일오팔닭국수

After visiting Gwangjang Market, we asked the shopkeepers for restaurant recommendations, and the staff recommended this chicken soup noodle place, saying that it features handmade noodles and a generous portion of chicken, plus it’s very close to the subway station which is convenient! We immediately decided to give it a try. The restaurant was mostly filled with local Koreans dining, with hardly any foreign customers.

🔹Baeksuk Kalguksu (Chicken soup with noodle) ₩11,000

• The noodles have a texture similar to handmade ramen, with a bit of thickness and chewiness, absorbing the essence of the chicken soup, making each bite increasingly delicious. The soup looked rich and appetizing; when the dish arrived, I tried a sip of the broth and was pleasantly surprised. It tasted like a broth that had simmered for a long time; it's perfect for when you want to relieve a hangover. It also comes with a large chicken leg, which is cooked very tenderly, easily separating the meat from the bone with just a gentle push from the chopsticks, and it doesn’t have a dry or tough texture at all. I think two people could easily share this portion, especially for women.

🔸Ginseng Baeksuk Kalguksu (Chicken soup with noodle and ginseng) ₩12,000

• The flavor is more layered than the signature chicken soup noodle. In addition to the original chicken broth aroma, there’s a slight bitterness and sweetness from the ginseng, but it’s not too overpowering. However, ginseng definitely has a unique herbal taste. For those who usually enjoy ginseng or Korean ginseng chicken soup, I think they would love this dish, but if you’re sensitive to the smell of ginseng, you might want to think twice.

🔹Wangmandu (왕만두) (normal taste) ₩5,000

• Wangmandu means "king dumpling" in Korean, usually referring to steamed dumplings that are larger than regular boiled or pan-fried dumplings. Taking a bite was truly a delight; the skin was chewy, and the filling was substantial, not greasy at all, with a very pleasant aroma. If you like traditional Korean dumplings, you should definitely try this, especially when they’re freshly steamed hot. I would recommend sharing it with friends.

🧸The portions are quite large; at that time, we only ordered three bowls, and the staff mentioned that if we felt the portions were too big, we could order a side of dumplings to share, as they require one main dish per person. However, since there were four of us girls, the staff was not strictly enforcing the rule on soup noodles, which I thought was nice!

🧸The staff strongly recommended adding chili, but we were in the mood for something mild that day, so we didn’t add it. I’ll have to try it next time!

🔅 The staff is friendly towards foreigners, and there’s a Chinese menu available; they can also speak Chinese.