Oksu Chinese restaurant after a hill walk with my sister: Taetae

Taetae, an Oksu-dong Chinese restaurant after a hill walk

Taetae is a clean, modern Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor at 29 Hanrimmal 3-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. I went to visit a close older friend I call my sister, who lives in Oksu-dong, and we took a short walk up the hill behind her place. Then I suddenly got hungry, so we headed to Taetae, which is right near her home.

What are Taetae's opening hours and break time?

Taetae is open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Break time is 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and last order is 1 hour 30 minutes before closing.

How to get to Taetae from Oksu Station, and where to park

Taetae is a 5-minute walk from Oksu Station and close to the Oksu Raemian Apartments. If you come by car, there is no parking of its own, so you'll need to use a paid public lot nearby.

• Oksu Station public parking lot (₩340 per 10 minutes)
• Raemian Oksu Riverzen (₩2,000 per 10 minutes)

Taetae's interior doesn't look like a typical Chinese restaurant

The moment I stepped into Taetae, the mood felt a little different from a typical Chinese restaurant. Instead of that reddish glow you often see, the interior was much cleaner and hipper, and I liked how the lighting and tables were arranged to feel comfortable.

Taetae menu and prices in Oksu-dong

Meals at Taetae are in the ₩10,000 range and the dishes to share are ₩20,000–30,000 range. These were the menu prices when the writer visited:

• Taetae jjajang (black bean noodles) ₩10,000
• Taetae poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang (dry-style black bean noodles) ₩18,000
• Taetae shrimp jjajang tray noodles ₩16,000
• Taetae meat jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) ₩16,000
• Taetae shrimp jjamppong ₩16,000
• Taetae mala jjamppong ₩16,000
• Taetae blue crab jjamppong ₩17,000
• Sweet corn golden shrimp fried rice ₩16,000
• Taetae fish-fragrant eggplant ₩22,000
• Spicy fried chicken wings ₩35,000
• Black vinegar glutinous rice tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) ₩33,000
• Taetae fish-fragrant chicken ₩33,000
• Taetae jumbo cream shrimp ₩35,000
• Taetae chili yuringi (fried chicken in chili sauce) ₩34,000
• Taetae squid tempura ₩22,000
• Duck with chili peppers stir-fry ₩38,000
• Tender chicken breast cold salad ₩24,000
• Spicy lajo clams ₩39,000

There were so many colorful dishes that looked so good, and choosing was really hard, haha! I wanted to try this, I wanted to try that, and I whined to my sister that I just couldn't pick. Whine, whine, whine ~ hahaha

After all that whining, we went with the classics of Chinese food, jjajang and tangsuyuk, haha. What I ordered was the Taetae poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang (₩18,000) and the black vinegar glutinous rice tangsuyuk (₩33,000).

On the shelf in the middle of the restaurant there are sauces such as chili flakes, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce, so just take what you need to your table.

What does Taetae's black vinegar glutinous rice tangsuyuk taste like?

Taetae's black vinegar glutinous rice tangsuyuk has a gentle, tangy sauce and a batter that isn't greasy, so it tastes clean. With the first bite I thought, "Ah, this place is good." The sauce was softer and less sharp than ordinary tangsuyuk, and the fried coating wasn't oily at all, so the whole thing tasted really clean.

The deep flavor unique to black vinegar blended well with the meat without feeling heavy, so I kept reaching for more, and it goes perfectly with the fresh raw onion.

Is Taetae's poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang salty?

Taetae's poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang isn't salty; it's mild and shows off Taetae's own personality. When you think of ganjjajang you usually picture something rich and salty, but this one was mild overall, and the texture of the pork belly came through naturally. When you break the poached egg and mix it in, the softness of the yolk joins in, making a filling bowl that isn't harsh.

What was the service like at Taetae?

Another plus I can't leave out about Taetae in Oksu-dong was how kind the staff were! From the meal until we walked out, the service was very friendly and warm. This kind of service really lifts how satisfied you feel with a meal, so good~ If you're looking for clean Chinese food near Oksu Station, give Taetae a visit~