This trip felt like a "Jeon Hyun-moo No Plan" trip, didn’t it? But this place is too good to be described that way. It’s a restaurant I visit every time I go to Yeosu, and during this trip, I went there twice in just 3 days.
It’s Bongseon-dong Sanggol San Jang-eo (Hill Eel Restaurant). (여수 산골산장어)
Yeosu has changed dramatically since the Expo. I’ve been coming here since my father’s hometown is Yeosu, but over the past 15 years, the changes have been... significant. It’s the power of the Expo and Jang Beom-jun’s “Yeosu Night Sea”.
But one place remains unchanged: Bongseon-dong. I even chose my accommodation this time because of this restaurant.
That place is Sanggol San Jang-eo!
I think I first came here 20 years ago. Since then, the location hasn’t changed, only the prices. The menu is still simple, just like before.
[First visit during Spring Trip 2024]
For the first visit, we had grilled eel. They offer both seasoned and salt-grilled eel. Ordering according to the number of people usually gives the right amount. There were four of us, so we ordered two seasoned and two salt-grilled.
The basic side dishes include salad mixed with chojang (vinegar red chili paste), soy-marinated crabs, mustard kimchi, mustard water kimchi, bean sprout seaweed salad, and cabbage kimchi with vegetables.
As you can see, the eels at Sanggol San Jang-eo are thick. Unlike freshwater eels, these are from the sea, so they are thicker and more robust.
When you eat the salt-grilled eel, the tail moves as you chew, showing its strength. The salt-grilled eel is savory and has a rich texture when cooked.
Wrap it in a perilla leaf with ginger, and it’s like having the ocean in your mouth!
The seasoned grilled eel is different from the salt-grilled one. It’s seasoned and becomes softer and more balanced when cooked. Even without a wrap, the seasoned eel is delicious on its own.
I prefer the seasoned eel!
But when you eat just one serving, it feels less filling than you’d expect. However, no need to worry!
When you order grilled eel, you get a mini eel soup as well!
The real highlight of this place is the eel soup!
It’s a rich eel-based broth with bean sprouts and plump pieces of eel.
Eating this after the grilled eel makes you feel just right.
But the reason I came back the next day was to have just the eel soup!
[Second visit during Spring Trip 2024]
The table setting is simpler compared to when we ordered the grilled eel.
Since they open at 8 AM, many people come for the eel soup in the morning. You’ll soon see why!
Ta-da!
The eel soup has so much eel in it, it feels like there’s more eel than soup.
The eel soup with lots of leeks and bean sprouts is truly impressive.
This place’s eel soup is the real deal! My mom loves their eel soup!
The eel pieces are not small; they are large and abundant! The broth is so deep and flavorful, even more so than the mini eel soup we had before. I forgot to ask if there’s a difference in the broth!
I don’t recommend soaking all the rice in the soup from the start. It’s the same with eating loach soup; if you do that, the rice absorbs the broth quickly, making it hard to enjoy the soup properly.
Even after eating and eating, there’s still more eel. Their soy-marinated crab is also excellent. It’s not fishy and has a deep soy sauce flavor that’s delicious even when you eat just the sauce.
Nowadays, there’s an extra charge if you order more marinated crab, but if you like it, it’s worth it. It’s better than the marinated crab served in most crab set meals. If you mix rice with the sauce in the crab shell, it’s heavenly...
My mom doesn’t eat marinated crab, so I got to enjoy it fully!
Enjoying the rice separately and savoring the deep broth, then finishing off the remaining soup is pure happiness.
Two days in a row of eel? You might wonder why, but I think differently. This place makes me want to come to Yeosu; it’s an unchanging restaurant that comes to mind along with the sea of Yeosu.
And if it’s your first time here, you’ll probably try the grilled eel, which is a great choice, but the mini eel soup can’t beat the full eel soup. I recommend trying the eel soup for breakfast!
You won’t regret it; it’s deeply flavorful and abundant!
Today, we finished with sweet rice drink as the final dessert! It was perfect until the end!
