Delicious Red Bean Porridge in Samcheongdong, Seoul

Hello! Do you like winter? In winter, there's Christmas and Seollal (Lunar New Year), pretty snow falls, and it gets very cold. I also think of delicious food. Speaking of winter, there's the indispensable fruit, mandarin oranges!! And red bean porridge, which you absolutely must eat during Dongji (Winter Solstice)!! Today, I'm going to introduce a very old traditional tea house famous for its red bean porridge.

Established in 1976 (1976.04.19.), this traditional tea house has continued operations at the same location to this day, carefully preparing medicinal herbs like Ssangwha-tang (a traditional Korean herbal medicine) using prescriptions directly learned from a doctor of Oriental medicine. Located in Samcheong-dong, it embodies the area's historical landscape, maintaining its original appearance from its opening and popularizing its unique red bean porridge and traditional healthy teas. It is said to have high preservation value in terms of food culture history.

This restaurant was established around the same time that Steve Jobs founded Apple. You can feel the restaurant's history, right?

First, the location is at 122-1, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It's located near the exit of Anguk Station towards Pungmoon Girls' High School, next to the Financial Training Institute. Alternatively, it's located next to the main gate of the Financial Training Institute on the way to Samcheongdong Park, opposite Gilun Club (Chinese restaurant).

Business hours are 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM daily. The phone number is 02-734-5302.

Shall we introduce the menu? The signature menu is red bean porridge, but as its name suggests, this traditional tea house sells a variety of traditional drinks. They sell Sujeonggwa (a traditional Korean punch), ginger jujube tea, red bean porridge, and Ssangwha-tang.

• Sujeonggwa (7,000 KRW) is a traditional drink where the sweetness of dried persimmons and the spiciness of ginger and cinnamon are harmoniously blended.
• Ginger jujube tea is sold for 6,000 KRW and is made by boiling ginger for a day, removing it, then adding jujubes and simmering for another day.
• Sikhye (sweet rice punch) (6,000 KRW) is carefully made using well-cultivated malt, paying close attention to temperature and time. It aids digestion and is a good dessert.
• Red bean porridge costs 8,000 KRW. The red beans are boiled to make a paste, the glutinous rice is made into rice cakes daily, and the chestnuts are peeled by hand. Soybeans and ginkgo nuts are used as toppings. Each bowl is made to order, making it even more delicious. A little cinnamon powder is added to enhance the flavor. They say that if you share the large glutinous rice cake little by little with the red bean soup, you can adjust the sweetness.
• Ssangwha-tang (Sipjeondaebotang) costs 8,000 KRW. In addition to the seven ingredients in Ssangwha-tang—Rehmannia glutinosa, Angelica gigas, Cnidium officinale, Paeonia lactiflora, Cinnamon, Astragalus membranaceus, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis—we also add Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, and Ginseng to make Sipjeondaebotang. This drink is good when you're tired or have a cold. We serve homemade dried ginger candy as a palate cleanser.

Let me share an interesting fact about Sipjeondaebotang. Sipjeondaebotang is one of the representative tonics that strengthen Qi (vital energy) and blood. It's not called "Sipjeon" because it contains ten ingredients, but because the Chinese character for ten (十) means "everything." Therefore, Sipjeondaebotang means to completely (全) and thoroughly (大) supplement (補) everything.

As soon as you enter, they serve you a warm tea—I'm not sure if it's barley tea or eleutherococcus tea. The interior of the shop has a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of a traditional Korean coffee shop (dabang). All food items can be taken out.

This concludes my introduction to Seoul's Second Best Red Bean Porridge Place, the perfect place to go when you're craving red bean porridge!