Dongtan gomtang restaurant, second visit for herbal soup: Baekok

I still remembered how good the pork gomtang was the last time I visited Baekok Dongtan, so I came back for lunch not long ago. I thought about ordering the pork gomtang again, but decided to try something new this time — the herbal gomtang.

Inside Baekok Dongtan and its solo-dining seats

This Dongtan Korean restaurant is easy to get to since it's right on the basement floor of Lotte Department Store Dongtan, and the food court itself is clean and pleasant enough to enjoy a relaxed meal. There are seats set up specifically for solo diners, so eating alone here is no pressure at all, and the open kitchen where you can watch the cooking process gave me confidence about hygiene too. If the restaurant's own seats happen to be full, you can just use the shared seating elsewhere in the department store.

Baekok Dongtan menu: pork gomtang, eolgomtang, herbal gomtang

The menu had a nice range of options depending on your taste. There was the basic, clean-tasting pork gomtang as the main dish, a spicy and tangy version called spicy gomtang, and the herbal gomtang, simmered with neungi mushrooms and various herbal medicine ingredients. For a heartier meal, there were also side dishes — cabbage dumpling and bulgorangji.

If you take part in the Naver Place review event, you get to try one cabbage dumpling, so it's worth keeping in mind before your visit.

I've had a lot of outside schedules lately and often end up eating carelessly, so it was nice to have a hearty, nutritious meal outside for once. Proper restorative meals like samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) can feel like a lot when you actually sit down to eat them, but the herbal gomtang gave that same restorative feeling without being overwhelming.

What the herbal neungi gomtang broth and meat are like

The herbal gomtang I ordered had a deep brown color from being simmered for a long time with neungi mushrooms and various herbal ingredients, and the broth's deep flavor filled my mouth. Maybe because it wasn't overly seasoned and had a clean taste, my stomach felt comfortable and refreshed even after eating.

The meat in the herbal gomtang was clean with no gamey smell at all, and it was cut in generous, thick pieces with a real presence in the bowl. Most of all, the texture was soft and moist, and there was so much meat that I felt like I could've skipped the rice entirely and just eaten the meat and still been full.

Dipping it into the special sauce that came with it brought out even more savory depth, and the rice was already served soaking in the broth, which made it easy to just spoon it up. I usually eat soup-and-rice dishes with the rice on the side, but this might be the only gomtang place where I've eaten it soaked in the broth.

The free cabbage dumpling from the Naver review event

The cabbage dumpling I got for taking part in the Naver review event came out together with the herbal gomtang. I liked the unique look of it — wrapped in crisp, fresh cabbage leaves instead of dumpling wrapper — and it had a subtle sweetness that came through the more I chewed. The filling was packed full, and it paired perfectly with the warm gomtang; a really nice combination.

Returning your tray after the meal

This Dongtan Lotte Department Store restaurant, Baekok, runs on a self-clearing system after you finish eating — you just bring your dishes to the return zone by the counter and leave them there.

Is Baekok Dongtan worth it for lunch near Dongtan Station?

With a deep, rich broth built from the ingredients themselves rather than artificial seasoning, Baekok was a great Dongtan restaurant for recharging without pressure even on a busy day. I'd especially recommend it to people who don't like or aren't suited to strongly seasoned food, or anyone who enjoys Korean food in general. If you're looking for a solid, nutritious lunch spot near Dongtan Station — a Dongtan lunch restaurant or a Dongtan gomtang restaurant — it's worth stopping by at least once‼️