Gangnam is full of bars, so it also has plenty of hangover-soup places. There are several famous seolleongtang restaurants, including Usin and Yeongdong Seolleongtang in Sinsa-dong, but I heard the one with the best reputation of all is near Hanti Station, so I went to try it.
The entrance
It’s on the first basement floor. The room is large and the interior is fairly tidy. The dogani-tang is a bit expensive, but the seolleongtang is normally priced. At the entrance they have framed articles from Japanese magazines on the wall, and there were so many of them that it surprised me. I wondered whether Japanese visitors really come all the way out to Hanti Station.
Kimchi
The taste is good. They say all the ingredients are domestic. I didn’t ask whether they give you kkakdugi brine.
Seolleongtang
The broth is clean-tasting, and you can tell they use good ingredients generously. Maybe because I didn’t order the “special”, the portion looked a little small, but the flavor was more than convincing. Apparently they add extra spring onion if you ask, but I just ate it with the default setting.
There’s plenty of meat in it too.
Maybe it’s this place’s style, but the meat crumbles apart. I suspect it’s because the broth is simmered so thoroughly.
Dogani-tang
It’s 15,000 won. Compared with Daesungjib at 9,000 won, the broth is thicker and cloudier. It was a rich flavor clearly different from the seolleongtang broth as well. If Daesungjib puts the emphasis on the dogani itself, this place’s style puts it on the flavor of the broth. Opinions will divide depending on price, distance and personal taste.
Dogani
Compared with Daesungjib: there the boiled dogani was so springy you couldn’t pick it up with chopsticks, while here it is tender enough to lift easily with chopsticks and still has a fair amount of chew.. I think both are delicious, but someone used to Daesungjib might feel something is missing.
It’s a place famous for its seolleongtang, but to my taste the dogani-tang, expensive as it is, was the more satisfying. If you want good dogani-tang in the area, it should be a good choice. After my bowl I stopped by the market nearby and bought some side dishes to take home — a satisfying day in many ways. There’s a lot of interesting stuff around Hanti Station.