Cold noodle restaurant in Suyu for king dumplings: Iseol Myeonok

Why we went all the way to a Suyu naengmyeon restaurant instead of ordering delivery

These days you can get naengmyeon (cold noodles) delivered so easily, right? We order it at lunch, we order it at night, and we can polish off a bowl lying on the couch at home, haha. But one day I suddenly craved the real thing. Not delivery, but naengmyeon served fresh at a proper restaurant. You know those days, right? So our family headed straight out to Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch in Suyu.

The baby was sleeping so well that we brought the whole bucket car seat, hahaha. It isn't as hot as midsummer, but when the weather suddenly turns warm again, naengmyeon calls to you, doesn't it, haha. People are so simple. Hot day, naengmyeon. Cold day, gukbap (rice soup). Hungry? Eat first, think later.

Is parking easy at Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch?

Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch has a proper large parking lot behind the restaurant, and wide space to park in front too, so it was easy to visit by car. The restaurant is big, and the moment we walked in it was absolutely packed. It felt like everyone in Suyu had come for naengmyeon, haha.

When you're out with a baby like us, whether you can park turns out to matter a lot. If you come all the way to Suyu for naengmyeon and parking is a fight, you're exhausted before you even start, hahaha. This day, though, we parked, ate, took care of the baby and got out safely. I'd recommend it for anyone with older family members or a baby, like us.

Seating and atmosphere at Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch at lunchtime

At lunchtime Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch was so full there was barely room to step. I blinked and thought, where am I... Suyu-dong... We hovered around for a good while before finally being shown to a seat by the door in front of the counter. With a baby along, picking a seat wasn't easy, but we sat down, so that's what matters, hahaha. We'll eat quickly and head out!

We ordered mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), hoe naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles with marinated raw fish) and king dumplings. While waiting, I looked around and the walls were seriously something! They were covered in autographs from celebrities and politicians, plus a presidential commendation and loads of food-related awards. Wait, is this really a naengmyeon place? Just from the walls, it was practically the résumé of the naengmyeon world, hahaha. Full specs, wow, hahaha.

With the place this packed at lunch and all those certificates on the wall, my expectations for the naengmyeon shot way up. We'd clearly come to a proper famous restaurant!

Seoul-style old-fashioned bulgogi: next time

Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch also sells Seoul-style old-fashioned bulgogi, and I really wanted to try that too. But our baby is still little and we're avoiding hot cooked food that could splatter, so this time we stuck to naengmyeon and dumplings. Bulgogi, see you next time, bye bye! When the baby is a bit older we'll come back and eat the bulgogi properly, haha.

They bring warm broth too!

How is the naengmyeon at Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch?

The naengmyeon at Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch has thin, neat noodles, and the broth was slightly sweet and tangy. The broth is also fairly dark, so it looked clearly different from what I think of as pyeongyang naengmyeon, and the taste wasn't the mild, subtle pyeongyang style either.

Personally, I like this kind of naengmyeon. I especially love that you get the rich depth of meat broth together with the cool, tangy freshness typical of dongchimi (radish water kimchi). While eating, I felt myself perking up after wilting from the heat, hahaha.

The must-order over the naengmyeon: king dumplings

Surprisingly, the must-order at Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch that day was the king dumplings, even more than the naengmyeon!! They live up to the name. They're big, and truly packed with filling. One bite and the meat juices came out so moist.

And eating the king dumplings with the naengmyeon broth was a much better combo than I expected. The cold, refreshing broth together with the warm, savory juices from inside the dumpling is a pairing you can't not order!! If we'd only eaten naengmyeon, it would have been all cool flavor, but eating a dumpling every now and then kept our hands going back, haha. In the end we cleaned up a bowl of naengmyeon plus the king dumplings and left.

Tips for a lunch visit to this Suyu naengmyeon restaurant

Iseol Myeonok Suyu Main Branch gets crowded at lunchtime, so I recommend going a little early or leaving yourself plenty of time!! Delivery naengmyeon is convenient and tasty, but sometimes going to the restaurant yourself and slurping among the crowd tastes even better.

Naengmyeon lovers, of course, but dumpling lovers too, please try the king dumplings alongside. I actually fell for the dumplings even harder, hahaha. Next time, when the baby is a bit bigger, we'll come back for the Seoul-style old-fashioned bulgogi we missed this time. Then we'll do naengmyeon + king dumplings + bulgogi properly, haha.

Some people go all the way to Suyu just to eat naengmyeon. We are those people, hahaha 😆😆