Songchambong Joseon Village chicken really makes the broth!

The chicken may not be from the Joseon dynasty but after a walk through a bland car park and you’ll be transported back in time. After a gentle climb up the hill the scent of smoke filled the air along with feelings of ‘a long time ago’.

Internally the 송참봉조선동네 (Songchambong Joseon village) restaurant Geurong, Jeollabukdo looks like a hanok traditional house but with tables and delicious foods being consumed. Externally it matches the Joseon style seen throughout the village where we slept over. On a Saturday, our lunch was a whole chicken soup(Baeksu) and a diced spicy chicken Soup (Daktoritang) still fresh from Greg’s earlier deed of chicken preparation(read about this in his upcoming entry). To accompany these two wonderful dishes many a side dishe (banchon) was served and to my delight spicy anchovies were included in the spread!

Restaurant entrance Joseon style

Inside the restaraunt

Baeksu reminded me a samgyaetang, a summer soup made with a whole baby chicken stuffed with garlic, ginseng roots, dates and a chestnut or two and simmered until tender. The Koreans believe chicken soups will revitalize their energy and fluids during the hot summers. Essentially the only difference between Samgytang and Baeksu is the chicken used in baeksu is older and larger which is great because there’s no chance you will go hungry! The taste of both are like well seasoned chicken soup. 

Baeksu: Prepared with garlic, ginseng, chestnut, dates and ready to simmer

Not only that; we all knew where the food had come from; we could see the chicken’s foraging around in the pens, we experienced how the chickens were prepared for the dish and we all ate with reassurance. 

Their healthier diet has only improved the taste of the bird. What struck me was the tenderness of the chicken considering the bird was much older than was is used in samgyaetang. The steady simmering of the ingredients over a gas stove (a common site in many Korean restaurants) created a garlic and ginseng mush that melted in my mouth. As the chicken simmered away it wasn’t long until the whole thing came apart like a terminally rusting ship exposing its hull, but at least this hull was put to good use, as we turned up the heat the bones began to add an even deeper flavour as the soup thickened and the juices flowed from spoon to tongue, to a thoroughly satisfied stomach. With flavours that would make a grown man cry, the intensity of this soup probably made it the best soup I have ever tasted.

Baeksu: The chicken falls apart as the soup simmers

Spicy Chicken Soup: Gregs legacy in his upcoming blog post. 

I once visited a fried chicken restaurant in Gyeongju, quite a common site in and around the student districts, it had the motto ‘chicken and joy’ I didn’t really see this as an appropriate motto especially for Korean fried chicken as the quality of the chicken was very poor. However the Joseon restaurant really did combine chicken with joy and purely on taste, it is the best restaurant I've been too on Happy Bear's tour of Jeollanambukdo.


-Andy 

Contact information:

Song ChamBong Chosun Village

www.folkvillage.co.kr

Geurung, Jeollabukdo

063-532-0054

011-734-4506