Magok kaisendon restaurant, tuna tsukedon too big to finish: Ilpum

Another day, another Magok work thing (again!). When it ended I went looking for dinner.. and spotted a place with a really neat-looking (?) exterior in the distance. I walked up and found it was Ilpum Magok, a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant. The menu had lots of kaisendon varieties and the vibe looked good, so we walked in without a second thought!

To start with the conclusion: we were quite, quite satisfied. The portions were way bigger than I expected, and it wasn't only the main dishes that were good. The cold udon, the egg custard and even the final dessert were all great. After eating here I definitely felt I'd want to visit other branches too if I'm ever nearby 😋

What are the exterior and entrance of Ilpum Magok like?

Ilpum Magok has a neatly done exterior, so the first impression was good. We visited in the evening and with the lights on, the atmosphere was surprisingly nice. And the restaurant is quite big! See how wide it stretches sideways? If you're looking for a Magok restaurant, or a Japanese place near Balsan Station, it's worth a look.

Big menu photos are posted by the entrance too. It's nice to get a rough idea of what's on offer before going in. There were more kaisendon types than I expected, plus sushi, sashimi and eel rice bowls, so the choice is pretty wide.

Atmosphere and seating at Ilpum Magok

Inside, the Ilpum logo catches your eye first, and lots of wood tones give it a warm feel. Personally I don't like staying long in restaurants that are too dark or chaotic, but this was just right.

Further in there was an area with signs on the wall, and looking at those is kind of fun too haha

There's also a waitlist registration machine at the entrance. We got in right away, but at peak lunch or dinner times a wait seems possible. There's even a separate spot for umbrellas on one side. Even these small details were well organized, so the whole place felt neatly managed.

Is Ilpum Magok good for dining solo?

Yes! Ilpum Magok has quite a few bar-style seats, so coming alone wouldn't feel awkward at all. One of the things I liked most here is the many good seats for solo meals! Magok has tons of office workers, so lots of people eat alone at lunch, and having seats like these is a quiet but big plus 👍

The spacing between tables didn't feel cramped, and the calm mood made it a fine place to eat while chatting.

The kitchen area was clean too, and with its open layout you can catch a glimpse of the food being prepared. Everything was tidy, so I think anyone would like the first impression.

Ilpum Magok menu: what kinds of kaisendon are there?

The menu runs from standard kaisendon to premium kaisendon, plus Ilpumdong, Honmaguro Tsukedon, Uni Ikuradon, Sashimi bowl, Salmon Sakedon and more. The range is huge. If you love raw fish, even reading the menu will make you agonize for a while (that's me).

I especially liked that items like the Ilpumdong and premium kaisendon let you eat several kinds of seafood at once. I wanted to try everything, but this day I just picked what I'd been craving.

There's a separate, varied sushi menu too, so coming back for sushi next time would work. Here's what we ordered this day, just two items.

• Ilpumdong (special)
• Honmaguro Tsukedon

Pudding-like egg custard and the basic sides

At Ilpum Magok, steamed egg custard, a clear soup and some side dishes come out first. I tried the egg custard first and was like, huh..? What is this? It was like a pudding, unbelievably soft. It was really good. I'd expected an ordinary egg custard, but this was far softer and moister. It melts in your mouth, so I kept taking one spoonful after another before the main dishes arrived.

While waiting for the mains, I looked around the restaurant.

There were another 3–4 table seats; it seemed parties of three or more are seated there, while two people like us or solo diners are guided to the bar.

How big are the toppings and portion of the Ilpumdong (special)?

The Ilpumdong (special) at Ilpum Magok is piled with tuna negitoro, salmon roe and uni, and the rice amount is generous too, so the portion was too big to finish. The mains finally arrived, and with both our orders on the table the whole frame felt packed haha. The Ilpumdong (special) in particular had really generous toppings.

Even more impressive up close. Plenty of tuna negitoro, a heap of salmon roe on top, and a generous helping of uni in the middle. You can get the idea from the photo, but in person it's even more generous than you'd think.

And the really important part: the portion is huge. I usually don't leave food behind, but this day I never saw the bottom of the bowl and gave up.. At first, with so many toppings, I wondered if there'd be little rice, but there was plenty of rice and the toppings were generous, so one bowl fills you up quite a lot.

The salmon roe pops, the negitoro is soft, and the uni is rich and nutty, so together they match nicely. It's good scooped up with a spoon, wrapped in seaweed, or wrapped in the gamtae (a type of seaweed) that came with it, so you can vary how you eat it. I personally love mixing things up like this, so I really liked it.

Honmaguro Tsukedon: how thick and tasty is the tuna?

The Honmaguro Tsukedon at Ilpum Magok is topped with big, thick tuna, and the lightly seasoned tuna is tender, so it was the one I enjoyed most that day. It looked appetizing right away, with chunky pieces of tuna on top.

See the amount of tuna? See the thickness..?

As a tsukedon (marinated-topping rice bowl), the tuna is lightly seasoned, so it matched the rice well, and above all the tuna wasn't chewy but soft, which I loved. If you like tuna, I think you'll like this one quite a lot.

If you had to pick one: Ilpumdong (special) or Honmaguro Tsukedon?

I ate both this day. The Ilpumdong was fun for its variety of seafood combinations, while the Honmaguro Tsukedon gave a feeling of really eating the tuna itself. So if I had to pick one, this day the Honmaguro Tsukedon was a bit more to my taste. And the portions.. honestly, both were bigger than expected and we couldn't finish either, so in the end we threw up our hands..

How was the cold udon that came with it?

The cold udon at Ilpum Magok has a cold, clean broth and chewy noodles, and it cleansed the palate between bites of the seafood bowl. Honestly I didn't expect much. The mains are so flashy that I figured it was just a side, but it was cool and exactly my taste. Eating a bite now and then in between the seafood bowl made my mouth feel refreshed?

Seen all together, it's quite a spread, right? One Ilpumdong, one Honmaguro Tsukedon, cold udon, egg custard, soup and the side dishes. Ugh, I was endlessly full.

Here's the family photo with the udon too. This is the lineup!

The final dessert: kabocha pudding

And finally, the dessert that came last.

The closing dessert at Ilpum Magok was a pudding, soft and sweet, just right to end the meal. I was pretty full already, but I finished this too 😂

On top was something like kabocha (Korean pumpkin) purée, and underneath hid a pudding that was soft yet firm 😍

Ilpum Magok: a recap of what we ate

• Ilpumdong (special): piled with salmon roe, uni and tuna negitoro, a feast for the eyes and tasty too
• Honmaguro Tsukedon: very satisfying for a tuna lover like me
• Egg custard: soft like pudding and delicious
• Cold udon: so much better than expected
• Kabocha pudding: tasty right to the end

What more is there to say about today's meal haha

Who is Ilpum Magok for?

Ilpum Magok seems good for anyone searching for a restaurant in Magok, near Balsan Station or Magongnaru, anyone wanting Japanese food in Magok, and anyone who loves kaisendon or tuna rice bowls. Sometimes a trendy place turns out to have disappointingly small portions, but here.. no need to worry about that. Next time I want to try other kaisendon or the sushi menu 😋

A good stop when you're craving Japanese food or kaisendon between Magok and Balsan. A clean restaurant, good seats for solo dining, generous kaisendon, and tasty sides and dessert made for a really satisfying meal 😊