Magok Japanese restaurant, unagidon and allergy sushi swap: Ilpum

Why we went to Ilpum Magok for unagidon

Ilpum Magok is a Japanese restaurant in Magok known for eel rice bowls and sushi, and I went for dinner with my partner for the first time as a restorative meal. I've been eating a lot of eel bowls lately, and with one wedding-invitation get-together after another I was worn out and low on energy, so off I went for unagidon. I'd known Ilpum for ages as a place Lee Young-ja (a famous Korean TV personality) recommended, but this was my first visit haha

Ilpum Magok opening hours, parking and booking perk

• Open 11:00–21:30
• Break time 15:00–17:30
• Last order 20:00
• 2 hours of parking in the Leaders Tower Magok underground car park
• 1 free bottle corkage when you book via Naver

How to get to Ilpum Magok and what it's like inside

Ilpum Magok sits between Magok and Balsan stations, a bit closer to Balsan, 4 minutes from Exit 8. I walked over from my office on the Magok Station side and it took about 10 minutes. The exterior is beige wood tone and looked like a bakery café. Interiors like this are so classy and pretty these days.

Inside, counter seats and tables wrap around an L-shaped kitchen, and there's a separate 4-person table too. It was full at dinnertime. I've seen plenty of packed BBQ places and pubs, but a packed Japanese restaurant was a first for me, and it made me think, yep, this place is good.

What we ordered at Ilpum Magok and the prices

We ordered the unagidon topped with a whole eel and the Today's Sushi set, with a yuzu highball and Chum-churum (a soju brand) to go with them.

• Unagidon ₩40,000
• Today's Sushi set ₩28,000
• Yuzu highball ₩11,000
• Chum-churum ₩6,000

Starters first: Japanese egg custard, miso soup and white kimchi

Ilpum Magok first brings Japanese-style steamed egg custard (chawanmushi), clear soup and white kimchi. There's shrimp under the custard, so the whole thing tasted strongly of shrimp, which I found fascinating. It was so soft that I practically inhaled it in slurps.. a great appetizer to get the appetite going.

Ilpum Magok's yuzu highball: a good pick for light drinkers

The yuzu highball (₩11,000) at Ilpum Magok is totally my style... not too sweet, with a classy, clean yuzu flavor I loved. A drink I'd recommend to anyone who doesn't handle alcohol well!

Ilpum Magok unagidon with a whole eel on top

The unagidon (₩40,000) at Ilpum Magok comes with a whole eel on top. There's egg roll over seasoned rice sprinkled with furikake (rice seasoning), and well-grilled eel topped with chopped scallions. The eel bowl looked overwhelming.

Cut the eel into bite-size pieces with the tongs and scissors they set out, then put eel + wasabi + pickled ginger on the rice... wow ㅠㅠ my mouth is watering, I want it again. The eel was plump with a springy chew that made every bite satisfying, and the sauce was just right with a deep savory flavor. The rice is seasoned separately, so it's salty enough that it's delicious even eaten on its own.

Can you order the Today's Sushi set with a crustacean allergy?

At Ilpum Magok, the Today's Sushi set (₩28,000) lets you swap the raw shrimp sushi for other sushi if you ask in advance. I have a crustacean allergy, so I asked beforehand to replace the raw shrimp, and it came with maguro maki (tuna roll), the popular sushi pick and futomaki (thick roll).

Dipped lightly in soy sauce, the sushi just melted in my mouth. I'd been craving sushi lately ㅠㅠ and with such a variety, the flavors and textures all differed, so I never got tired of it. The futomaki was so big I couldn't fit it in one bite, it took about three bites, and it was full of burdock, carrot, cucumber and other vegetables for great flavor.

Chicken karaage cold udon served with the sets

At Ilpum Magok, both the unagidon and the Today's Sushi set came with cold udon. What surprised me was that the noodles weren't soggy at all, they were really springy haha. It had solid chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) in it, so it was filling. With so many dishes coming out, I ate until I was nearly about to burst.

Dessert: mango purée milk pudding

The closing dessert at Ilpum Magok was a milk-flavored pudding topped with mango purée. Desserts at Japanese restaurants are usually not good so I tend to skip them, but this one wasn't too sweet and was nutty and mild, so I scraped the bowl clean hahaha. I was really full, yet I gobbled it all up, yum.

I recommend Ilpum Magok as a famous Japanese restaurant for Magok kaisendon (raw seafood rice bowl) and as a spot near Balsan Station for tasty sushi and eel rice bowls〰️