Poke takeout dinner in Seocho: pepper chicken bibim bowl at Salering

After a heavy meal I always feel a bit guilty and bloated, so I try to eat light the next day. The day before, I'd had meat and then cake for dessert, so for dinner I went looking for something filling but easy on the calories, and ended up at Salering near Gyodae Station. The ingredients were fresh and plentiful, the portions were bigger than at other salad places so it felt like great value, the atmosphere was fine for eating alone, and the owner was so kind. I was really happy with it!

Where is Salering Gyodae Direct Store, and is there parking?

Salering Gyodae Direct Store (샐러링 교대점) was close, within a 5-minute walk of Gyodae Station Exit 1. You can park 2-3 cars in front of the shop, and if you order a meal item you get 1 hour of free parking.

The address is 15 Seocho-daero 56-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor.

These days, even if you're not dieting, "healthy pleasure" has become a worldwide mega trend: eating well and tasty while looking after your health. For busy people, buying ingredients, prepping them and planning meals every day is a real hassle, but with more poke and salad shops around now, it's easy to eat healthy in daily life.

Inside Salering Gyodae: good for eating alone?

The inside of Salering Gyodae is white and green, so it feels fresh, and there's a range of seating, from a bar table for solo diners to tables for 2-4 people.

Orders never stopped coming in, from office workers nearby to takeout and delivery customers.

There are a lot of poke and salad shops these days, but Salering is a bibim (mixed) style poke shop, made richer and suited to Korean tastes. I heard they recently increased the toppings while keeping the price the same, so it's light but even more properly filling.

Salering menu and prices

Salering's bibim poke is a grain rice base, such as quinoa or oats, with toppings added, and there's plenty of variety: chicken breast, salmon, smoked duck, woosamgyeop (thin-sliced beef brisket), K-jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork), flame-grilled steak and seafood.

There are also protein sandwiches and high-protein slim pack salads for anyone wanting better-quality protein, plus sets that come with a drink and soup, so you can choose freely to match your needs and appetite.

The Gyodae direct store has its own prepaid promotion, so if you work or live nearby, you can collect points while making the rounds of Gyodae Station's poke spots. Sounds good to me!

Can you get beer or wine at Salering Gyodae?

Salering Gyodae also sells alcohol, including beer and wine. You may be serious about your health, but there are times after work when you're dying for a cold beer or a glass of wine, right? Salad with beer or wine, what more is there to say! It's less guilt than other snacks, so if you're having a drink anyway, try it here!

I'm a bread lover with the contradictory need of wanting something light but filling, so I ordered both a bibim poke and a wrap sandwich to go. The owner was kind and the inside was clean, so next time I think I'll eat in the dining hall as a solo-dining spot near Gyodae Station.

How does the Pepper Chicken Breast Bibim Poke (₩10,900) taste?

Salering's Pepper Chicken Breast Bibim Poke is ₩10,900, a textbook salad with quality protein and a balance of carbs, protein and fat. You can customize the base and toppings when ordering; I went with the basic brown rice and barley base and sweet soy sauce. It's lightly seasoned with pepper, furikake (rice seasoning) and garlic chips, so it was plenty tasty even without dressing!

How do you eat a bibim poke salad?

For Salering's bibim poke salad, you pour in the measured dressing, close the lid, and shake it well to mix before eating.

The chicken breast is sous vide, so it wasn't dry at all, just really tender and moist. With the brown rice and barley in there, it even felt like a proper meal.

With 15 kinds of vegetables and superfoods, including chickpeas and lettuce, the textures and flavors were great, and the portion was bigger than other salads I've had, so it was properly filling. With a taste like this, I really don't think I'd get sick of it even if I ate it often!

Is the Spicy Tender Chicken Salad Wrap (₩7,500) worth it?

Salering's Spicy Tender Chicken Salad Wrap is ₩7,500, made on order with fresh ingredients, and the crunch and freshness really are different. How on earth do people give up flour? I'm a "flour, hooray!" bread lover, so the wrap sandwich was my attempt at eating somewhat healthy. I often buy them at cafés like A Twosome Place or Starbucks, but Salering's sandwich was definitely different.

The spicy yet smooth sriracha mayo sauce, crispy savory chicken tenders, crunchy vegetables and chewy tortilla were a winning combination, as always.

Who is Salering Gyodae Direct Store best for?

Salering Gyodae Direct Store is a bibim poke shop with a base suited to Korean tastes, and its bibim poke salad, generous with fresh ingredients, was both fresh and filling. It's a salad spot I'd 100% go back to.

• People who want to eat healthy now and then, even if not every day
• People who want a light meal the day after eating heavy
• People looking for a filling solo meal near Gyodae Station