Gangseo eel restaurant for an unaju date: Kikukawa

Every time I go to Magok, I notice how many more places there are to eat now that One Grove has opened. There are plenty of options, from somewhere easy for a quick meal to places with a little more atmosphere for a date or gathering.

This time, I was craving a proper eel rice bowl, so I visited Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove Branch.

Michelin the Plate! This distinction is awarded to restaurants serving fresh ingredients and excellent cooking—places considered worthy of recommendation in the Michelin Guide, after Michelin Stars and Bib Gourmand.

Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove Branch also offers separate takeout. If you work nearby, how about gifting someone an eel rice bowl to give them a boost?

We made a reservation before visiting. We were assigned a table, so let's head in.

The dining hall, private rooms, and eel grilling

We settled into the main dining hall. The interior was neat, and there were private rooms too. It looked like a great option not only for a Magok date for two, but also for a meal with parents, a family dinner, or an office gathering.

A room like this would be lovely for a special occasion, and for people working nearby, it also looked ideal for a meal with clients.

In one corner of the restaurant, we could watch the eel being grilled by hand. Seeing it carefully grilled over charcoal, along with the sauce beside it, made me even more excited for the meal.

※ Please note that there are exclusive bento boxes for One Grove tenants.

Our hitsumabushi and premium unaju

There were two of us, and we ordered the hitsumabushi and Yondaime Kikukawa Premium Unaju.

Hitsumabushi ₩38,000 / Yondaime Kikukawa Premium Unaju ₩50,000

The meal selection was great, and so was the drink list, making it easy to pair something with a delicious eel rice bowl.

Japanese sake, wine, even highballs! We came saying, “Let's skip drinks today and just eat,” but this lineup was impossible not to be tempted by.

Once our food arrived, a staff member kindly explained how to enjoy the meal before we started.

• Try the eel on its own!
• Try it once with the toppings!
• Try it once with dashi broth poured over it!

A full spread topped with generous pieces of eel

It is certainly pricier than an ordinary meal, but the moment you lift the lid, those big pieces of eel make a definite impression.

Hitsumabushi is fun because you can enjoy eel in several ways, while unaju felt more focused on the eel and rice themselves. One bite of glossy eel with tare sauce and the rice underneath! That combination of the eel's nutty richness, sweet-savory seasoning, and rice is hard to get wrong.

More than anything, as an eel lover, I found the Yondaime Kikukawa Premium Unaju with those generous pieces of eel especially satisfying. Even the way the eel was arranged for easy eating was very tidy. It was a hearty meal, piled high with eel over white rice.

The sides of gosari stems and pickled radish went well with the eel too. Their slight tang balanced the rich, substantial eel nicely.

This soup really seemed to maximize the flavor of the ingredients. That also meant the seasoning was a little mild.

Enjoying eel three ways

First, let's enjoy the eel's flavor on its own. Maybe because the chef grilled it with such care, the outside was wonderfully crisp while the inside was chewy. It felt as though the sauce had soaked beautifully into every part of the eel.

I had it with rice and toppings, and it felt like a high-end version of eel sushi. The eel and sauce worked so well together, and it was endlessly good with rice. Since I also love eating sashimi as sushi with rice, this was my top pick.

The hitsumabushi my wife ordered!

For this too, rather than mixing it up like fried rice, we tried scooping the rice and eel separately. Then it was time for the third method: adding dashi broth.

The hearty eel harmonized beautifully with the clean dashi broth, with a texture somewhat like dried yellow corvina.

As I slurped down a bite, that bundle of flavor slipped right down.

Another healthy, delicious meal today. I came to Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove Branch for a proper eel meal at Magok One Grove! The hitsumabushi was enjoyable because the flavor changed with each method, while the Yondaime Kikukawa Premium Unaju let me fully appreciate its generous pieces of eel. Each dish had a distinct character, so I was glad we ordered both. Given the price point, it suits a date, family meal, or gathering when you want to eat properly rather than an everyday casual lunch.