Hanjeongsik set dinner in Geomdan, Incheon: Damil Special B course

This time I took my parents out for a hanjeongsik (traditional Korean course meal) dinner near Wanjeong Station at Lotus Leaf Rice and Noodles Damil Geomdan Branch. I booked through Naver Reservations and we ate the Special B course. Since it was a family visit, let me go through each dish we tried.

Where is Damil Geomdan, and what are its hours?

Damil Geomdan Branch is on the 2nd floor of a building at 669 Wondang-daero, Geomdan-gu, Incheon. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 9pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm. Last order is at 8:30pm, and it's closed every Monday.

Where to park at Damil Geomdan

You can use the building's underground parking lot. The entrance is on the narrow side though, so we ended up parking around the building instead and walking in.

The entrance and dining room at Damil Geomdan

The restaurant is right there when you step off the elevator. The restroom was right in front too.

Inside, the space was laid out generously overall. Each table had small plates, paper cups, and basic cutlery already set.

Damil Geomdan menu and Special B course price

We ordered the Special B course. It's ₩43,000 per person, and the menu lineup and price change depending on which course you pick. Since we were visiting with my parents, we made a 7pm reservation on Naver.

What order does the Special B course arrive in?

Sprout ginseng, Caesar salad and Gapyeong royal pine nut porridge

The first dish out was sprout ginseng — one small ginseng root each per person. Next came the Caesar salad, topped with a balsamic sauce.

The Gapyeong royal pine nut porridge came in a small bowl. It's a porridge made with pine nuts, served early on in the course.

Tofu steak

Tofu steak came out one per person. It was cut thick and grilled, served with a soy sauce dressing.

We moved it onto our small plates and drizzled the soy sauce over it.

The plump tofu comes grilled on both sides.

Royal japchae and lotus-leaf sweet and sour pork

The royal japchae used thinner, finer glass noodles than usual japchae. It looked freshly stir-fried and came out midway through the course.

The lotus-leaf sweet and sour pork wasn't served with dipping sauce on the side — it came already poured over.

The meat had a good bite to it while still staying tender, so it was easy to eat.

After the lotus-leaf sweet and sour pork, a video I took shows the lotus-leaf rice, tofu hot pot, five side dishes, and LA galbi all arriving together.

Lotus-leaf rice, tofu hot pot and five side dishes

The tofu hot pot is cooked at the table over a burner. It had tofu, mushrooms, meat, shrimp and more inside, eaten together with the broth.

The lotus-leaf rice (yeonnip-bap) came out large, wrapped in a lotus leaf. It arrives upside down at first — you flip it over once and unwrap the leaf to find the rice inside. The rice was very sticky and there was a lot of it.

The side dishes served with the lotus-leaf rice were five in total: seasoned gwarigochu peppers, stir-fried squash, braised beef (jangjorim), dried pollock strips, and yeolmu kimchi.

True to a hanjeongsik course, the rice came with a whole spread of side dishes. Overall the seasoning was mild across the board.

The rice was chewy and sticky, which I liked since I'm a fan of sticky rice. There was so much of it that I couldn't finish one serving by myself.

LA galbi (marinated short ribs)

LA galbi came out alongside everything else. It was more seasoned than the other side dishes, so it paired well with the lotus-leaf rice.

It came braised in a soy-based sauce.

The tofu hot pot comes to a boil

The hot pot starts bubbling away too. It's got meat, tofu, shrimp and mushrooms inside.

There's plenty of tofu and the broth is refreshing. I kept thinking, wait, I've had this flavor somewhere before — and then it clicked. With the shrimp in there, it tasted like freshwater shrimp stew.

Dessert and lotus-leaf tea to finish

To wrap up the meal, a dessert of fried shrimp and sweet pumpkin came out.

There was even a simple dessert built into the end of the course. Ask for extra soy sauce and they'll bring it to you.

My husband peeled all the shrimp from the hot pot for me. We finished off the shrimp along with the broth. Lastly, lotus-leaf tea came out. It was served cold, which I appreciated. We wrapped up the meal with lotus-leaf tea.

Is Damil Geomdan a good choice for dinner with parents?

This time I had a hanjeongsik course meal near Wanjeong Station with my parents. We went with the Special B set at ₩43,000 per person. With a whole sequence of dishes coming out in order — lotus-leaf rice, hot pot, and side dishes all included — it felt like a full course experience in a single meal. If you're looking for somewhere to eat with your parents, it's worth checking the menu lineup, location, and parking situation before you go.