Ginseng chicken noodle soup with king mandu in Songpa: Hanyang Dak

I'd been craving a rich, deep chicken kalguksu (chicken noodle soup) for a while, so I went to Hanyang Dak Kalguksu in Garak-dong. Let's take a look together!

Where is Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch, and how far is it from Gyeongchal Hospital Station?

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu is about a 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Gyeongchal Hospital Station. It's not far from the station at all, so it wasn't hard to find, and it was a good spot to reach by public transit.

Inside Hanyang Dak Kalguksu: fine for solo diners and family meals alike

The inside had a relaxed atmosphere where you could just eat comfortably. I saw families dining together as well as people eating alone, so it seemed like a place where you wouldn't feel self-conscious either way. It looked easy enough for a casual meal with a friend or a low-pressure solo lunch.

The Hanyang Dak Kalguksu menu and what we ordered

The menu had chicken kalguksu, samgyetang kalguksu, naengmyeon (cold noodles), suyuk (boiled sliced pork/chicken), and mandu (dumplings) too. Kalguksu alone would be fine, but if you're visiting with others, ordering side dishes to share seemed like a great idea. We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we ordered a large samgyetang kalguksu, mini suyuk, and meat king mandu.

Kimchi at the self-bar: the spicy kimchi really is spicy

The self-bar had spicy kimchi, mild kimchi, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and pickled radish.

I was curious about the spicy kimchi so I brought a little over, and one bite in it was way too spicy..! Still, kalguksu can't go without kimchi, so I happily ate it alongside the regular kimchi haha

Extra-large samgyetang kalguksu: half a chicken and sticky rice in one bowl

Our large samgyetang kalguksu and mini suyuk arrived. Maybe because it was the large size, the bowl was filled almost to the brim.

The samgyetang kalguksu had kalguksu noodles, sticky rice, half a chicken, ginseng sprout, and jujube in it.

There's about half a chicken in there, and the meat was so tender that just lifting the leg made the meat slide right off. It felt like the chicken had been slow-boiled with medicinal herbs, so the broth was richer and deeper than a clear kalguksu broth.

There was also sticky rice inside the kalguksu. After eating some noodles, mixing the sticky rice with the broth felt like eating dak-gomtang (chicken bone soup) or samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). So within a single dish, you could enjoy it in several different ways, sometimes as noodles, sometimes as rice.

The house-made kalguksu noodles had a chewy texture that paired well with the rich chicken broth. Overall, I'd say it feels like something between kalguksu and samgyetang.

Mini suyuk with dried radish, chili and garlic

The mini suyuk came with dried radish, chili, and garlic on the side.

The surface of the meat was glossy and shiny, with some of the fat rendered off, giving it a light yet tender texture.

Topping the suyuk with dried radish, chili, and garlic one at a time gave it exactly that classic suyuk flavor. It was a good small side to add on when kalguksu alone feels like not quite enough.

Is the meat king mandu worth adding to your kalguksu?

While we were eating, the meat king mandu arrived too. The mandu was bigger than expected, and even at a glance you could tell the filling was packed in tight.

Taking a sip of kalguksu broth and then a bite of mandu worked well together, and it was also good paired with kimchi. If you're a mandu lover, ordering it alongside kalguksu seems like a great idea.

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch: the verdict

I had a hot, hearty bowl of chicken kalguksu and left satisfied. The samgyetang kalguksu had a rich chicken broth base with half a chicken in it, giving deep flavor to the soup 👍 Having mandu and suyuk alongside it made it even better since I got to try a variety of dishes. If you're looking for a hearty kalguksu spot near Garak-dong or Gyeongchal Hospital Station, this one's worth checking out :)