Muguok

Although my go-to place for ginseng chicken in Seoul is always Tosokchon, I decided to try something different this trip. Muguok came out on my feed as a new restaurant offering North Korean Ginseng Chicken soup

Located near Gyeongbokgung Palace, Muguok is a relatively new restaurant opened in 2024, offering North Korean Ginseng chicken soup in a 70-year-old traditional Hanok house. Unlike the usual ginseng chicken soup we are used to, the North Korean style offers the broth and the chicken separately

While it is a hanok built in 1954, it is still pretty modern inside after the remodelling. The main wooden structures were maintained with the wooden floor boards, but new elements were also introduced. The main area that takes up the most space is the kitchen, with 3 huge cauldrons used to cook the chicken soup. The seating capacity is quite limited, which explains the long queues. There is no reservation system, so you will have to arrive for the digital queue system before they close the slots. The menu is simple with only 4 dishes: the samgye baekban ( ginseng chicken set), spicy squid and chicken salad, braised spicy chicken stew and braised soybean paste chicken stew

The samgye baekban, which is the ginseng chicken set, consists of a bowl of rice, a plate of boiled chicken, and a serving of condiments like shredded ginger, a side of spicy radish leaf and the main thick ginseng broth. First taste was the broth, which was very thick and creamy, and I think I could taste some perilla leaf flavours. It was a very clean chicken taste, but it can fall 1 dimensional. I personally don’t mind it, but my friend still prefers the usual style of broth. The boiled chicken was slightly bland and needed seasoning or dips, but the meat was extremely tender and fell off the bone. The spicy radish acts as a palate cleanser and also adds some depth to the meal

We were also served a complimentary side of radish kimchi, which was quite spicy but nice and crunchy. Unlike the other restaurants, you will have to ask for top-ups, and when the staff are busy, it can be quite hard to get some attention

Since we saw this on everyone’s table, we decided to order 1 portion for sharing, which is recommended to go well with our samgye baekban. For me, this dish was a new and refreshing flavour, but too spicy. The squid was crunchy and paired well with the chicken meat, but I found the chilli paste too overpowering as it coated the dish extremely well. I had to wash off some part of the chilli to enjoy the dish better. Since the boiled chicken was bland, this was a nice add-on to eat with the chicken

Overall, it is not a bad meal. I would say it is a new method to enjoy ginseng chicken, but in a milder manner. It might not be everyone’s preference, but still worth a visit if there is no queue

Address: South Korea, Seoul, Jongno District, Yulgok-ro 1-gil, 7 한옥

Opening hours: 11.30 am to 2 pm and 5.30 pm to 8 pm