Duck set for two with buckwheat pancake salad in Bucheon: Keunsawi

With the weather so hot lately and both of us running around busy, my husband and I were craving proper restorative food. Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is great, but this time we wanted something a bit different and hearty, so we headed to Keunsawi Ori Jip, a well-known duck restaurant in Okgil-dong, Bucheon.

I already love duck normally, and the set menu we had let us try everything from cypress-steamed duck to duck stew in one go — really filling. On top of that we added the buckwheat pancake salad, so my husband and I ate until we were properly stuffed. But surprisingly, what stuck with me most was the mushroom gondre rice (herb rice). It's unlimited, and it was so good it kept coming to mind just as much as the main dishes.

Why we went to Okgil-dong, Bucheon for a duck meal

My husband and I visited Keunsawi Ori Jip for a bit of overdue nourishment together — this was the place we picked after searching for duck restorative food in Okgil-dong, Bucheon.

Duck is delicious grilled too, but that day we wanted to try it in a few different ways, so we ordered the set menu that comes with both cypress-steamed duck and duck stew. Instead of just one dish, you get to enjoy the light, clean cypress-steamed duck first and then move on to the rich, spicy duck stew — great for when two people are debating what to order. If you're the type who wants to try a bit of everything like us, the set menu is a solid choice.

Cypress-steamed duck at Keunsawi Ori Jip: light and easy to keep eating

The first dish to arrive from the Keunsawi Ori Jip set menu was the cypress-steamed duck! When they lifted the lid, warm steam rushed up — just the sight of it felt like proper nourishment. Steaming the duck with cypress wood cuts the greasiness and lets the meat's own clean flavor shine through.

If you've always found duck a bit too greasy, the cypress-steamed version makes it much easier to enjoy. The moist, tender duck combined with the accompanying ingredients made every bite satisfying. My husband, too, said the cypress-steamed duck was better than expected and kept eating happily. I'd honestly expected the duck stew to be the highlight, but once we started, we kept reaching for the cypress-steamed duck too.

Spicy duck stew (ori dori tang) to finish the set

The second dish in the Keunsawi Ori Jip set is the duck stew. After starting light and clean with the cypress-steamed duck, the mood shifts completely with this one! Bubbling away as it cooked, the broth alone looked incredibly appetizing. The seasoning soaking into the duck gave it a completely different charm from the cypress-steamed version.

Having one light dish and one rich dish in the same set meant we never got tired of eating. A bite of cypress-steamed duck, a spoonful of duck stew broth, then fishing out more meat — it really felt like a full proper meal. And of course, with a soupy dish like this, rice is essential. That's where Keunsawi Ori Jip really won me over: the mushroom gondre rice is unlimited!

Don't skip the unlimited mushroom gondre rice

The mushroom gondre rice (gondre herb rice) at Keunsawi Ori Jip is unlimited. Honestly, since we came for the duck, I didn't expect much from the rice. But after one bite, both my husband and I said, "the rice here is good!" The mushrooms and gondre give it a great aroma, and it's tasty enough to eat on its own, but it went perfectly with the duck stew broth and the duck meat too.

Best of all, being able to eat this delicious mushroom gondre rice without limit was such a nice touch. Usually when you're already stuffed from the main dishes, you hesitate over whether to order more rice — but here there's no need to think twice, you just help yourself as much as you want. Very reassuring.

Personally, this gondre rice was the unexpected hidden gem of the whole meal. The duck was great, but back home, it's the rice I kept thinking about. It was delicious with a bit of duck stew seasoning mixed in, and just as good alongside the cypress-steamed duck, so I naturally kept going back for more.

The buckwheat pancake salad we added as a side

We also added the buckwheat pancake salad as a side at Keunsawi Ori Jip. The set menu alone was already plenty filling, but when you're eating duck continuously, it's nice to have something refreshing and light to reset your palate. The buckwheat pancake salad did exactly that.

Eating the buckwheat pancake together with the salad felt light and refreshing rather than heavy, making it a great addition between bites of duck. Adding this kind of side to a meal already anchored by cypress-steamed duck and duck stew made the whole spread feel even richer. We ordered it wanting to eat properly as a couple, and in the end we really did eat well.

Our verdict on a duck dinner for two in Okgil-dong

That day wasn't just a casual meal out — my husband and I, both worn out from the heat, went specifically to eat something delicious and take care of ourselves, and we really did come away feeling nourished. The cypress-steamed duck was clean and moist, and the duck stew's rich seasoning and broth went great with rice. Adding the buckwheat pancake salad rounded out the menu combination nicely too. But above all, the thing I keep talking about — the mushroom gondre rice!

Unlimited refills are nice, but what really got me was that the rice itself is genuinely good. Unlimited refills mean nothing if you don't actually want more, but here I kept wanting to go back for another bowl. This place seems perfect not just for duck lovers, but also for a hearty meal with parents, a family outing, or a couple's dinner.

If you're craving restorative food like we were, I'd recommend starting light with the cypress-steamed duck and finishing spicy with the duck stew, just like we did. If you're looking for a good duck restaurant in Okgil-dong, Bucheon, give Keunsawi Ori Jip a try :) My husband and I walked out stuffed, thinking, "we really ate well today!"

If you especially love mushroom gondre rice, make sure to try it here. Personally, if I come back, I'm definitely going to have several bowls of the gondre rice again, no question. That's the story of my husband and I enjoying delicious duck and getting a proper restorative meal in at Keunsawi Ori Jip, a well-known spot in Okgil-dong, Bucheon :)