Korean Roasted Eel in Asan

Recently I took a weekend trip to Asan. Asan is the birthplace of the famous war hero, Admiral Yi Sun-shin. It is apparently also famous for their natural hot springs. I went to one of those hot springs and I can't say I was very impressed. The best part of the trip to Asan was going to this restaurant Yeon Chun (연춘) for Korean Roasted Eel.

The restaurant is quite far from the train station. I think you can get close to the location by taking the subway, but we had to take a taxi and it cost about 16,000 won ($16.00) to get there. The restaurant is located right on a pond and the eating area is a dock right on the water. The area is very picturesque- it's surrounded by gnarled oak trees.

Here is a view of the pond from our seat.

The place is famous for the eel, so that's what I recommend you get. If you are not an eel fan, I'm sure that the Chicken Roasted with Vegetables is pretty good and I am intrigued by the eel porridge (장어죽) they have on the menu. You can get one eel for 17,000 and I think that 1 per person is good enough, but there are 3 different sauces, so I suggest you get three.

The side dishes (banchan) are quite good. I mean there isn't anything exceptional, but it's all quite good.

The best thing about Korean roasted eel are the slivers of fresh ginger (in the middle). You put the eel on a lettuce leaf and add ginger and it is quite amazing. I think the garlic and the peppers overpower the subtle eel, so I suggest you leave

Here is a close up of one of the side dishes. It's a chilled seaweed salad with turnip. It's a very refreshing dish and it balances the savory eel dish.

Here is another side dish, it's a shredded turnip dish colored with omija. Again, salty and a bit tart.

Here is the eel with chili sauce (gochujang). The best thing about eel is that it is oily, so it won't burn. You have to cook the eel until the bottom is super crispy. You want it so crispy that it snaps in your mouth- just be careful, it's super hot!

Here is my eel and leaf wrap with ginger slices on top.

Save the eel heads to eat last! The meat is very tender and gelatinous. YUMMY!

The tails are supposed to be good for stamina. Don't you think it would be better to eat eel than take a little blue pill? Oh, this is the eel with soy sauce marinade. It's similar to the Japanese style eel, but much crispier (and yummier).

See how the back of the eel is super crispy? That's what makes it taste good.

Here's the tail.

If you are ever in Asan, I recommend you take a trip to Yeon Chun. 

연춘
충남 온양온천 신정호수
(041)545-2866
011-455-3544

Here is a video of me talking about the roasted eel. (Thanks Meejoo for filming)

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