Yeoksam-dong eel rice restaurant with a four-step eating guide: Chisot

The semester just started and my workload has shot up like crazy. So today I went to Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch to eat something delicious and power through the hard studying. Every time I come to Gangnam I feel good — the roads are so well-maintained and the buildings so shiny.

What Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch looks like, and the seating

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch has an appealing wood-toned exterior, and the interior feels like stepping into a Japanese izakaya. There's a variety of seating — bar seats, two-person tables, six-person tables — so it's a comfortable space no matter who you're dining with.

There are bar seats too

and tables for two and six as well, so it's a comfortable space no matter who you're dining with.

On the table, toothpicks, ochazuke furikake, and sansho pepper were neatly set out so you can add them to taste.

Hitsumabushi Sang (上) for 37,000 won: first impressions

What I ordered that day at Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch was the Hitsumabushi Sang (上), priced at ₩37,000. Hitsumabushi comes from hitsu (ひつ, 桶) meaning 'wooden tub/bowl,' and mabushi (まぶし, まぶす) meaning 'to sprinkle evenly, to mix' — in short, a Nagoya-style eel rice bowl served in a wooden bowl and eaten mixed together.

The moment I opened the glossy red lacquered box, the deep aroma of charcoal grilling hit me — lovely. It looked amazing too, like eating with my eyes first.

The presentation felt upscale enough that this would be a great spot for a blind date, a wedding invitation gathering, or even bringing your parents.

How to eat hitsumabushi at Chisot in four steps

At Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch they give you a guide card titled 'How to Enjoy Chisot Hitsumabushi,' and following its instructions I tried eating it in four different ways.

Step 1: eel and rice on their own

First, using the wooden paddle, you divide the eel rice bowl into four sections in a cross shape. I scooped one quarter into an empty bowl and savored the deep, original flavor of hitsumabushi with just the eel and rice.

Step 2: mixed with laver, wasabi and scallions

Second is mixing the rice with plenty of laver, wasabi, and scallions. The pungent, fragrant scallions and wasabi cleanly cut through the eel's natural richness, giving a fuller, more varied texture. I already love dipping meat in wasabi, and with hitsumabushi too, the wasabi-plus-scallion combo was my favorite.

Step 3: poured over with ochazuke broth

Third is pouring in Chisot's own secret ochazuke broth and eating it warm, soupy-style. The deep, clean broth soaked between every grain of rice and maximized the eel's flavor.

Tasting it step by step exactly as instructed, the rich eel flavor never got old, not even by the last spoonful. Rice refills were free and self-serve inside, so I got more rice to finish off the remaining eel.

Steamed egg custard, soybean paste soup and soy-marinated salmon

I thought it was a soup at first so I almost skipped it, but it turned out to be an incredibly smooth steamed egg custard. So smooth I wanted to learn how to make it myself. And the soybean paste soup was great for those moments in between when you just want a bit of soup.

There's currently a 30-second Naver receipt review event running — if you participate, you get 2 free pieces of incredibly soft soy-marinated salmon, so don't miss out on that if you visit! It was delicious even eaten on its own over plain white rice.

How Chisot's eel bowl compares with eel rice in Tokyo

I ate eel rice in Tokyo a few years back, and honestly, I felt like there was no need to go all the way to Tokyo. This was a truly satisfying, delicious meal. The part-timers and staff were also incredibly kind from the moment I walked in until I left, and I really appreciated that. If you're looking for a great eel rice bowl or hitsumabushi spot in Seoul, I recommend Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch, a favorite among Yeoksam office workers!