닭한마리, Dak Hanmari; Must Eat Chicken Meal In Korea!!

We arrived in Seoul on a cold and rainy day. My Korean friend even warned us about the possibility of the rain being radioactive due to the Japan Fukushima Nuclear Plant situation.

By the time, we reached our hotel at around 6pm, it was dark, wet and gloomy.

We quickly got changed and ventured out for a hot meal. We thought that there must be food around Dongdaemun area so took the train 2 stops to Dongdaemun Station. When we exited, it was deserted except for a few roadside stores that didn't seem very appealing.

We just followed the lights and saw an alley that looked bustling and boy, were we lucky! We found the extremely yummy 닭한마리, DakHanmari on our first night in Seoul. A must eat when in Korea!! It's left such good memories for me that I've decided to dedicated 1 post to DakHanmari, which literally means "One Whole Chicken".

Enjoying A Hot Steamy & Soupy Meal On A Cold Night

The restaurant that we chose was served by a few Chinese speaking staff which weren't exactly the most friendly restaurant staff. Between the 4 of us, she insisted that we take 2 whole chickens! We kept rejecting 'til she finally relented with 1 and 1/2 chicken instead.

To eat this dish, it's really simply although there's quite a few steps:

1) Let the staff know how may chicken you want and the whole chicken will be served with potato slices in a soup base.

2) Cut the chicken up to cook with the scissors provided.

3) Put in all ingredients mentioned below (except soju and beer of course ;)) together with the Korean Red Pepper Paste available on every table into the pot of chicken soup. If you prefer the soup to be more spicy, just add more of the Korean Red Pepper Paste. 

4) While waiting for the chicken to cook, mix all the ingredients below that will form the marinade / dipping sauce.

Final Product: The Yummilicious Dipping Sauce

5) Put in the handmade noodle that has to be ordered separately into the boiling soup below.

6) Tuck in and feast away!!

Everything can be dipped into the dipping sauce before eating.

Best Rice Cake I've Ever Eaten

The rice cake is the only one I like after trying so many time in Singapore and Korea. It's the softest ones that I've came across and it tasted like the handmade noodles. I don't like Korean Rice Cake but I really think the ones here are nice!

The restaurant also serves very good Gingseng Chicken Soup aka Samgyetang.

2 Different Kinds of Seating

The place is usually packed but we went close to 10.30pm, the closing time. Which explains why the picture  shows a pretty empty place.

The Restaurant We Went to Twice

We enjoyed the dinner there so much that we went back a second time to the same restaurant before we left Seoul.

Supposedly Famous Restaurant, I Guess

Both Times, We Emptied Everything

For those interested as to how to get to this DakHanmari Restaurant, here's the name card for you to show the locals or the cab drivers. You'll be spoilt for choice with the many DakHanmari restaurants in the same area.

If you prefer to take the train, take Exit 10 of Dongdaemun Station on Subway Line 4 (Blue). After exiting, just walk straight until you come to a big T junction, the DakHanmari alley is situated diagonally across where the subway exit is.

Just walk into the unsuspecting 2nd alley after crossing the road and continue on, before you know it, it'll be a bustling place with lots of locals enjoying their whole chicken meal.

Hope you'll enjoy the meal as much as I did! =)