Gangnam Korean restaurant dinner for two: Manmok

My boyfriend has seemed really low on energy lately, so we went to Manmok, a spot near Seolleung Station that is famous for eel. We had a hearty meal of eel rice bowl and Korean beef nabe made with 1++ hanwoo (premium Korean beef).

Manmok location and hours

Manmok is about a 4–5 minute walk from Exit 1 or 2 of Seolleung Station. Since Seolleung Station is served by Line 2 and the Suin–Bundang Line, it is quite easy to get to by public transportation.

The area around Seolleung Station is a business district that many office workers visit, so accessibility matters when you are looking for somewhere to eat or meet after work. Being so close to the station was really convenient.

Japanese restaurant exterior and wood-toned interior

It was decorated just as you would expect from a Japanese restaurant.

The interior was also clean and neatly finished in warm wood tones.

There were hair ties, tissues, and wet wipes beside the table like this.

The menu was styled nicely too. We visited at 8 p.m. and ordered the dinner-only Korean beef nabe for ₩63,000 and the half eel rice bowl for ₩26,000.

Banchan side-dish setting

The basic banchan (Korean side dishes) came set out like this. They paired well with the eel and Korean beef nabe, and they freshened up your palate nicely.

1++ Korean beef nabe with charcoal aroma

Korean beef nabe, ₩63,000. Rather than putting raw meat straight into the pot and boiling it like an ordinary hot pot, this dish features 1++ Korean beef lightly seared over charcoal first, giving it that smoky charcoal aroma before it goes into the nabe.

They told us to cook the beef only briefly. The meat you see in the photo had been lifted out and placed on top of the vegetables, but there was plenty more underneath too. It gets tough if overcooked, so make sure you check whether any pieces are still in the pot.

You can eat the beef with vegetables, salt, wasabi, sansho berries, and shiitake mushrooms, or

have it with the sauce.

Half eel rice bowl: what comes with it and how it tasted

Half eel rice bowl, ₩26,000. It came with chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), miso soup, and salad.

The chawanmushi was soft and moist, so it was lovely to have between bites of the eel rice bowl.

The miso soup had matsutake mushrooms in it, giving it a subtle mushroom fragrance.

The salad had a tangy dressing, which cleared the palate amid the eel's rich flavor.

There was wasabi, pickled radish wraps, and more to have with the eel rice bowl. Even if you order only the eel rice bowl, these accompaniments keep the meal from feeling monotonous.

When I opened the lid, the sweet aroma of tare sauce and eel rose up first. The eel was nicely browned, and when I cut into it with my chopsticks, the flesh was tender.

The sauce had soaked into the rice just enough, so the seasoning did not feel overpowering when eaten with the eel. It was not overly sweet or salty—just right for enjoying the eel and rice together.

The Korean beef nabe and half eel rice bowl were exactly enough for the two of us. For an adult man, though, I think a whole eel rice bowl would be the right amount.

How to enjoy the eel rice bowl and Korean beef nabe

Start with the eel rice bowl as is

Rather than piling lots of things onto the eel right away, I first tried it with just the rice. That let me taste the eel's texture and the tare sauce seasoning as they were.

Add wasabi and pickled ginger

Next, I added a little wasabi on top of the eel and had it with pickled ginger. The sharp wasabi and refreshing ginger made the finish of the sweet-savory eel sauce noticeably cleaner.

Have the Korean beef nabe with vegetables

The Korean beef was delicious with napa cabbage or mushrooms rather than on its own. Add the sauce too, and it feels especially fresh.

The memorable restroom amenities

I was completely surprised when I went to wash my hands in the restroom!! This was the first restaurant I had seen with hand soap, hand lotion, and body lotion from brands like Byredo, Aesop, and Jo Malone. My favorite scent, La Tulipe, was there too, so I left with a fragrant, happy memory right to the very end haha.

How was it for a company dinner or date?

After visiting, Manmok felt less like a place to go solely for an eel rice bowl and more like somewhere to enjoy both a meal and dishes together. The eel rice bowl was satisfying as a meal, while the Korean beef nabe was great for sharing slowly between two people.

I visited at 8:30 p.m. on a weekday, later than the usual dinner rush, and it was nice that we could eat at an unhurried pace. Its location near Seolleung Station is also a plus, making after-work plans feel less of a hassle.

For a date, one eel rice bowl plus a dish to share was a good setup. If you are looking for a Seolleung Station venue for a company dinner, it also seemed like a good idea for several people to order dishes such as the Korean beef nabe and continue with food and drinks.

The most memorable dish at Manmok

Of everything we ate, the charcoal-scented Korean beef nabe was personally the most memorable. Unlike an ordinary nabe, the smoky aroma from the pre-seared Korean beef blended into the broth, and the flavor balance was good with the vegetables too.

The eel rice bowl worked well as a satisfying meal, with tender eel, rice, and accompaniments. More than anything, the pairing of these two dishes was a good choice for enjoying dinner and a light drink on a date with my boyfriend, like we did that day.

If you are looking for somewhere quiet to eat near Seolleung Station, or want to enjoy eel rice bowl and Korean beef dishes in one place, it is worth considering. If, like me, you want more than just an eel rice bowl, I would recommend the eel rice bowl + Korean beef nabe combination for dinner.