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: Myeongdong Night Market and Shopping Street

Myeongdong is the perfect starting point for someone's first time to Seoul, and I can now completely appreciate why it's one of the most popular tourist spots. The area is famous for its shopping with not one but two major departmental stores (Lotte and Shinsegae) and its myriad of clothing and cosmetics stores. To say that its bustling is an understatement. The place was practically swarming with tourists and locals whenever we were there.

On our first night in Seoul, after checking into our room at the Ibis Ambassador Seoul Myeongdong, my parents and I headed out to look for dinner and chanced upon the night market. To be honest, it was a "let's just head out and see what appeals to us" deal that night. I knew the night market was close by but I honestly didn't figure for it to be THAT close to the hotel. We exited the hotel lobby, turned left, barely walked for even a minute before we were hit by the hustle and bustle that is the  Myeongdong nigh
t market.

And the very first thing that we saw that got us all excited? Tornado potato! The minute my mom and I saw people holding that stick of potato in their hands, we immediately made a beeline for the first stall that we saw selling it. 

And it was just street food thereafter for dinner. And boy, there was just so much food to choose from! Seafood was plenty to be found; pan seared squid, grilled cheese lobster, abalone on sticks and my favourite seared prawns. OMG! The seared prawns from the stall called Shrimp King was so yummy, we went back for a second order. We had to wait quite a bit for our prawns but so damn worth it.

Not to worry if you have seafood allergies, there are other fun and yummy options as well. Heh. Yeah, you read that right. Fun. Primarily because I was so excited thinking of myself reprising K-drama characters having tteokbokki, gimbap, mandu or hotteok! My parents were actually impressed that I learnt and could identify and recite the Korean names of most foods just from my K-dramas alone. 

Ok, the one in the picture above, I didn't know the name until I came back and googled for it. Well, at least I think its the right one, a Korean egg bread called gyeranbbang. My dad bought one for himself as he thought it looked really interesting and he declared it good. My mom and I opted to forgo the carbo as we were almost full by then. Plus, we still had a bag of japchae and fresh orange juice with us to bring back to the hotel room. Oh and strawberry-red bean mochi.

Seriously good strawberry-red bean mochi. The seared squid, prawns and this mochi are my absolute favourites from the night market. I highly recommend those if you're visiting. On that note, if there was something I would dissuade you from, it would be the roasted chestnuts. The bag I bought, was completely dry and hard. We couldn't even finish the small bag that we bought.

Food aside, there was also tons to shop for. I bought a lot of pretty earrings and other accessories for myself and friends, mobile phone accessories too. My mom browsed a couple of stalls selling scarves but couldn't really find one she liked while my dad and I bought so many pairs of cheap, gimmicky socks. 

And its not just the night market stalls that would capture your attention. All your Korean cosmetics brands have outlets there, Innisfree, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, The Face Shop, etc. And at the promotional rates being offered for all those face masks, I can see why everyone I know returned from Seoul with packs of them. Even my mom and I caved and bought some.

International brands like Vans, H&M also have outlets there. I skipped those though and focused more on the local brands. And you know the bubble tea craze is indeed a huge trend when you spot boba from Gong Cha around. 

There are also a couple of stores selling local snacks. Great if you need to do some last minute shopping for souvenirs to bring back for people. Else, I would recommend buying from Gwang Jang market if that's on your itinerary.

Unfortunately, I only had a short time in Seoul, else I would have loved to visit the other night markets like the Dongdaemun night market. Well, at least it's excuse for me to find another time to return to Seoul again!

Tourist Information

Myeongdong Night Market

Address: Jung-gu, Seoul

Use the Ibis Ambassador Seoul Myeongdong hotel or Lotte store as a landmark if unable to locate.