Eel rice bowl spot by Yeoksam Station: 1.5-eel hitsumabushi, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam: the eel rice bowl that won over a Korean-food fan

Yangsando Yeoksam (양산도 역삼점) serves hitsumabushi (eel rice bowl) near Yeoksam Station. I went for dinner, but it would be perfectly good for lunch too, and I think it works for a solo meal or a team lunch near Yeoksam Station. But this is my space, so no lies here, haha.

This was the first time I properly ate an eel rice bowl, and it was so good. I'm a hardcore Korean-food person and was afraid the sweet sauce of eel rice bowls would make me queasy (?), so even though I'm crazy about eel, I had never eaten the bowl. Why did I wait this long... ^^

Yangsando Yeoksam hours and location near Yeoksam Station

Yangsando Yeoksam is open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 14:30 / 20:30. Groups, reservations, takeout and delivery are all available.

Yangsando, a lunch spot not far from Yeoksam Station Exit 3.

There's a Catch Table kiosk at the entrance, and the menu is set up outside so you can decide comfortably before going in!

Yangsando Yeoksam seating: good for solo meals or team lunches?

Inside Yangsando Yeoksam there are about six four-person tables and a bar counter that works as solo seating. The atmosphere is quite calm, so I think it's a great place for a team lunch near Yeoksam Station, and the solo seats have an outlet at every spot, which is a really thoughtful touch, right?

Yangsando hitsumabushi menu and prices: Regular vs Special vs Premium

At Yangsando, the Regular hitsumabushi comes with one eel, the Special with one and a half, and the Premium with two. I ordered the Special hitsumabushi (₩37,000) and the salmon yubu chobap (tofu pouch sushi, ₩7,000).

The menu looks like a Korean folding screen!! Hahahaha. I've attached a photo taken from outside so it's easier to read.

• Special hitsumabushi - ₩37,000
• Salmon yubu chobap - ₩7,000

I'm so, so happy I went with the Special! I could eat as much eel as I wanted, honestly. Every single spoonful... there's still eel... 🤍

What comes with the Yangsando eel rice bowl set?

The eel rice bowl at Yangsando arrives as a neat full set,

• A bowl for scooping out the eel rice, and a soup
• Cold soba, chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) and kimchi
• Salad, wasabi, seaweed flakes and chopped scallions

I really liked that Yangsando is served neatly with just the combination of things you need to enjoy one bowl in different ways, and it felt like treating myself. It is a treat, after all, since I'm burning through over ₩40,000 on one meal^^

The wooden spoon was so light that my hand only trembled a tiny bit, yet the steamed egg wobbled like crazy. It was perfect as an appetizer eaten with the salad~

How much eel is in the Special hitsumabushi?

The Special hitsumabushi at Yangsando comes with the lid on and you open it yourself, and the second I did, I screamed inside ㅠ Choosing the Special at this Yeoksam Station lunch spot was such a good decision... I loved the densely packed eel.

The amount, the shine of the eel, the grilling... the moment I lifted the lid, my mouth started watering beyond my control ㅠ

How to eat hitsumabushi: the four steps Yangsando explains

Yangsando Yeoksam kindly explains how to eat hitsumabushi too. The order goes like this.

• First, just the eel and rice!
• Second, the eel and rice with seaweed flakes and chopped scallions!
• Third, the second way plus ochazuke broth (hot tea-style dashi)!
• Fourth, whichever of the three ways you liked best!

Step 1: eel and rice on their own

You have to listen to the rules in front of food to enjoy the best combination, so I started with just eel and rice, and even this simple it's so good... The soy-based eel sauce is neither too sweet nor too heavy, which I really liked.

Step 2: mix in scallions and seaweed flakes (plus wasabi)

For the second round I couldn't be bothered to put wasabi on separately, so I just mixed it all in together. You can tell from this photo alone that it can't be bad ㅠ Ah, I'm drooling again.

Eating it this way made the flavor so much richer. The scallions and seaweed flakes don't add some distinct flavor of their own, but the taste clearly becomes fuller! Personally, this way, mixed with scallions and seaweed flakes, was my favorite.

Step 3: pour over hot tea broth

Next you pour in the piping hot ochazuke broth,

and it just slides down even without chewing? Super delicious, super delicious, super delicious. I'm the type who chews even when I eat porridge, but with the ochazuke broth, Yangsando's hitsumabushi just went down my throat without chewing... a weird experience. The slurping sound we use for noodles, 'horurok horurok', I never dreamed I'd think of it while eating an eel rice bowl, seriously.

Yangsando salmon yubu chobap: worth ordering with the eel rice bowl?

Yangsando's salmon yubu chobap (₩7,000) has nicely colored salmon on top and tastes just like you'd expect. It's a different kind of flavor from the eel rice bowl, rich and sweet-sour, so eating them together was a crazy good combo.

Eating yubu chobap on top of the Special hitsumabushi feels like your stomach might burst, but (since it won't actually burst) I still recommend ordering it... ^^

Finishing the meal: maesil plum tea and cold buckwheat noodles

Toward the end of the meal, the staff at Yangsando Yeoksam bring out a cool plum tea. They keep a close eye on customers and bring it at just the right moment, which struck me as really attentive.

After the plum tea, I went and ate the cold soba as a palate cleanser ㅠ The soba is lightly seasoned, so I first thought, hmm, maybe not my taste? But eating something this mild at the end actually felt clean and refreshing. Good.

Who is Yangsando Yeoksam best for?

Yangsando, a solo-dining favorite near Yeoksam Station: it was so delicious that I cleaned my plate so thoroughly that it wouldn't look dirty even in black and white, lol.

With its calm atmosphere and a delicious bowl, I think it's great for a team lunch near Yeoksam Station, or whenever you need to treat someone to a meal! They also sell Asahi and Kirin bottled beer, so a beer after work would be pure happiness, and I kept asking myself whether this was Japan or Korea ㅠㅠ It was a delicious Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant.