Possibly the best chicken soup you’ll ever taste
A hot bowl of superb samgyetang, or Korean ginseng chicken soup.
My landlord was fixing my sink on my birthday when he noticed the signs my roommate had hung up all around the house. He asked whether I’d eaten yet, and when I said no, he replied, “Come on, it’s your birthday! I’ll take you out!”
The alley off Taepyeongno that’s home to Jangan Samgye-tang.
But you don’t find any carcasses of Fido out back at Jangan Samgyetang, because the owners and the customers stay true to its signature dish. The restaurant offers other chicken dishes, such as fried chicken, but during a busy lunch hour, it was clear that everyone was going for the samgye-tang (11,000 won, $9.65).
The restaurant’s facade. Photos by Hannah Bae
And there’s a reason why it’s so popular. The soup is served in skillet-hot black earthenware pots like the ones bibimbap comes in. It’s got a subtle aroma and flavor, which some might call bland until you detect that tinge of ginseng. Then there’s the chicken.
This is hearty, high-quality meat. The samgyetang comes with a whole roasted chicken inside, stuffed with rice with a sprig of ginseng and a daechu, or jujube, or two. There’s a lot of healthy white meat on this bird, and it’s so tender it pulls off the bone quite easily, even if you’re not the most dexterous eater with slippery metal Korean chopsticks.
Digging around the bones for the meat and rice is a bit like going on a treasure hunt in this steaming bowl of soup. If you’re careful, you might be able to dig out a wishbone, albeit a tiny one.
The chicken-and-ginseng-themed side dishes are good here, too. It might be weird taking a shot at noon, but every bowl of samgyetang here comes with a small shot of ginseng soju. The kimchi, in both cabbage and radish varieties, is fresh and spicy, and if you like a little more flavor in your soup, the broth makes a nice “kimchi wash.” Then there’s the ddongjip, which literally translates to “poop house.” These would be the brown slices of sausage-like chicken intestines that come with slices of roasted garlic on the side. I didn’t know what they were before I popped a piece into my mouth, and it’s actually quite tasty if you can get the phrase “poop house” out of your head.
Jangan Samgyetang is one of those old-fashioned, no-frills gems among Korean eateries. What matters here is the food, and it’s done very well for a low price. The soup, in addition to being delicious, is also thought to have both healing and preventive health benefits.
With visions of dancing stuffed chickens and ddongjip in my mind, I had to return again with another Korean friend after my first visit with my landlord. The soup was just as good as before, and the restaurant’s owners run a tight ship. The boiling broth comes out very quickly. Be warned: Just stir in the scallions and thinly sliced spring onion rounds and let it simmer down, or you’ll have a burnt tongue.
When the broth grows still, then you can start digging in to what may be your best bowl of samgyetang ever.
By Hannah Bae Contributing Writer [hannahbae@gmail.com]
Jangan Samgyetang
English: A bit
Tel: (02) 753-5834, (02) 773-3957
Address: 53 Taepyeongno 2-ga, Jung District, Seoul
Subway: City Hall Station, line No. 1, exit 7
Parking: None
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Dress: Casual
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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