Day 2 in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace --> Tosokchon Samgyetang --> Bukchon Hanok Village

This is another one where practically almost everyone (in person and online) tells you that it is a MUST-GO. Legit. EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Even if they couldn't recall the name of the restaurant, its "You MUST GO to this famous ginseng chicken place!"

Ok, got the message. And since it is only a walking distance from Gyeongbokgung Palace, that's where we headed for lunch after touring the palace. I had initially wanted to visit the museums within Gyeongbokgung but mom said she was way too hungry for museums.

Less than 10 minutes later, we arrived at the famous Tosokchon Samgyetang restaurant. I was actually quite surprised that there was no queue even though we arrived during lunch hour. Yay! Hurry for us!

We were very promptly ushered into the spacious Hanok-styled restaurant. There are options for the traditional sit-on-floor or table-and-chair arrangement. I believe the staff's usual habit is to sit people on the floor, so do make the request upfront if you want the table-and-chairs option. Else you might get the same annoyed face we got when we later realised that there were chairs which my mom preferred for her mobility issues.

Excuse my less than stellar shots of the menu. We were shoved into a pretty tight corner and this was the best I could manage in that cramped space with the iPhone.

My parents and I ordered 2 versions, their signature Ginseng Chicken Soup and the other one with the Wild Ginseng Adventitious Roots. My advice, just stick to the signature one. The roots added a slight punch to the herbal taste but otherwise, there really isn't much difference in taste between the two.

We also added the Haemul Pajeon when we realised that almost every other table also had a plate of it. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish it. Not because it was awful. On the contrary, I enjoyed the savory pancake thoroughly. However, we were just too full from our individual bowls of the ginseng chicken soup.

You know those situations where you anticipate something so much, or the hype has been built so high, that when you actually get to it, you come off slightly disappointed?

Well, that's what happened to us at Tosokchon.

And here's the second "Don't get me wrong". It's not that the food was terrible. Each bowl came with a whole chicken stuffed with a ginseng root, glutinous rice, chestnuts, jujube and ginko nuts. The chicken was tender and the meat easily fell off the bones with each tug of our chopsticks. The milky broth was piping hot and soothed our tummies on a chilly day. The soup also had just the right amount of oil from boiling the chicken that leaves you with that lip smacking feel of a well-boiled soup. I also enjoyed the small cup of Insamju (ginseng liquor) provided and (as my mom has an alcohol allergy) gladly poured my mom's cup into my soup to enhance the taste.

The kimchi was also one of the best I had during my time in Seoul. I considered hauling some of the ginseng liquor and kimchi home but eventually decided against it.

But that's about it. With all that hype, I had actually anticipated something earth-shattering, you know, food so yummy it sends a punch to your gut. Well, the food is good but not the gut-punching good I was looking for. I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if I didn't learn of the hype around it. But it really just wasn't the same unlike when I visited Ichiran or Ippudo in Japan. 

Yummy, worth a visit. But go without expectations. Oh and don't expect great service.

Tourist Information

Tosokchon Samgyetang

Website: www.tosokchon.co.kr/

Address: 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03041

DID: +82 2-737-7444

Week in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can come to naught. And, to be honest, my original Seoul itinerary wasn't the most detailed in plan, but had just enough research done prior that when adjustments had to be made, it was simple enough. That said, I really had to make quite a bit of adjustments since something came up almost every other day. 

So, where I can, I'd indicate the day's itinerary, else I'd just write about the places that we visited.

Day 2 in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁; Han: 景福宮) --> Tosokchon Samgyetang --> Bukchon Hanok Village

Gyeongbokgung Palace seemed a MUST when almost all travel sites online listed or wrote about it. And with everyone also indicating that the changing of the guards parade was not to be missed, it was highlighted on my itinerary as well. Unfortunately, therein marked the start of my itinerary that went awry.

All because I forgot to change the time on my watch. Neither did I tell my parents about the time, just that we needed to be there for a parade. And we completely missed it. Sigh. A completely silly and avoidable mistake.

By the way, we were on time having taken a local taxi there. Just thought that we had too much time to spare and wasted the opportunity. And I know quite a number of sites write that they took the subway to Gyeongbokgung. However, if you are travelling in a group of about 3 to 4 pax, you may wish to consider taking the local taxi at times. Our trip from Ibis Myeongdong to Gyeongbokgung Palace was just under 5000 Korean won. I understand using T-money on the subway helps you save, but given that the price difference isn't huge, we chose to save on time instead.

Sigh. The irony of it all.

Ok, we did manage to catch a mini version of the guard change when we left, but that's all. I guess I'd just have to include this part again when I return to Seoul in future.

Heh. That is, if I ever want to come back again to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Don't get me wrong. The palace can provide for some Instagram-worthy shots and is worth a good 2 to 3 hour stroll (depending on how fast you walk and how interested you are). But man, the place was just super packed with people, hanbok wearing and non-hanbok wearing. With the main halls and gates, there was absolutely no way I could get any shots in that didn't feature at least a person.

Entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace is free if you enter wearing the Korean traditional costume. Given that there's an entire line of hanbok-rental stores from across the road, it makes sense to play dress-up, gain free entry, pretend you're in some historical K-drama and get some period era Insta-worthy shots in a palace. I think that's basically what almost everyone thought. Makes economic sense for the operator too if you're in a tour group, which I guess is why most tour agencies would advertise the hanbok experience if their itinerary includes Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is reputed to be the first and largest of the 5 Grand Palaces built in the Joseon dynasty, hence it should not surprise that Gyeongbokgung was designated as the main royal palace then. However, it was destroyed twice in Japanese invasions and restoration efforts have been ongoing since 1990.

Gotta say this, whatever that's been done is pretty darn awesome. My parents and I stopped many times for pictures as we marvelled at the reconstruction.

There are free guided tours at various timings for different languages (English, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean). Unfortunately, I don't think some of the slots work well if you intend to also catch the morning changing of guards parade (which starts at 10 am). You'd definitely need to work out your schedule as to how you want to deal with this if the guided tour is what you are gunning for. 

I think the guided tours probably would have provided additional interesting, detailed snippets of history (we happened to overhear a couple on our stroll), but personally, I think you can still get by without. There were enough signages around to provide a short explanation as to where you are and what you are looking at. Or else pick up a brochure at the ticketing booths.

I've included my quick iPhone shot of the tickets as advertised at the booth (if you don't intend to wear the hanbok). There is an option for a combination ticket if you're intending to go for 4 palaces and Jongmyo Shrine. You may also wish to check Klook or KKday for discounted tickets or hanbok rental deals.

In addition, the National Folk Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum of Korea are both sited within Gyeongbokgung Palace. If you purchase tickets, it grants you free entry to the museum.

Please do note that the Gyeongbokgung Palace is is closed on Tuedays.

Tourist Information

Gyeongbokgung Palace
Website: http://www.royalpalace.go.kr:8080/html/eng_gbg/main/main.jsp
Address: 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul