Eungam noodle shop with herbal chicken kalguksu: Songa Kalguksu

Why I went to Songa Kalguksu near Eungam Station on a chilly, tiring day

As the weather turned chilly, I found myself craving something warm. On one especially tiring day, I wanted hot soup, and that's how I ended up at Songa Kalguksu near Eungam Station.

There's something about slurping noodles in hot broth that leaves you feeling full and satisfied — kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) is a dish I crave no matter the season.

Chicken kalguksu, with noodles in a broth simmered from whole chicken, is especially filling as a full meal. Songa Kalguksu, the restaurant near Eungam Station I'm introducing today, says it makes its chicken kalguksu on the belief that food made properly never lets your body down. Alongside the restaurant's signature chicken kalguksu, the squid bibim-mandu also caught my eye as a good pairing — a combination of warm soup and a spicy-tangy side dish.

What is Songa Kalguksu's chicken kalguksu?

Songa Kalguksu's main dish is chicken kalguksu, made with medium noodles in a broth simmered deeply with fresh whole chicken and various herbal medicine ingredients.

When you hear "kalguksu," you usually think of wheat noodles and rich broth first, but Songa Kalguksu emphasizes that it puts particular effort into both the noodles and the broth.

Fresh noodles cut to order

Songa Kalguksu uses fresh noodles cut right after you order. Rather than pre-made noodles, they insist on freshly cut noodles for each order, keeping the moist texture unique to fresh noodles without artificial additives. This is why the restaurant emphasizes the soft texture of the fresh noodles and a comfortable meal.

Broth simmered long from chicken, herbal ingredients and vegetables

But the part Songa Kalguksu takes the most pride in introducing is the broth. They say they put carefully selected chicken, various herbal medicine ingredients, and vegetables that deepen the flavor together, and simmer it for a long time.

They carefully skim off the fat while leaving behind a deep flavor. In the end, chicken kalguksu is a dish where the taste of the broth matters most.

No matter how delicious the noodles are, if the broth is bland, the whole bowl's impression weakens. Conversely, if the broth is fully drawn out, eating the noodles together with the soup alone makes for a filling meal.

In kalguksu, I think the noodles aren't simply a vehicle for eating the soup — they're an important part that determines the texture of the whole bowl. Since it's a dish eaten with warm soup, which noodles are used can shape the overall impression.

Songa Kalguksu's concept: 'a bowl of tonic'

Songa Kalguksu introduces this chicken broth under the concept of "a bowl of tonic." Of course, the word "tonic" here describes the restaurant's food concept — it shouldn't be taken to mean the chicken kalguksu actually has medicinal effects. Still, in the sense of carefully eating a warm bowl of soup made with good ingredients simmered for a long time, it captures the restaurant's direction well.

What's interesting about kalguksu is that it isn't particularly flashy. It's a simple structure of noodles and broth, but the ingredients and cooking process make it a completely different dish each time. Some places make broth with anchovies, some add clams, some simmer chicken for a long time. Songa Kalguksu builds its chicken kalguksu around a broth simmered for a long time with chicken, herbal ingredients and vegetables.

A side to pair with chicken kalguksu: squid bibim-mandu

Songa Kalguksu's squid bibim-mandu is a side dish of flat dumplings topped with a spicy-tangy squid and vegetable salad. Sometimes, while eating warm chicken kalguksu, you start craving something spicy — that's when the squid bibim-mandu is a great thing to order alongside it.

The combination of flat dumplings and spicy squid-vegetable salad is also fun, because while kalguksu centers on a warm, deep broth flavor, the squid bibim-mandu refreshes your palate with its spicy-tangy taste. A meal becomes more varied when you pair different flavors instead of eating just one flavor the whole time. A bowl of chicken kalguksu alone is filling, but if you're visiting with a group, sharing the squid bibim-mandu as a side is also a good idea.

Who is Songa Kalguksu a good fit for?

Songa Kalguksu seemed to focus on the ingredients themselves and the cooking process rather than flashy toppings or complicated techniques. The restaurant talks about this too, saying its direction is to serve food with the substantial essence of raw ingredients and care, instead of flashy skill. This kind of food tends to stay memorable steadily over time, rather than following trends.

On a day when you're especially worn out, or when you're craving hot soup, why not try the chicken kalguksu with squid bibim-mandu as a side? Of course, no single meal can replace your health, but slowly eating a warm bowl made with good ingredients can change how satisfying a meal feels.

Not a dish only for special occasions, but a proper meal to close out your day well — that seems closer to the real picture of food that Songa Kalguksu is talking about.

If you find yourself near Eungam Station craving hot chicken kalguksu, try the chicken kalguksu — made with noodles cut to order and chicken broth simmered for a long time — paired with the spicy-tangy squid bibim-mandu. It's a combination well-suited to anyone looking for a meal focused on ingredients and care rather than flashiness. The busier the day, the more you need to slow down and eat a warm bowl of soup and noodles properly, instead of rushing through a meal!

Songa Kalguksu is currently running a Naver review event! Write a review and take home a cupcake!