Icheon Seolseong fish restaurant with whole-octopus kodari: Seonghone

I visited Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang, Icheon Seolseong Branch in Seolseong-myeon, Icheon. If you're looking for somewhere to eat near Icheon National Cemetery or Seolseong Reservoir, this one's worth checking out.

Where is Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang in Icheon Seolseong, and is there parking?

Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang, Icheon Seolseong Branch sits along Seolga-ro in Seolseong-myeon, Icheon. There was space to park right in front, and the big sign made it easy to spot.

• Hours: 11:00–21:00 (closed Mondays)
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 20:30

The exterior has "Wang Kodari, Dongtaetang" written in big letters, so you can tell exactly what's on the menu just walking by.

Inside the restaurant: reservations, stevia and domestic ingredients

Inside, Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang, Icheon Seolseong Branch has an old-school diner feel. There weren't as many tables as the exterior suggested, so I'd recommend calling ahead to reserve. We arrived early, before the main meal rush, and the tables were empty, but they filled up fast while we were eating.

There was a notice on the wall about the ingredients — they use stevia instead of sugar, and domestic seafood, domestic kimchi, and domestic sun-dried salt.

If that's something you usually pay attention to, worth a glance. There was also a notice about an event where they give out steamed egg, rolled egg, or fried king prawns depending on how many people write a Naver receipt review.

On rainy days, makgeolli is 2,000 won...?

The event details may change depending on when you visit, so it's worth checking at the store.

Clear cod jiri stew with roe and milt

First came the side dishes and the clear cod jiri (mild cod stew). The pot was packed with cod, bean sprouts, greens, gonyi (fish milt), and innards,

and you could see the roe and gonyi too, which was nice for picking through piece by piece. Cod jiri comes with a hot, clear broth, so pairing it with the kodari dish made a great combo.

The kodari dish topped with a whole octopus

The first thing that caught my eye that day was the kodari dish with a big whole octopus on top.

A large plate with the sauce and kodari underneath and a whole octopus sitting right in the middle — the visual impact the moment it hit the table was insane... We cut the octopus into bite-size pieces with scissors and ate it together with the kodari.

The octopus legs had a proper chewy bite. I didn't ask the owner, but my guess is the sauce is gochujang-based. Overall the seasoning was delicious and we ate it up happily.

We also had steamed egg on the side, which worked well as a spoonful in between bites of the spicy kodari sauce.

And the grand finale — ta-da!!! Fried rice. The three of us really cleaned it up.

How much food is it for three people?

Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang, Icheon Seolseong Branch is a place where you can have both the kodari-and-octopus dish and a hot bowl of cod jiri in one sitting. The kodari dish especially stood out visually with the whole octopus on top, and finishing with fried rice made from the leftover sauce rounded out the meal properly.

With the cod jiri, you get the flesh, roe, and gonyi along with the broth, which made it easy to share alongside the kodari when there were several of us. If you're looking for restaurants in Gyeonggi's Icheon, near Icheon National Cemetery, or around Seolseong Reservoir, this is worth a visit. If you like fish dishes like kodari or dongtaetang, it'll suit you even more.

P.S. ... there was so much we couldn't finish it all ....

Who should eat at Seonghone Wang Kodari Dongtaetang?

• Anyone looking for a restaurant near Icheon National Cemetery in Gyeonggi
• Anyone looking for a good meal around Seolseong Reservoir
• Fans of kodari and octopus seafood dishes
• Anyone craving hot dongtaetang or cod jiri