Gijang eel rice bowls and mentaiko hitsumabushi: Yangsando

It had been a while, so my husband and I went to Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch (양산도 기장연화점), a popular Yeonhwa-ri spot known for eel rice bowls, for some hitsumabushi! It is a renowned freshwater-eel institution with 66 years of tradition, and already has several established branches in Busan alone—a tried-and-true restaurant around Gijang Osiria!

Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch: location and information

It is at 45-10 Yeonhwa-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 to 20:30. It is closed on Mondays, with a weekday break from 15:00 to 16:30.

As you would expect from a Japanese restaurant, even the exterior has a Japanese feel, and there is a large dedicated parking lot, so parking is no worry. The Gijang Osiria and Yeonhwa-ri area is admittedly inconvenient without a car, so I loved that the parking was so well set up.

The garden right in front of the restaurant has lush green trees and a little pond, so it felt a bit like an old Japanese house, haha.

Private rooms with a garden view

The interior was clean and beautifully done, and the atmosphere was so nice. Rooms 1 through 6 are private rooms by the windows, while rooms 7 through 10 have multiple tables. The spaces are nicely separated, making it great for a meal with parents or a family outing with children. There is even a room that can accommodate up to 20 people, so it would be good for group bookings and all kinds of gatherings too.

The private rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and I absolutely loved the tranquil garden view outside! It felt like a little bit of healing in the city, lol. And a useful tip: if you want a window-side table, I definitely recommend booking ahead!!

Ordering regular and mentaiko hitsumabushi

Yangsando's signature menu includes freshwater eel rice bowl hitsumabushi, teishoku (a set meal) with freshwater eel, butadon (pork rice bowl), sakedon (salmon rice bowl), and a range of side dishes.

We ordered one regular hitsumabushi and one mentaiko hitsumabushi!

The eel rice bowls came as individual tray meals, with the main rice bowl and neatly arranged side dishes to enjoy alongside it.

The individual tray for the mentaiko hitsumabushi had scallions and shredded seaweed to add to the rice bowl, plus salad, buckwheat soba, steamed egg, soup, kimchi, and fresh wasabi—a very generous spread. Just so you know, the steamed egg and soba can be refilled too.

They say the mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe) used in the mentaiko hitsumabushi is Deokhwa Myeongran, a well-known Busan brand. It is premium low-salt mentaiko, so it was not fishy in that characteristic way or overly salty, which made it even tastier.

Eel rice bowl with mentaiko and ochazuke

The beautifully browned grilled eel was light and delicious even on its own.

First, I used the rice paddle that came with it to divide the eel rice bowl into four portions and served one into my bowl, tasting the rice and freshwater eel in their pure form!

Next, I had it with the mentaiko. The tender grilled eel was nicely coated in sweet-and-salty sauce, and it was such a perfect match with the savory, umami-rich mentaiko.

They also gave us ochazuke broth, so we could make ochazuke (rice in green tea broth), and of course I tried it that way too.

Unexpectedly, it had a wonderfully toasty flavor without any fishiness, and the grilled eel and mentaiko went so well with it. The ochazuke was delicious too.

My husband ordered the basic hitsumabushi! Yangsando's eel rice bowl is said to contain a whole domestically raised Japanese eel. He really enjoyed the fluffy, well-cooked rice, sweet-and-salty eel soy sauce, and tender eel.

And on the way out, there were disposable toothbrushes and pump toothpaste! I thought that was a thoughtful touch, haha.

I am always satisfied and leave having eaten well whenever I come to Yangsando Gijang Yeonhwa Branch! With its neat, delicious freshwater eel rice bowls and lovely atmosphere, I recommend Yangsando in Yeonhwa-ri if you are looking for Japanese food or a great restaurant around Gijang Osiria~!