Mung bean vs perilla samgyetang taste test at Dream Samgyetang

These days when I crave a hearty meal, nothing beats warm samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). With the flu going around, I headed to Dream Samgyetang in Hwaseong to warm up and get some nourishment.

Dream Samgyetang's hours and parking

• Open daily 10:30–22:30
• Last order at 22:00
• Parking free for up to 1 hour 30 minutes

We ordered three things: mung bean samgyetang, perilla samgyetang, and seafood pajeon (savory pancake) to share alongside. Each dish had a different taste and feel, so if you're visiting with a group, ordering one of each and sharing seems like a great idea.

Looking for a good samgyetang spot in Hwaseong, we found Dream Samgyetang

Samgyetang is filling enough on its own that it works well for family meals or dining with a group. I tend to seek it out when I'm sick or on boknal (the hottest days of summer). This time too, I wanted something warm and hearty, so I brought my sister and her kids along. Walking in, the interior was clean and the space felt comfortably roomy.

We went for an early lunch, so it wasn't crowded at first, but customers gradually trickled in while we ate. Since we had my 22-month-old niece with us, we naturally ended up checking where the ingredients came from.

The ingredients in the samgyetang were all Korean-sourced, which gave us a bit more peace of mind.

Checking the menu and placing our order

Once we sat down, we looked over the menu first. There were quite a few types of samgyetang, so we paused to decide — this time we settled on comparing different flavors.

We ordered mung bean samgyetang, perilla samgyetang, and seafood pajeon. Samgyetang alone felt like it might leave something to be desired, so we added the pajeon too — pairing crispy pancake with hot soup seemed like a nice way to enjoy different textures and flavors mid-meal.

There was also ginseng liquor that usually comes out first at samgyetang restaurants, but since we don't drink, we left it untouched.

The clean, light mung bean samgyetang

First we tried the mung bean samgyetang. Served piping hot in a stone bowl, it looked hearty just from the sight of it.

I took a spoonful of the broth first. The mung bean samgyetang was really clean and light in flavor. The mung beans gave it a different feel from regular samgyetang, and the chicken paired well with the beans and broth together. Pairing the light soup with the tangy radish pickle was especially nice — it kept my palate feeling fresh.

The nutty, savory perilla samgyetang

Next up was the perilla samgyetang. Same category of dish, but the vibe was completely different from the mung bean version.

The perilla samgyetang had a thick broth loaded with ground perilla seeds. From the very first spoonful, that distinct nutty perilla flavor lingered gently in my mouth. Personally, this one leaned closer to my taste than the mung bean version. I'm the type who piles perilla powder into gukbap (soup with rice) even on a normal day, so I already love it. Light flavors are nice, but I think I prefer a rich, nutty broth in the end.

The seafood pajeon we ordered alongside the samgyetang

And then came the seafood pajeon, which was essential to this meal.

After eating just samgyetang, adding pieces of seafood pajeon in between let us enjoy a different texture and flavor throughout the meal. The outside was nice and crispy, and the inside was packed with seafood. Pajeon really does taste better when the edges cook up crisp. It felt like samgyetang alone might be a bit lacking, so we ordered this alongside it — and in the end, I was glad we did.

The three dishes we tried

This time we tried three dishes — mung bean samgyetang, perilla samgyetang, and seafood pajeon — and each had its own distinct character, which made it fun to pick and choose.

Mung bean samgyetang for cleanness, perilla samgyetang for nuttiness, seafood pajeon for crispiness

That's roughly how I'd sum it up. What I personally appreciated was that none of the food was heavily seasoned. Even my 22-month-old niece ate along with us, and she ate surprisingly well.

Dining out with a baby often comes with worries about seasoning or overly strong flavors, but seeing my niece eat well that day made me strangely proud. If you're visiting with a group, ordering different types of samgyetang for each person and sharing the pajeon together seems like a great approach.

What I thought after eating

Having visited and eaten in person, I felt once again that samgyetang is the dish that comes to mind whenever you need a warm, hearty meal. It was nice that the mung bean and perilla versions, though both samgyetang, went in different flavor directions, so you can pick based on your preference. If you like nutty flavors like me, the perilla samgyetang would suit you; if you prefer something clean and light, the mung bean samgyetang is a good choice. Above all, visiting with my 22-month-old niece this time and seeing her eat well made me think this place works well for family meals too.

They also apparently do delivery/shipping orders, so anyone interested might want to keep that in mind.

Wrapping up

If you're craving a hearty meal in Hwaseong or find yourself thinking about warm samgyetang, Dream Samgyetang might be worth checking out. This time I tried the mung bean and perilla samgyetang separately along with seafood pajeon on the side. If you're visiting with a group, ordering different types of samgyetang and sharing them sounds fun too. Next time, I think I'll go back for the perilla samgyetang since I really liked that nutty flavor 😋