Overview
Dongdaemun, packed with buildings packed with clothing stores, is now considered Asia's largest clothing shopping district, and the area around Dongdaemun is no exaggeration. After this place took on its current form, people from Dongdaemun Fabric Market, Pyeonghwa Market, and nearby markets were present. Over 30 years ago, the place that soothed their hunger and warmed their hearts was what is now Chicken One Whole Alley. Exit from Dongdaemun Station on Subway Line 4, exit at exits 8 and 9, go straight, then turn left next to the Industrial Bank building—this is a one-way street. On the right side of that street, parcel motorcycles carrying goods to Dongdaemun General Market and nearby markets stand in rows today. About halfway down the street, if you look to the right, you'll see a Chinese restaurant called Deokseonggak, and if you enter that alley, you'll find chicken restaurants. Those 'One Whole Chicken Eaters' in the alley have stood for anywhere from five years to over thirty years. However, if you go back to the days when private houses sold chicken kalguksu before today's restaurants, the history of that alley chicken restaurant goes back much more than 30 years. According to the owner who took over the grandmother's house that sold chicken kalguksu 28 years ago and has been selling a whole chicken ever since, one grandmother didn't cook the current whole chicken style but cooked kalguksu with chicken and sold it. Guests were received in the floor and rooms of a tiled hanok house. The current owner took over the house intact, built a hall in what was once the yard, and set up a dining table. Among the houses that remain today, the oldest is 'Jinokhwa Chicken One Piece.' However, a fire broke out in the restaurant, and it was rebuilt in February 2009. This place also initially sold chicken kalguksu, not the modern one-chicken style. In other words, the original dish of Dongdaemun Chicken One Whole Alley is chicken kalguksu. Even now, the word 'chicken kalguksu' remains on the signs, entrances, and windows of this alley restaurant. Also, the fact that the kalguksu noodles remain on the menu served with a whole chicken is proof of this. In a way, it's a dish where the protagonist and object are reversed, from a chicken dish with chicken in broth to a chicken dish where a whole chicken is boiled in broth, and kalguksu is added as an ingredient. The whole chicken dish is almost the same in every household. Other things include the flavor of the dipping sauce and broth, and the optional side ingredients you can add to your meal. That's why every shop in this alley only reveals half of the sauce and broth bibim available. The rest is a secret. The main ingredient of the sauce, chili powder, should be good. It should not be spicy red pepper powder but should be spicy yet rich in flavor and umami. Also, the ingredients used in the broth vary from household to household, such as oem tree and ginseng. Pour a large bowl full of broth and boil a whole chicken inside. The chicken is lightly boiled, but it's best to simmer it thoroughly on the stove on the dining table. This is because the flavors of ingredients like potatoes, rice cakes, ginseng, jujubes, and mushrooms blend together to create a unified taste. Once it boils, the meat and ingredients are taken out and eaten, then the leftover broth is cooked with kalguksu noodles to complete the whole chicken feast. Even now, more than half of the regular customers in this alley are people from markets around Dongdaemun. The rumor has spread all the way to Japan, attracting quite a few Japanese travelers. Also, young couples who love the taste alley gather information online and sell themselves to visit this alley. A whole chicken dish from 30 years ago is being reborn in their tastes.
Restaurant