Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant with sansho: Manmok

From Seolleung Station to Manmok: parking and reservations

It takes about five minutes on foot from Seolleung Station. The weather has been so nice lately, so it is just the right distance for a leisurely walk!!

Manmok (만목)

There is a stylish eel illustration on the exterior. It kind of looks like a dragon hahaha. There is parking for two cars in front of Manmok! The spaces are tight and may be full, so they say to contact them before your visit for guidance.

As you would expect from a popular Seolleung Station restaurant, there may be a wait if you walk in, so I recommend making a reservation first.

If you reserve, they set aside a reserved table for you, so you can visit comfortably haha.

True to its status as a great eel rice bowl spot near Seolleung Station in Gangnam, it has a single-item menu. You know single-menu places are usually the good ones, right? There are half-eel and whole-eel portions, plus a one-and-a-half-eel portion for pigs like me. They also have draft beer and highballs, so choose whatever suits your taste.

Calm wood interiors and solo seats

The interior was pretty and thoughtfully designed, too. With calm lighting and upscale wood furnishings, it was not overdone, and the seating was separated, making for a quiet, relaxed meal. It would be great for a date, a meal with your parents, or an important occasion—highly recommended!!

They also have solo seats, so it seems great for eating alone. For a solo eel rice bowl meal in Gangnam, Manmok!

Even the water was not just water—it seemed like roasted Solomon's seal tea? I love tea, and it paired so well with the eel rice bowl, so I really liked it.

There was also this container on the table, and at first I wondered what it was. It is sansho pepper powder! You can sprinkle it over the eel to taste and enjoy a different flavor.

A whole-eel rice bowl and its accompaniments

Doesn't it look soooo good.. I really love eel, but it is expensive.. so I do not get to enjoy it often. A place like this is definitely one to visit for a work dinner haha.

The sesame-dressing salad was delicious. It was not overly sweet and had just the right balance.

Clockwise from the left: pickled sansho, pickled radish, wasabi, and pickled ginger. Pickled sansho is unfamiliar, right? I had encountered it when eating mala tang or mala xiang guo, but after trying it here, I was rather won over. It went so well with everything.

This is shrimp chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard). Isn't it incredibly soft, almost like pudding?

If you dig around well, there is a little shrimp tucked inside hahaha. The shrimp chawanmushi was soft and nicely seasoned, and I enjoyed it as an appetizer.

This soup contains matsutake mushrooms. Rather than the intense flavor of store-bought soup, it had a flavor that seemed to come naturally from the ingredients, which I liked.

They also serve seasoned shredded radish and baek-kimchi (mild white kimchi). I am normally the type who absolutely does not eat tangy, vinegar-seasoned shredded radish, but this place's was tangy and delicious. I kept picking at it. That is how good their shredded radish is. And now, the long-awaited whole-eel rice bowl!!!

This is it.. The eel was a really good size, and there was not too much rice for the amount of eel. The eel-to-rice balance was great.

Manmok uses freshwater eel from Gochang, considered one of Korea's finest eel-producing regions. It follows the Japanese Kanto-style method, which really preserves the eel's natural texture and clean taste. The eel is grilled once, steamed, then brushed with a house sauce and grilled over charcoal twice more, leaving none of the richness behind—only tenderness and a clean flavor.

Maybe that is why it had such a strong charcoal aroma without being rich at all. The sauce was not excessive either, so the eel's flavor came through beautifully.

It was especially delicious with a sprinkle of sansho pepper powder and a bit of wasabi.

If you do not enjoy spices, I think it would be better to skip the sansho pepper powder.

I also had some shredded radish along the way.

My favorite combination was wasabi plus pickled sansho. When the pickled sansho burst, its light heat was so nice.

The eel was not small at all, which was great. It was nicely crisp on the outside, tender, and clean-tasting ㅜ It was so delicious..

Choose black tea or matcha ice cream for dessert

After you finish, they prepare dessert. You can choose either black tea or matcha ice cream.

The matcha ice cream was not too sweet, nicely balanced, and retained matcha's pleasantly bitter flavor, making it perfect for dessert. Looking for a Seolleung Station restaurant for a work dinner? A great Gangnam eel rice bowl spot? A date, a meal with your parents, or somewhere to treat someone? I highly recommend Manmok!!