Gwangju Chinese restaurant with seafood fried rice for two: Mayway

I'm basically a walking dictionary of eating and having fun, because that's what makes me happiest 😋 I heard that Daeheung Banjeom, a long-running Chinese restaurant with roots going back to the 1950s in Chungjang-ro, has reinvented itself as Mayway, a hot spot in Cheomdan — so I rushed right over.

Mayway Gwangju Cheomdan

Where to park at Mayway in Cheomdan, and what the dining room is like

Mayway Gwangju Cheomdan doesn't have its own parking lot, but there's a Lotte Mart nearby, so you can park comfortably if you visit before or after shopping there. Otherwise, you can park in the alley nearby.

Since it's fairly new, the place has that current-style feel — it really gives off an upscale Chinese restaurant vibe!

Seating is fairly generous, and there were already tons of families eating when I arrived! It's clearly a great spot for a family outing near the mart, especially if you're looking for a good restaurant in Cheomdan while you're out.

QR code ordering at Mayway: what two people ordered

At Mayway Gwangju Cheomdan, you order by scanning the QR code and ordering on your phone.

The menu pops up like this, and you can even write a review right there. Mayway has its own 1-person set menu, plus regular meal items and dishes to order. Since we were two people, we ordered the 1-person set (jjajangmyeon + jjamppong + tangsuyuk) plus samseon fried rice and added fried dumplings!

Mayway's self-serve green onion kimchi and the free fritters while you wait

Soy sauce, chili powder, and other condiments sit on the table, and basic side dishes like pickled radish, green onion kimchi, and corn mayo are self-serve — take as much as you want. Pickled radish is basically mandatory with Chinese food, and I grabbed the green onion kimchi without thinking too much about it, but it was so good and paired so well that I kept going back for more.

While waiting for the food, they gave us a thin fried snack — so crispy and delicious.

What comes in Mayway's 1-person set, served on flower-shaped dishes

Being a Chinese restaurant, the food came out really fast! Just look at the 1-person set!! I've had this kind of set menu plenty of times before, but the dishware here is seriously unique and pretty!! Because they're shaped like flower petals, even the same menu items look more upscale and more delicious in them. It's not like they just dump the set together haphazardly — each dish is plated as neatly and prettily as if you'd ordered it on its own. If you want to try a bit of everything, I'd definitely recommend the 1-person set.

Samseon fried rice at Mayway: half rice, half seafood and vegetables

Next came the samseon fried rice — can you see all the ingredients..?! Half rice, half ingredients haha. This was the first place I've been to that piled on the ingredients this generously without holding back. Vegetables, mushrooms, seafood — they threw it all in without hesitation, and it honestly felt like eating a health food.

Once the fried rice arrived too, it felt less like a meal for two and more like enough for three or four, don't you think? That's the beauty of the 1-person set — when you want to try everything but your stomach has limits, this is the way to order. Ordering it this way meant we got to taste all four of the classic Chinese restaurant staples — jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, tangsuyuk, and fried rice — so great value for money.

Wait, is this really supposed to be a 1-person portion? I expected everything to come in small amounts, but once I mixed it, the noodles turned out to be a full serving — I was genuinely surprised!! If it's one adult and one kid, the 1-person set alone would be more than enough. I guess the generous portions are a tradition that's carried on from this place's long history as an old-school local favorite.

How salty or oily is the food, and how thin is the tangsuyuk batter?

Every dish was seasoned just right, and the fried rice was light and not very oily for a Chinese restaurant fried rice, which I really liked. You know how after finishing fried rice there's usually a layer of oil left at the bottom..!? None of that here! The tangsuyuk especially had a clean, thin batter that made it feel almost like eating fried chicken, and the meat was so pale and tender that I wanted to order it as a full dish next time and really dig in. Whatever else you order, the tangsuyuk is a must!

Strawberry ice cream to finish the meal at Mayway

As expected of a hot spot in Cheomdan, the service was flawless right to the end..!! Just as we were about to finish, the owner rushed over with dessert too haha. We cleansed our palate with sweet strawberry ice cream!

I spotted this at the counter and snapped a photo of Mayway's history, haha.

Overall verdict from the eating-and-playing dictionary

From the 1-person set to all sorts of dishes and dessert, Mayway is a Cheomdan restaurant where you can enjoy a full course — I'd definitely recommend it for a meal out.