Songdo chicken gomtang ordered mild, rice on the side: Eonyang Dak

I wanted a warm, filling meal in Songdo, Incheon, so I visited Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch. It's known for dak kalguksu (chicken noodle soup), which I'd been curious about for a while, but this time I went for something a bit different — chicken gomtang (chicken soup). I ordered chicken gomtang for ₩11,000, extra chicken for ₩4,000, and chewy dumplings for ₩6,000. I was craving something with broth that day, and the hot gomtang with rice turned out to be way more filling and satisfying than I expected.

Where is Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Songdo Branch, and what is it like inside?

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch sits along Haedoji-ro in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, which made it a convenient stop when looking for somewhere to eat in Songdo. Eating in-store, the warm food smell was quietly appetizing. Since the menu centers on chicken dishes, the atmosphere felt a bit different from a typical kalguksu (noodle soup) place. If you like chicken and warm broth, the menu options felt pretty solid.

How much chicken do you get for 11,000 won plus 4,000 won extra?

The portion in my chicken gomtang was generous from the moment it arrived. Half a chicken comes as standard, and adding extra chicken made it genuinely plentiful. With the base half chicken plus the added half, it felt like eating almost a whole chicken. I ordered thinking of it as just a bowl of gomtang, but seeing the amount of chicken, I realized this is a great menu choice for a day when you want to eat heartily.

The nutty perilla-seed chicken broth

What I especially liked was the gomtang broth. Unlike a typical clear chicken gomtang, this one had perilla seeds mixed in, giving the broth a subtle, savory depth. The heavy, nutty flavor of perilla blended well with the chicken stock, so each spoonful left a warm, toasty flavor lingering in the mouth. The perilla flavor wasn't so strong that it overpowered the chicken broth — it felt more like it enhanced the clean chicken flavor while adding that savoriness.

What does the mild-seasoning option taste like?

I asked for the mild seasoning option and personally found it very satisfying. Ordering mild meant the broth wasn't sharply salty and stayed on the clean side, so it was easy to eat without feeling weighed down. Gomtang is a dish where you end up drinking a lot of broth, and if it's too salty you keep reaching for water. But this bowl didn't taste salty at all, so I could comfortably keep spooning up the broth.

If you generally prefer clean, savory broth over strongly seasoned ones, the mild option is worth trying. Of course, taste varies by person, so if you usually like strong seasoning, the standard option would work fine too. Ordering mild that day actually let me taste the chicken broth and perilla flavor even more clearly.

Rice served separately, eaten without mixing it in

The rice that came with the gomtang was also great. Normally the rice is mixed into the broth, but I ordered the option to have rice served separately. Getting the rice and broth apart let me enjoy the texture of the rice as-is, and I could add as much rice into the broth as I wanted while eating — personally, having it separate felt more comfortable.

Pairing warm white rice with the savory gomtang broth was really good together. A spoonful of broth, then a spoonful of rice, and the clean yet savory flavor kept going, plus the tender chicken made it more than enough for a full meal. Especially on a chilly day or when you need something warm and brothy, this kind of dish is exactly what comes to mind.

The chicken wasn't just plentiful, it was also tender enough to pair nicely with rice. I think the most important thing in a chicken gomtang is the harmony between the chicken and the broth, and eating plenty of chicken soaked in that savory perilla broth gave a clean yet deep flavor. The chicken itself had absorbed the broth's flavor, so it wasn't bland on its own, and eating it with rice made the meal even heartier.

I hesitated at first over whether to add the ₩4,000 extra chicken, but in the end I was glad I ordered it. The base half chicken alone would already be a decent amount, but if you like chicken, I'd recommend adding extra.

Since this isn't a dish meant to be shared among several people, if you're eating solo and want plenty of chicken, adding extra chicken will likely be more satisfying.

Are the 6,000 won chewy dumplings as chewy as the name says?

The other item I ordered that day was the chewy dumplings. With