Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang — Restaurant in Seoul

Before I went to 🇰🇷, I must admit I did not know much about 🇰🇷 cuisine. I mean, of course, I knew about kimbap, mandu, bibimbap, KBBQ, japchae or bulgogi, but in the end, when you go to an ethnic restaurant, you always order the same items... Several people told me I should try samgyetang. And I must say that samgyetang had everything to seduce me: it's the typical comfort food, a hot soup with 🐔 and 🍚... and ginseng. Ginseng is good for health... in terms of taste, let's face it, it doesn't bring much. A couple of people recommended Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang. The Michelin guide too. So this is where we went. We ordered samgyetang to share and some fried 🐔 for our son, which I ended up eating all by myself cause it was too 🌶️ for him. 😓 It's not like we had many options on the menu so we basically ordered what there was anyway. The first thing that surprised me is that the place was empty. OK, it was not early but still, the place is supposed to be rather famous. 🤔 Also, the place is nice on the outside but the inside is kind of rough in terms of decor. Both the samgyetang and the fried 🐔 were good but, TBH, I expected more, more flavor most of all. Of course I have nothing to compare this to, but I found the samgyetang's flavor quite dull. It makes sense, we're talking about boiled 🐔 here but still... I can't complain about the fried 🐔 but I can't say it was memorable either. The portions were quite big, I think they were meant to be shared. But still, I ate the whole fried 🐔 and half the samgyetang so they were not so big either. And for these 2 items, we paid more than twice what we paid for our first meal in Seoul 😱: KWR 63K (about €42). This is a lot of money for Seoul... and for what we ate. 👎 At least, in this case, there was service at the table, simple, but we did not have to order at the counter. I'm glad I tried that but I would not pay that much for this kind of food again in Seoul.

Quality & taste: 6/10 Quantities: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Originality: 6/10 Ratio price / quality: 5/10 Service: 6/10 How I felt...

Had to pay a visit to this place as it was previously in the Michelin Guide. They still market themselves on the guide though they have dropped out from the list sometime back. Visited on a weekend afternoon and it was drizzling and the weather made it very good to be having some hot soup. A little messy at the entrance, crowd not controlled. There were many people there didn't know if they were queuing or waiting or what. Just walked in directly and asked for a table and was shown to one. It's a very tourist friendly place because there are staff from many nationalities working here so someone would be able to understand and take your order in a language that you know. Felt a bit like a United Nations here. If you don't know what to order, the best recommendation here is to order the century ginseng chicken soup, which is also the best choice item on the menu. First time seeing Ginseng juice here and was curious about it and decided to give it a try too. The ginseng chicken soup was pretty good. The taste of the ginseng is not very strong but still the soup was rich in taste and flavours. The banchan though minimal was good enough to complement the dish and it is an easily filling dish with the stuffed glutinous rice inside the chicken. Not forgetting the price was so worth it with the whole abalone added into the soup. It's so soft and delicious and not hard to chew on. A very enjoyable and filling dish, price of the meal was definitely reasonable and the ginseng juice was a good try, loved it as the flavour is stronger than the soup. Tasted to me like a mixture of ginseng powder with milk, though it's quite ridiculous to imagine actual juice coming from the ginseng. Recommended but quite touristy though. Be early to...

This restaurant was recommended by Michelin from 2017 to 2019, and it's easy to see why. I was fortunate enough to arrive when it wasn’t fully booked, which allowed us to get a table despite the number of people already inside. The place was bustling, but the service remained prompt and attentive.

One particularly exciting detail is that even Taiwan’s rising star, Greg Hsu (許光漢), visited here in 2023, which made me feel an extra sense of pride dining at such a popular spot. It’s certainly a place that has drawn attention for all the right reasons.

Since there were only two of us, we didn’t order too much, but we made sure to try the restaurant’s most expensive chicken dish. The dish included native chicken, ginseng, and abalone – the perfect portion for two. The flavors were rich and satisfying, a true representation of quality Korean cuisine.

I also had the chance to try something new for the first time – a unique ginseng juice, made from fresh ginseng blended into a thick, robust drink. The flavor was strong and deeply earthy, unlike anything I’ve had before.

Overall, it was a delightful experience, combining great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and the thrill of knowing that even celebrities have enjoyed this place. Definitely...