Xiaolongbao and cream shrimp near Sinchon Station: Cheonghwaweon

The weather's been getting nicer lately, so I've been going on more outings further afield. This time I went to a Sinchon restaurant I'd been wanting to try — I'm not someone who goes out to eat every single day, so wherever I do go has to be a sure thing, haha. The place I'm posting about this time is Cheonghwaweon (청화원).

Cheonghwaweon hours, location and parking near Sinchon Station

Cheonghwaweon is open daily from 11:00 to 22:20, last order at 22:00, no closed days. It's about a 5-minute walk from Sinchon Station Exit 3.

There's no parking at the restaurant, so you'll need to use a nearby public lot.

• Sinchon-dong Public Parking Lot No.1 — ₩250 per 5 minutes
• Changcheon Public Parking Lot — ₩2,400 per 60 minutes
• Daeheung Public Parking Lot — ₩3,000 per 60 minutes

What Cheonghwaweon looks like from the street in Sinchon

Cheonghwaweon sits right in front of Sinchon Station, so even the walk there feels like a proper university-town vibe. Made me feel young again, haha. Yonsei University is really right nearby, so there were a lot of university students around.

Inside Cheonghwaweon: can the restaurant seat a group?

I went a little after lunchtime and the place was still packed. It's clearly a go-to Sinchon lunch spot for a lot of people. There were plenty of tables and seats, so it seemed like a good option for group dining too. With such a varied menu, it felt like it fits the bill as a Sinchon group restaurant.

Cheonghwaweon menu and prices

The signature menu items are beef knife-cut noodles at ₩10,500, cream shrimp at ₩19,800, shumai at ₩9,500, and mala tofu at ₩10,500.

• Yubal knife-cut noodles — ₩10,500
• Yulinji (crispy chicken with sauce) — ₩19,800
• Cumin beef — ₩17,800
• Stir-fried tiger dish — ₩17,800
• Refreshing pickled cucumber — ₩9,000
• Fish-fragrant eggplant rice bowl — ₩9,800
• Fish-fragrant shredded meat rice bowl — ₩9,800
• Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) — ₩9,500

You can see the full range of dishes in the menu photos above.

Beef knife-cut noodles, 10,500 won: how the noodles and broth taste

What I ordered that day was xiaolongbao for ₩9,500, beef knife-cut noodles for ₩10,500, and cream shrimp for ₩19,800, with a free bowl of rice. Here's how it went — the beef knife-cut noodles came out first, and fast. Since this is known for good Taiwanese food, I'd already tried Cheonghwaweon at their Hyehwa location, and the knife-cut noodles were so good there that I ordered it again here, haha. It has this exotic flavor that somehow also hits exactly right for Korean palates. It's the kind of taste anyone could love.

The noodles are thick, so you'd think the noodle flavor might overpower everything, but the match between these knife-cut noodles and the broth is really spot on. The strong broth and the firm, chewy noodles come together perfectly. I usually prefer thin noodles, but I really enjoy these beef knife-cut noodles regardless — that's how good the balance is.

Xiaolongbao, 9,500 won: the same taste as in Taiwan

I think the first time I ever had xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) was in Taiwan. It was expensive so I could only eat it once, and even though I'd looked up how to eat it properly beforehand, I forgot and bit into it whole and burned my mouth, haha. Eating these brought that memory rushing right back. Now I know to eat it carefully alongside the broth.

You could really taste the meat along with a strong sesame oil aroma — this was truly the fundamental flavor of xiaolongbao. Of course, it's best eaten the moment it arrives, so don't hold back — dig into the dim sum first.

Cream shrimp, 19,800 won: batter that melts like cotton candy

Next up was the cream shrimp. Just the look of it made my mouth water. The most cream shrimp I usually eat is at buffets, and this tasted like it was on a whole different level from buffet cream shrimp. The combination of batter and sauce was absolutely delicious.

The cream shrimp was so good it made me want to try their chili shrimp next time. The batter looked thick, but once it hit my mouth it melted like cotton candy — it landed perfectly. I think kids would love it, and adults would enjoy it as a side with drinks too. I'll probably order this combo again, so I don't think you'll regret ordering what I got today.