Two ends of a single day in Seoul. Soup in the morning, and a crowd at night.
Samgyetang at nine in the morning
A little after nine on the morning of 30 March, I ate samgyetang. It was the last thing I ate in Seoul.
A whole chicken, in one piece
There is a whole chicken in the bowl.
Glutinous rice is packed into the cavity and cooked with the broth. Put chopsticks in and the meat comes away from the bone, collapsing as it comes.
The broth is white and clouded, and like the meat it starts out barely seasoned. You add a pinch of salt and adjust. Same logic as seolleongtang. Korea’s white soups are finished by the eater, not the kitchen.
As a thing to eat in the morning
Wooden tables in rows, a calm room. Being the morning, there was still space at the tables.
In Japan samgyetang tends to be introduced as a summer restorative. Eating it, though, it works best on a cold morning. Late March in Seoul still has cold air in it, and the steam coming off the bowl was welcome.
Start with soup, end with soup
On this trip I had seolleongtang one morning and samgyetang on another. Both white and clouded, both starting from almost no seasoning.
It happened by accident, but the result was two consecutive lessons in how this city eats in the morning. Put something hot in first, then decide the seasoning yourself. That seems to be the basic shape of it.
Notes from this visit
- Baekje Samgyetang is a samgyetang restaurant in Seoul
- A whole chicken, with glutinous rice packed into the cavity
- The broth is under-seasoned as served. You adjust it with salt
- We went a little after 9am on 30 March 2025
- It opens in the morning, and suits a cold one
- Hours and menu change. Check before you go
Visited March 2025. Opening information is as it was at the time of the visit.
Myeongdong at eight at night
Myeongdong at eight in the evening is less walking than being carried. My daughter and I were somewhere in that current.
28 March 2025, just before eight
We came out onto the street a little before eight.
Signage is stacked up on both sides and lit right down to ground level. Food stalls are out, and crowds form around them. The density of people is high enough that simply moving in the direction you want takes time.
The quality of the crowding is different from a busy district in Tokyo. People do not pool; they are constantly moving.
Going round the shops
My daughter’s purpose was shopping.
Korean fashion brands line the street — some you see in Japan, some you have never come across. In, look, out, into the next one. That repeats, indefinitely.
As the parent, your role is to carry the bags and walk behind. I did not dislike that hour. Watching what someone chooses tells you what they currently think is good.
We were still walking at nearly nine
In and out of shops, it was getting on for nine.
Come to Myeongdong as a tourist and the instinct is to go round the sights. With this district, though, walking is itself a sufficient way of having seen it. The signs and the people and the smells are all here.
Notes from this evening
- Myeongdong is in Jung-gu, Seoul. The flow of people thickens after dark
- Street-level stores of Korean fashion brands are concentrated here
- Food stalls are out, and they stop you in the middle of the street
- We walked from just before 8pm to nearly 9pm on 28 March 2025
- Shops turn over quickly here. If you have a specific one in mind, check it before you go
Visited March 2025. Store information is as it was at the time of the visit.
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