Pre-trip eel dinner with chicken neck meat: Songrim Bok Jangeo

Basic info on Songrim Bok Jangeo in Saesol-dong

• 📍 111, 112, 113-ho, 12-2 Kkotnaeum 2-gil, Manse-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• 🅿️ The upper floor of the building is a parking tower! It's near a row of villa buildings, so street parking is also possible!
• ⏰ Daily 11:50–23:00
• ✨ Bokbunja wine service per table with a Naver coupon!!

I was heading out on a trip with a friend the next day and trying to figure out what to eat as a pre-travel boost meal, and eel was the obvious answer! Eel is famous for restoring energy. Lately it seems like more freshwater eel farms have popped up, since I've noticed more eel restaurants around.

Among them, we decided to go to a Saesol-dong favorite, Songrim Bok Jangeo. Saesol-dong is a new town, so the neighborhood and the shops are all clean, and Songrim Bok Jangeo lets you eat not just freshwater eel but also chicken neck meat and pork belly all-you-can-eat, so you don't have to worry about the price!!

Parking and location

The floor above the restaurant is a parking tower, so parking is super convenient, and street parking nearby is also an option, so don't worry about it. The place is nice and bright, and it's right next to a Twosome Place — great for a café stop after the meal!

As I mentioned, Songrim Bok Jangeo is listed as freshwater eel + pork belly + duck, but chicken neck meat is also all-you-can-eat!!!

A hall big enough for group dinners

This is the inside of the restaurant. This is only about half of it — there's another section of tables of similar size on the other side, so it looks great for group dinners!! The interior and tables are so clean, which I really liked.

Menu and terms of use

Basically, the eel all-you-can-eat menu is split into adult/child pricing, and the ₩3,000 table setting fee is separate. There's also eel soup as a rice dish option, which sounds perfect for lunch!

Trimmed eel can also be packed to go, so it's perfect for an air fryer at home or a barbecue on your next trip! It's 1kg before trimming and 650g after, which seems like plenty for two people.

As it's all-you-can-eat, the time limit is 2 hours. And of course, only take what you'll actually eat — I'm sure no one is packing extra to go, right?

There's a nice range of alcohol by type, and the zero-sugar drinks include both Coke Zero and Tom's, which I liked^^ They also have Terra Light, perfect for anyone who prefers a lighter drink!

What's at the self-bar

The self-bar corner has not just eel, pork belly, and chicken neck meat, but also wrap vegetables, side dishes, and sauces, all neatly arranged. The self-bar is really well organized! The main refill items are also kept at the self-bar, so you can grab more without feeling self-conscious~

First setting for two, and the bokbunja wine

The basic table setting for two arrived. They give you eel, pork belly, and chicken neck meat by default, along with basic side dishes~

Can you see how fresh the eel and meat look? They give you a generous amount right from the start!!

This is the bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) wine I mentioned in the tip~ You've got to have a glass of bokbunja wine with a boost meal! My friend had to drive, so I sipped it alone. Wish we could've shared it together..ㅠㅠ

How to grill eel deliciously

There's a guide on how to grill eel deliciously! The key point is skin-side down first~ We started with the flesh side up, and the owner kindly corrected us!

As the eel-grilling tip said: skin-side first, flip, then cut with scissors and grill lengthwise!!! When I cut it with the scissors, the eel flesh sliced with such a firm, springy texture! The eel was fresh and plump rather than mushy, and it was delicious. It was tasty dipped in eel sauce with fresh green onion, and wrapping it in the pickled perilla leaves that came with it was a perfect match with the perilla aroma~

How were the chicken neck meat and pork belly?

Next we grilled the chicken neck meat and pork belly! Eating only eel can get a bit much, so it was great to have meat alongside it. It was my first time trying chicken neck meat, and the texture was chewy without being tough — really delicious~ Pork belly, well, everyone already knows that's good haha

Grilling the pork belly and wrapping it with the baek-kimchi (white, non-spicy kimchi) that came with it was delicious!!

One more refill to finish

At the end, we refilled the delicious eel and chicken neck meat one more time~~ We properly recharged our energy at Songrim Bok Jangeo, a Saesol-dong favorite! Every dish was delicious, and even though it's all-you-can-eat, the quality never dropped — it stayed satisfying from start to finish without getting old~

The owner was also kind, and the interior was clean and spacious, so I'd recommend it for group dinners or family outings in Saesol-dong!! Next time I'm feeling low on energy, I'll come back to recharge with the eel soup too^ It was a satisfying dinner where I properly loaded up on protein for the first time in a while!