Hitsumabushi restaurant in Yeoksam: weekend set lunch at Yangsando

🏠 70 Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil, Gangnam-gu ⏰ Daily 11:00-21:00 ⏰ Break time 15:00-17:00 🐟 Authentic hitsumabushi specialist

What kind of place is Yangsando Yeoksam?

Yangsando Yeoksam (양산도 역삼점) is a hitsumabushi specialist that started in Busan, and this branch is on Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil near Yeoksam Station. The Teheran-ro area is packed with office workers on weekdays, but it's quiet on weekends.

It's also known as a favorite among office workers around Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station. With its neat teishoku (Japanese set meal) tray, it gives you the satisfaction of having a precious meal all to yourself.

How does the waiting work?

In front of Yangsando Yeoksam there's a menu board and a waiting machine that works through Catch Table. There's a bench too, which makes waiting a bit easier.

Atmosphere and solo seats at Yangsando Yeoksam

The shop is decorated with white walls and wood tables, and has solo seats plus 2-person and 4-person tables. As expected, it was pleasant and clean, with a tidy feel all over. It isn't huge, but there's enough space for a comfortable meal.

What impressed me was the solo seats, so people eating alone can enjoy a meal comfortably. The solo tables were set neatly too. Since the shop is in an area full of office workers, I guess they made this efficient use of space. There are 2-person and 4-person seats as well.

Menu and prices at Yangsando Yeoksam

I chose the one-eel hitsumabushi set. Besides the one-eel set, the hitsumabushi comes as Special (1.5 eels) and Premium (2 eels), so you can order to match your taste and appetite.

• Hitsumabushi set, one eel
• Special (1.5 eels)
• Premium (2 eels)
• Sakedon (salmon rice bowl) piled with fresh salmon (₩17,000)
• Butadon (pork rice bowl) (₩17,000)
• Eggplant eel rice bowl (₩20,000)

There were plenty of other dishes to enjoy to your taste as well. Main meals are all served neatly as a single-person tray.

How do you eat hitsumabushi? I tried all three ways

The hitsumabushi set at Yangsando Yeoksam comes with a whole eel, grilled golden brown and generously laid on top, and underneath is fluffy rice with sauce lightly drizzled over it. The rice has a fair amount of sauce on it too, so you simply enjoy the rice and eel together.

The Yangsando menu explains how to enjoy hitsumabushi:

• Enjoy the eel and rice as they are
• Scoop eel + rice + scallion + seaweed into a bowl and mix lightly
• Enjoy it ochazuke style (with tea or broth poured over)

I tried all three ways. And of course, it was delicious whichever way I ate it.

Sides at Yangsando Yeoksam: soba and chawanmushi

The hitsumabushi set at Yangsando Yeoksam comes with soba (buckwheat noodles), chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), salad and hot broth. These well-made sides alongside a neat tray are another charm of the place.

The soba, not too cold but at just the right temperature, and the soft chawanmushi were both excellent on their own. The chawanmushi has cocktail shrimp and fish cake in it, so you get some chew too. Not just the grilled eel but the soba, chawanmushi, salad and hot broth were all prepared with a delicate touch, and I was very satisfied throughout the meal.

A weekend daytime drink

It was a happy weekend, and I thought a daytime drink wouldn't hurt, so we shared just one bottle of soju, and it put me in a really good mood.

Cold plum tea for dessert

To end the meal at Yangsando Yeoksam, cold plum tea came out as dessert, leaving the mouth fresh and clean. It was a good amount and taste for a light dessert.

Who is Yangsando Yeoksam good for?

Because the shop is so pleasant and tidy, Yangsando Yeoksam works for office workers in Yeoksam-dong at lunch, but also for couples on a date around Gangnam Station and for get-togethers with friends. It's a great spot where anyone can enjoy a neat hitsumabushi teishoku tray without any pressure.