2016/08/26
Sinseon Seolnongtang is a well-known restaurant specializing in ox bone soup. They are open 24 hours a day, so you could easily come here for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a midnight snack. They became super famous even to foreigners due to the filming of the Korean drama "Brilliant Legacy" (燦爛的遺產/찬란한유산). I don't watch K dramas so I wasn't as keen on coming here, thinking to myself, "its just soup, what's the big deal?". But oh how wrong was I. LOL
Thus with my mom's persistence, we visited Sinseon Seolnongtang for brunch on our second day in Seoul!
Decor
Photo credits to TheSeoulGuide
The general decor uses warm tones of wood and greenery throughout the whole restaurant. Nothing special, just what you expect of a typical Korean venue.
One thing to note is their adorable mascot the "Sinseon" (which means an immortal/deity)casually flying on a cloud holding a bowl of Seolnongtang haha.
Food
On the menu, there are quite a few selections to their specialty ox bone soup, or another option the mandu (dumplings).
There are pictures to all the menu items, not a problem if you can't read Korean.
You can be sure to have a bottomless serving of kimchi right by your fingertips.
설농탕 Seolnongtang
The original Seolnongtang. The ox tail bones are boiled until the soup turns into a white milky texture. The finished product is rich and flavourful, yet, light on the stomach so there would be no problem having this for breakfast.
As I stated above, I did not expecting much, but right after I had a sip, I FELL in love immediately!
It warms the body up, perfect for a cold winter day, a perfect comfort food. Even though we had this in the midst of a hot summer day, it was still well worth it.
명풍두부야채설농탕 Tofu Vegetable Seolnongtang
We wanted some variety so we ordered the "healthier" option, Seolnongtang with tofu and veggies. Honestly not much different, a good choice if you don't want the soup by itself. Just personal preference since the soup base are all the same.
*All the soups come with a bowl of rice that is refillable.
신선찐만두 Sinseon Steamed Dumplings
Of course a foodie myself, I couldn't settle with just soup, we tried out these dumplings for a change of taste.
And wow these were giant. not kidding. If you were expecting them to be like normal Chinese dumpling, then this is not for you lol. These mandus, each almost the size of my palm, are definitely filling.
Verdict
Definitely give it a go! Among all the other places we visited in Korea, the one I had the least expectations for became my favourite out of the bunch. I cannot forget about the unique taste of the Seolnongtang soup, and I have recommended countless times to any friends of family who are looking into visiting Korea. Sinseon Seolnongtang will for sure be on my itinerary the next time I visit the country.
Sinseon Seolnongtang 신선설농탕
+82 02-777 4531
3-1, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 명동2가 2-23
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