where and what to eat lah?

Pin It Tweet

Tosokchon is possibly Korea's most famous purveyor of Samgyetang (Chicken Ginseng Soup), a Korean summertime specialty. Located in Chebu-dong, just to the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace, this place was a favorite of late president Roh Moo-hyun.

This 30-year-old icon is housed in a sprawling hanok (traditional house), and for many locals – and even ex-president – it's the best in Seoul. Walk straight for 100m from Exit 2, Gyeongbokgung station, turn left at the GS25 convenience store and it's on your left.

Tosokchon features traditional Korean style tables inside small divided rooms. Before entering the dining room, guests first remove their shoes and sit on the ground on padded floor mats while eating. With its warm wood accents and traditional wood low tables, Tosokchon is a cozy spot to build up your appetite.


The soup is served with a small cup of ginseng wine which can be drunk as it is or added to the soup for the extra kick.


Despite the crowds, the samgyetang (KRW 15,000 / RM 41) arrives fast and still bubbling.
It is made of a whole young chicken, stuffed with glutinous rice, a ginseng root, gingko nuts, garlic, jujube and boiled in a ginseng broth prepared with about 30 different ingredients, including medicinal herbs, nuts, grains and ginseng.


The broth was thick, rich and the hearty chicken meat falls off the bone tenderly. The unique taste and aroma were simply intoxicating even for someone like me who doesn't fancy medicinal soup.


We were so hooked to the taste till when we got back to Malaysia, we tried at least 4 different samgyetangs but none of them lived up to the expectations. That really made us appreciate Tosokchon more.


The other specialty dish of Tosokchon is the Ogolgyetang (Black Chicken Ginseng Soup, KRW 22,000 / RM 60). It didn't taste much of a difference but historically, black chicken is eaten by the Chinese as a medicinal cure. It is said to have a positive effect on the yin, blood, lungs and stomach. It may appear bizarre to some, but the nutritional values pack a punch.


Well, Roast Chicken (KRW 14,000 / RM 38) was a mistake in our order. We wanted the ogolgyetang but the waitress mistakenly understood it as roast chicken. Luckily, it wasn't too bad and it had a whiff of ginseng aroma in it. Tipped some salt and pepper together into a small saucer and used it as a dip.


Tosokchon can be crowded with locals and tourists during lunch and dinner hours. You can expect there to be a line to get in and the best time to visit is one hour before or one hour after the peak dining hours.

Verdict: It was expensive but it was well worth it! Definitely the best ginseng chicken soup we've had and must try whenever you are around Gyeongbokgung.


Address:
Seoul-si Jongno-gu,
Chebu-dong 85-1,
Tel: 02-737 7446
Business Hours: Opens daily from 10.00am - 10.00pm
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 37.577744, 126.971593.
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map

Pin It Tweet

Dongdaemun 동대문 area isn't only notorious for its late night shopping, it also includes dining with restaurants operating non-stop 24 hours. The stretch of lane located behind the 3 prominent shopping malls in Dongdaemun (Hello apM, Migliore and Doota) is filled with Korean BBQ restaurants waiting to replenish your stomach after shopping up a storm. Butumak 부뚜막 was the first Korean BBQ restaurant we had during our Seoul trip.


Butumak, a brightly lit corner restaurant on a corner lot, seems to be quite popular not only to the locals but also the Japanese tourists.


Most of the restaurants in Dongdaemun area are tourist-friendly, with well-written English and Japanese menu and waitresses that can speak in Mandarin.


Most of the grilled pork prices range from KRW 10,000 - KRW 12,000/pax (RM 28.50 - RM 34.20) and grilled beef prices range from KRW 17,000 - KRW 20,000/pax (RM 48.45 - RM 57) with minimum serving for two people. We had one serving each of samgyeopsal 삼겹살 (Pork Belly) and Marinated Beef.


Like any other Korean restaurants, a wide array of banchan (side dishes) will be served as starter before the main course begins. Of course, you can ask for more without any extra charge.


True to the Korean tradition in food, even the richest foods are made healthier with the addition vegetables like lettuce and garlic.

Not every Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul uses the traditional charcoal stove. Butumak uses the more common grill pan over a stove built into the center of the table. Don't worry about not knowing how to cook, the waitress usually takes care of it. Unless she is extremely busy and your food is burning, you better do some flipping!


Despite lacking the smokiness flavor from using a charcoal stove, it is definitely less messy and less likely to over burn.


No Korean BBQ is complete without ssamjang 쌈장 (Chili Soybean Paste).


The best way to eat the grilled meat is to wrap it with fresh lettuce, ssamjang, garlic and shredded scallion - ssambap 쌈밥 (Korean Lettuce Wraps). "Ssam" means 'wrap' in Korean, and "bap" means 'rice'. Besides using rice in the wrap, there is endless variations of what that can be stuffed in it.


Besides grilled or barbecued meat, Butumak does serve various noodles and rice dishes. Ttukbaegi Bulgogi 뚝배기 불고기 (KRW 6,000 / RM 17.10), marinated minced beef cooked with vegetables and glass noodle in a hot stone bowl. We just love the dramatic bubbling cauldron action as it arrived.


The stew was lightly sweet and generously filled with tender minced beef. This dish definitely warmed our hearts in the cold rainy summer and we finished it all in the blink of an eye!


Dolsot Bibimbap 돌솥비빔밥 (KRW 6,000 / RM 17.10), rice with mixed vegetables in a hot stone pot. Mixed it really well with few spoonfuls of gochujang 고추장 (hot pepper paste) sauce.


It was okay but it wasn't as good as our favorite place for dolsot bibimbap at Gomone in Ampang Point. It was probably due to the lack of ground beef and less sweetened gochujang sauce.

Verdict: Butumak is a Korean restaurant that never sleeps. Despite operating 24 hours, the quality and freshness of their meat is good. The taste is decently good with relatively reasonable price.


Address:
18-84, Euljiro 6-ga,
Dongdaemun, Jung-gu,
Seoul, South Korea
Tel: 02-2267 2522
Business Hours: Opens daily 24 hours
Pork Free: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 37.567390, 127.007422
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map

Pin It Tweet

Sinpo Woori Mandoo (신보우리만두) is a restaurant started off as a family store in a small neighborhood at Sinpo, Incheon in 1971. In the past forty years it has become one of Korea's staple mandoo / mandu (dumpling) chains. Now, this popular restaurant chain is available throughout Korea and the outlet we went was strategically located at Dongdaemun. Since Dongdaemun is a shopping district that never sleeps, the outlet here practically opens 24 hours. And here we are, 3am in the morning!


Like any other Korean restaurants, every meal includes from 2 to 6 banchan (side dishes) that form part of the meal or compliment the main dishes. The most important is of course kimchi, and Koreans do not consider a meal complete without kimchi. Everyone's kimchi tastes different even though it is fundamentally the same. The kimchi here was one of our favorite, it was well-flavored with the right degree of spicy and sour taste.


Gogi Mandoo / Pork and Vegetables Dumpling (KRW 3,500 / RM 9.98), eight pieces of Sinpo Woori Mandoo famous handmade dumplings served with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce and vinegar. The minced fillings are usually pork, tofu, clear vermicelli noodles and various vegetables such as onions, spring onions, cabbages and leeks.


Korean mandoo tasted slightly different from the Chinese jiaozi (dumpling), it was lighter and less meaty. The Chinese jiaozi are usually meat-centric, while Korean mandoo tend to pile on the veggies.


Kimchi Mandoo / Pork, Vegetables and Kimchi Dumpling (KRW 3,500 / RM 9.98), it tasted very much similar to gogi mandoo except for the little bit of spicy and sour taste. It wasn't too bad but the kimchi flavor wasn't strong enough to stand on its own.


Mandoo Kalgooksoo / Knife Cut Noodles Soup with Pork Dumplings (KRW 5,000 / RM 14.25), thick knife-cut noodles cooked in a clear seasoned soup with seaweed and pork dumplings. The soup was tasty and the hand knife-cut noodles were just right. It had the right texture and chewy consistency - deeply satisfying and hearty!


Nakji Dupbab / Rice with Octopus and Vegetables in Sweet Spicy Sauce (KRW 6,000 / RM 17.10), rice in heated stone pot served with stir-fried octopus and vegetables in spicy sauce.

Mixed everything evenly and ended up with a bowl of red fiery hot rice. It was spicy, sweet and hot all at the same time. We have pretty high spicy tolerance but this dish was beyond us! It was both torture and pleasure.

Verdict: Sinpo Woori Mandoo may look like a fast food restaurant with its simple interior but the food here is made fresh, reasonably good and affordable.


Address:
18-37, Euljiro 6-ga,
Dongdaemun, Jung-gu,
Seoul, South Korea
Other Known Outlets:
Insadong, Myeongdong, COEX, etc.
Tel: 02-2263 7501
Business Hours: Opens daily 24 hours
Pork Free: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 37.567726, 127.007658
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map