Dongtan Chinese restaurant: uni-jajang and small tangsuyuk, Bultina

Ever have one of those days? You want jajangmyeon... but you also really want jjamppong... and you refuse to give up tangsuyuk! 😂 I was having exactly that kind of day, so I headed to Namgwangjang haha. I'd been curious about Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong (불티나꼬막짬뽕) Dongtan Namgwangjang Branch for ages because it's always full whenever I walk by! Having finally gone, I was happy with the jjamppong and the jajangmyeon too, so here's my write-up♡ This one's for anyone looking for a jjamppong spot in Dongtan!

Location and parking at Bultina Dongtan Namgwangjang

Bultina is right in front of the Namgwangjang public parking lot, so bringing a car was really easy. Namgwangjang has so many good restaurants that parking can be a worry, but using the public lot felt stress-free haha.

It's also a great spot for eating and then heading to a café, so I was really happy with how easy it is to get to.

With summer heat like this lately... 😛 next time I have to try the cold jjamppong haha.

Solo tables and a self-serve corner for eating alone

Inside, the restaurant was much bigger and tidier than I expected. Tables are nicely spaced, so it suits family meals, office lunches and solo dining alike.

What I liked most was that there are separate solo tables! So many people eat alone these days, right? Some Chinese restaurants feel awkward to walk into by yourself, but plenty of solo diners come here, so I didn't feel self-conscious at all haha.

And there's a self-serve corner on one side~

The basic side dishes are danmuji (pickled radish), onions and chunjang (black bean paste). At a Chinese restaurant, the main dishes matter most, right? haha. The food also came out quickly after ordering, so I thought it'd be easy to stop by even at lunchtime.

Like a proper Dongtan favorite, the menu sticks to the classic signature dishes!

Lots of people were doing the Naver event at their tables, and since you get fried dumplings (gunmandu) for it, it's a nice thing to do while you wait for your food!!

How was the uni-jajang style jajangmyeon?

Bultina's jajangmyeon is uni-jajang style (finely minced, a style that's hard to find these days), so the sauce was really smooth and nutty. Isn't it kind of hard to find a good jajangmyeon place lately? 🥹 Many are too sweet or bland, so I didn't expect much... but this jajangmyeon really satisfied me!

The sauce coated the noodles well, and the savory flavor popped with every bite. It's a jjamppong-famous place, so I figured the jajangmyeon would be ordinary, but it was so good it surprised me haha. I'd order it again next time.

The seafood-packed cockle jjamppong broth

The cockle jjamppong was piled high with seafood, and my expectations shot up just looking at it haha. I took one spoonful of the broth...

“Wow... this is it!”

The rich broth, properly simmered from seafood stock, really impressed me.

It's spicy yet has a deep savory flavor, so I kept going back for more spoonfuls.

There were plenty of cockles, so they were fun to chew, and the noodles were springy, so I enjoyed it to the very last bite. No wonder people call it a top Dongtan jjamppong spot.

How big is the small tangsuyuk?

And of course, the tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)♡ We ordered the small size and the portion was bigger than I expected. Crispy outside, moist inside!

The batter isn't thick, so the texture of the meat really came through, and the sauce wasn't overly sweet, so I could enjoy it to the end. Jjamppong, jajangmyeon, tangsuyuk... this combo makes me happy any time haha.

Wrapping up

It's been a while since I found a Chinese restaurant where I liked everything from jjamppong to jajangmyeon.

• Right in front of the Namgwangjang public parking lot, so it's easy to visit
• Solo tables that make eating alone comfortable
• Cockle jjamppong with a rich seafood broth
• Jajangmyeon that's even better thanks to the uni-jajang style
• Tangsuyuk with a generous portion even in small
• Clean, good-quality food overall

If you're looking for a place to eat in Namgwangjang, or a jjamppong spot or Chinese restaurant in Dongtan, I recommend giving it a visit. Next time I plan to go back for the cold jjamppong and other jjamppong dishes ´▽`♡