When we visited Seoul last year for holiday, I had a looong list of restaurants I wanted to eat at, To Sok Chon being one of them. However, when we came, it was in the fall and the weather a bit too warm to truly enjoy ginseng chicken soup.
This time however, the weather was cold and I was just on turned the corner on recovering from a cold. These are what I consider optimal conditions to go to To Sok Chon. After crossing the threshold, I was surprised at how large this place it. It looks smallish from the outside, but there are many dining rooms and long corridors that got us from point A to our final destination.
We sat traditional style which means shoes off and sitting on the floor. Long communal tables with self service kim chee in buckets for you to fill and refill your banchan as often as you like. The menu has literally 3 options. I love this kind of place. No frills, just tell the waiter or waitress what you want and they will quickly deliver it to you.
We ordered the basic ginseng chicken and I wasn't sure how I would manage to eat a whole chicken. It is actually quite small, a smallish Cornish hen and definitely meant for a single serving. It was delicious. The chicken and broth were so good. Simple, heart warming and healing. Exactly what the body needed.
The funny thing is that it also comes with a shot of ginseng. They waitress placed it down it front of us and my husband and I exchanged confused glances. They are essentially shots of ginseng that taste a bit like liquor. The ginseng is so concentrated that it is pretty strong if you take it all in one shot without bracing yourself.
I am glad I can cross this off my bucket list. There are a lot of copy cats in the US, but this is the original and worth the visit.
This time however, the weather was cold and I was just on turned the corner on recovering from a cold. These are what I consider optimal conditions to go to To Sok Chon. After crossing the threshold, I was surprised at how large this place it. It looks smallish from the outside, but there are many dining rooms and long corridors that got us from point A to our final destination.
We sat traditional style which means shoes off and sitting on the floor. Long communal tables with self service kim chee in buckets for you to fill and refill your banchan as often as you like. The menu has literally 3 options. I love this kind of place. No frills, just tell the waiter or waitress what you want and they will quickly deliver it to you.
We ordered the basic ginseng chicken and I wasn't sure how I would manage to eat a whole chicken. It is actually quite small, a smallish Cornish hen and definitely meant for a single serving. It was delicious. The chicken and broth were so good. Simple, heart warming and healing. Exactly what the body needed.
The funny thing is that it also comes with a shot of ginseng. They waitress placed it down it front of us and my husband and I exchanged confused glances. They are essentially shots of ginseng that taste a bit like liquor. The ginseng is so concentrated that it is pretty strong if you take it all in one shot without bracing yourself.
I am glad I can cross this off my bucket list. There are a lot of copy cats in the US, but this is the original and worth the visit.
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| 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul |