady local activity made the restaurant feel a bit friendlier.

The menu also has eel soup, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), buckwheat makguksu (cold noodles) and spicy ramyeon. The eel soup is said to be boiled in-house and made rich, and I'd like to try the meal menu next time! This time I focused on enjoying plenty of eel and meat ^^

Songnim Bok's Baegot Direct Branch: how was it for a family dinner?

Songnim Bok is a place where you can enjoy plenty of freshwater eel plus pork belly and duck neck. The ginger and sauce combo was good, and alternating myeongi namul and green onion kimchi kept it tasty to the end.

Our kid ate the eel and pork belly well too, so choosing it for a family dinner felt right. When you're looking for an eel buffet in Siheung or a Baegot eel spot for a hearty dinner, this is a place I'd think of again. On a moving-prep-worn-out day, a solid meal with family. A dinner with plenty of eel and meat. Next time eel crosses my mind, I'll stop by again. I'm leaving this as a recommendation for anyone in Baegot looking for a family dinner spot with both eel and meat.