Blind-date eel restaurant in Yeoksam: boneless ichinounadon, Unagiwa

Eel rice bowls near Yeoksam Station: what we ate at Unagiwa

I was looking for a good eel rice bowl place near Yeoksam Station and ended up at Unagiwa (우나기와). I ordered the (Sang) hitsumabushi for ₩38,000, the ichinounadon for ₩38,000, and a matcha pudding for dessert.

To get straight to the point: this was a really satisfying place if you want a filling meal that still feels clean and neat. The eel rice bowls were great, but the atmosphere and dessert made the whole flow of the meal good too, so I think it suits anyone looking for a Yeoksam Station spot for a blind date or a restaurant near GS Art Center.

What are the exterior and interior of Unagiwa Yeoksam like?

Unagiwa felt like a proper Japanese-style eel rice bowl restaurant from the entrance. Warm lights glow on the building's exterior, and the wooden sign goes nicely with the entrance, so it felt even better when I visited in the evening.

Inside, the interior was much neater than I expected. It's bright and tidy overall, and rather than a stiff, high-end restaurant vibe, it gave me the impression of a comfortable space where someone has clearly put in effort.

The seating area with plants in the middle caught my eye, and the soft lighting made it great for photos too. I'd gone there for eel rice bowls, but the atmosphere was so nice that it naturally crossed my mind that this would work as a blind date spot.

(Sang) hitsumabushi and ichinounadon: eel rice bowls that look hearty from the first glance

What I ordered at Unagiwa was the (Sang) hitsumabushi and the ichinounadon. Both were ₩38,000, and both came with a pretty generous amount of eel.

First, the ichinounadon, topped with one whole eel, had real presence just from the look of it. The long eel lying across the rice was grilled to a glossy shine, and shredded ginger on top helped cut the richness.

Hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style eel rice bowl) is cut-up eel served with rice, and since there are several ways to eat it, I never got tired of it until the end. The eel sauce was sweet but not overdone, with a mild savory taste that went really well with the rice.

Is the eel at Unagiwa free of annoying small bones?

The part I liked most at Unagiwa was how the eel was prepared. When you eat eel rice bowls, small bones sometimes get in the way, but with Unagiwa's eel the bones almost never bothered me while eating.

In the photos, the surface of the eel is nicely grilled golden, and when I actually ate it, it was slightly toasty on the outside and tender inside.

The sauce soaks into the rice just enough, so a bite of eel with a spoonful of rice was perfectly sweet and nutty. Personally, I was impressed that I could eat it so cleanly that I wondered, "Is this boneless eel?"

It keeps the rich flavor eel is known for while feeling neatly balanced rather than heavy, so I think even first-timers to eel rice bowls could eat it comfortably.

How to eat hitsumabushi in 4 steps

Unagiwa's hitsumabushi is good eaten just like a regular eel rice bowl, but I liked it even more split into 4 steps. First you divide the bowl into four, as if cutting it into quarters, and taste it plain; next you eat it with scallions and wasabi.

Adding scallions and wasabi makes the sweetness of the eel sauce a little fresher, so the taste turned cleaner.

Next, I sprinkled on seaweed flakes and poured in ocha (green tea) from the tokkuri (small sake-style flask) to eat it like ochazuke (rice in tea), and this combo was a real treat. The warm tea loosens up the rice, and the savory depth of the eel carries on like a broth, so it never felt heavy to the very end.

For the finish, you eat it with plum sauce, which wraps things up on a fresh note, so the whole thing was fun to enjoy like a course.

• Step 1: Divide the bowl into quarters and taste it plain
• Step 2: Add scallions and wasabi
• Step 3: Sprinkle on seaweed flakes and pour in the ocha from the tokkuri, ochazuke style
• Step 4: Finish fresh with plum sauce

From egg custard to matcha pudding: Unagiwa's sides and dessert

The eel rice bowls at Unagiwa were satisfying, but the side dishes were pretty memorable too. The egg custard that came with the meal in particular had a very soft, silky texture, like Japanese chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard).

It melts softly in your mouth when you scoop it up with a spoon, so it was nice to eat between bites of the eel rice bowl. It's not a strongly seasoned dish; it made the whole spread feel cleaner. And the matcha pudding I ordered for dessert is something I really want to recommend.

The bitterness of the matcha went well with the soft sweetness of the pudding, and personally I thought, "This pudding could be sold on its own at a dessert shop." I also enjoyed a drink that looked like Japanese-style sikhye (sweet rice drink), and I was happy that the meal wrapped up so neatly.

Is it good near GS Art Center, for a Yeoksam Station blind date or a team dinner?

Unagiwa is more than a place with tasty eel rice bowls; the atmosphere is good too. The inside is clean and tidy, so it looked like a good place to eat before or after a show for anyone searching for a restaurant near GS Art Center. And since an eel rice bowl is such a hearty dish, it suits you when you want a proper meal rather than a light one.

The prices are on the higher side, but considering the condition of the eel, the set composition and the atmosphere, I thought it would also be fine for a special-day meal or a small team dinner.

The reason I'd recommend Unagiwa for a blind date is that the food comes out neatly and the interior is calm, which makes it a good atmosphere for talking. It's neither too casual nor too formal, so if you're looking for a restaurant with a nice mood near Yeoksam Station, put it on your shortlist.

Eel rice bowls near Yeoksam Station at Unagiwa: final summary

As an eel rice bowl restaurant near Yeoksam Station, Unagiwa was quite satisfying. The eel was prepared so cleanly that the bones didn't get in the way, and the sauce was sweet yet mild, which went well with the rice.

With hitsumabushi you eat it plain, then with wasabi and scallions, and finish with ochazuke, so the fun of eating it is definite. Add the soft egg custard and matcha pudding, and the whole meal felt well put together.

If you want a hearty, clean eel rice bowl in a nicely designed interior, Unagiwa in Yeoksam is a place I'd want to revisit.

A Yeoksam Station favorite, satisfying in every bite from the eel rice bowls to the matcha pudding