Daejeon Chinese restaurant set meal with ryu sansul: Macheonchwi

Looking for a spacious Chinese restaurant in Mannyeon-dong?

Macheonchwi (마천취) is a Chinese restaurant that offers a special dining experience through its spacious, modern interior. They say its dishes stand apart with deep flavors made from fresh ingredients and sauces aged for more than 12 hours. Oyster sauce, doubanjiang, chunjang, XO sauce, and more are aged for over 12 hours for a deep, rich flavor, while top-quality fresh ingredients are used daily for seasonal dishes and creative specials.

Macheonchwi is in Mannyeon-dong, Daejeon. With more than 120 seats, it is a spacious Chinese restaurant where group gatherings are possible. There is basement parking, and the dining hall is roomy with plenty of space between tables, so I recommend it as a comfortable place to eat. It is also a popular Chinese food spot with nearby office workers at lunchtime. There is a lunch course during lunch hours too, so Macheonchwi offers a comfortable space and approachable prices for enjoying a course meal on a lunch date.

As soon as you enter, there is a waiting area on the left. Macheonchwi was bustling when we came out after lunch. There are high chairs, and private rooms can be reserved, so I recommend it for family gatherings or work dinners too.

Set menus for family gatherings, work dinners, and the Modern Simple Set

The reason I recommend Macheonchwi, a great Chinese restaurant in Mannyeon-dong, for family gatherings and work dinners is its Family & Work Dinner Set. For 4 people, it is ₩150,000 and includes nurungji-tang (scorched-rice soup), ryu sansul, chili shrimp, kkanpunggi (spicy garlic fried chicken), gochu japchae (stir-fried peppers and pork with flower buns), Beijing-style tangsuyuk, a meal, and dessert. It is a set where you can try Macheonchwi’s signature dishes! Although priced for 4, you can add portions per person too.

You can order through the table-order system, and the basic sides were danmuji (yellow pickled radish), zhacai, and cabbage pickles. Aprons and extra side dishes are available near the tables for you to help yourself. It is a large restaurant, but these stations are placed around the space, so they are easy to reach.

We ordered the Modern Simple Set for 2 (₩18,000 per person): ryu sansul, chili jumbo shrimp, Beijing-style tangsuyuk, a meal (jjajang or jjamppong), and dessert.

The ryu sansul that made me check the menu again

First out was the ryu sansul. It was so delicious that I looked at the menu again as soon as I ate it... I found myself wondering, was this place always this good? Then I had to look through all the other dishes and see what they offered. The seasoning was spot-on, the starchiness was just right, and the mushrooms had such a good texture that they seemed to be using fresh ingredients.

Chicken dishes, shrimp dishes, pork dishes, beef dishes, assorted dishes, sea cucumber, abalone and live fish, noodles, seasonal dishes, dumplings and more, plus chef’s special set menus. Macheonchwi has pretty much every kind of Chinese meal you could want—. It is near the Daejeon Arts Center and art museum, so it seemed perfect for taking guests out to eat too. Even at Chinese restaurants, menus can be limited, which can make dining difficult for modern diners with allergies or dietary restrictions, so it has been such a long time since I found a Chinese restaurant with this many choices—

How were the Beijing-style tangsuyuk and chili shrimp?

Beijing-style tangsuyuk and chili shrimp. The tangsuyuk sauce comes separately, while the chili shrimp arrives with sauce poured over it. Vegetables are piled over the fried items, making them nice to eat together. The onion and lettuce combination kept everything fresh, too. The tangsuyuk had thick pieces of meat and a delightfully chewy glutinous-rice batter. The chili shrimp sauce was absolutely delicious! It was not overly sweet and had just a little heat, so I dipped the tangsuyuk in the shrimp sauce too, haha.

Choosing jjajang, jjamppong, and kids’ meals

For the meal, you can choose jjajang (black bean noodles) or jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and we ordered one of each. Macheonchwi also has half portions of jjajang with sweet-and-sour pork and jjamppong with sweet-and-sour pork on the regular menu, which are just right as kids’ meals. You know those times when ordering a whole adult menu for a child’s meal feels like too much. Recommended for a kids’ meal.

The sweet jjajang was loaded with vegetables and meat, while the jjamppong had bok choy and plenty of vegetables too. The broth had a pleasant spicy kick—just right _

For dessert, sweet and cool vanilla ice cream :-)

By the exit after your meal, there are peppermint candies, hair ties, and wet wipes ready for you.