Cold peanut noodles with parents at the bar, Bao Seoul Seongsu

China. Taiwan. Hong Kong. Countries that feel so familiar to us. It's already been 10 years since my younger sister moved to Hong Kong.. (though of course she comes back to Korea once, no, twice a month ^^ so has she really moved or not haha)

Naturally, we ended up going to Hong Kong ourselves whenever we got the chance, and that first taste of Chinese-region food loaded with spices...

Now Mom and Dad are so used to Chinese-region flavors that they say things like 'I want tantanmen,' 'I want beef noodle soup,' 'Taiwanese sausage is so good' every once in a while.

A Taiwanese restaurant that dodges the Seongsu waiting hell

That's how we found Bao Seoul Seongsu, a Seongsu restaurant. There are so many places that come up when you search Seongsu restaurants, but not many worth actually eating at once you factor in the waiting hell.

This time I finally found it, Bao Seoul!!!

Bao Seoul is set apart from the most congested Seongsu alleys, which makes it even better, located right at the entrance where you head from Konkuk University toward Seongsu Station.

So basically, it's the starting point of Seongsu when you're coming from Konkuk!

We went around 7:30pm and there were still plenty of customers. A foreign tourist walked by saying something like 'oishii,' clearly explaining to a friend how good it was.. (eavesdropped, sorry)

Seated at the bar, ordering by tablet

After a short wait, we got seated at the bar. The vibe was totally Hong Kong~~ totally Taiwan~~ Chinese-region~~~~~~~ You order via tablet at the table

We ordered beef noodle soup, braised pork rice bowl, classic bao, cold peanut noodles, and one beer! Not too much... not too much... apparently how much counts as one serving is up for debate, as a certain someone once said............

I love this vibe so much. Cook time wasn't long, and sitting at the bar we got to watch the two chefs' flashy cooking moves (so cool...)

Braised pork rice bowl, mixed exactly as instructed

The braised pork rice bowl arrives!

And then the classic bao showed up too

Just this two-shot makes me want to run straight to Hong Kong. My dad is the type who actually reads instructions, and the tablet said the best way to eat the braised pork rice bowl is to mix the toppings above with the rice first.

So we mixed it all together, thick and saucy, exactly as instructed!

Wow, the braised pork rice bowl is genuinely delicious. Even someone who finds spices overwhelming wouldn't feel bothered here — a seasoning that's just enough Chinese-region flavor without going overboard. If you like Korean-style han-bang jokbal (herbal braised pig's trotters), you'll like this too.

Classic bao, chewier than a pork bun dimsum

The bao bun comes with instructions to eat it by hand, but I didn't listen

The inside got a little messy, but unlike dimsum wrapper skin, the bao is chewier and tastes more like actual bread, chewier even than the flower bread (hwajeonppang) next to jajangmyeon-style stir-fried peppers!!

If we're comparing it to bagels, it's total Lender's-Bagel style!!!

There's a dimsum called BBQ pork bun, and compared to that style, this has way more meat you can actually bite into, and the bread skin is stretchier

Pork bun dimsum <<< bao. Bao wins, no contest!!!!!!

Beef noodle soup, just right for mala beginners

And then the beef noodle soup arrived right after!

With just one spoonful of broth, you get that mala-laced beef-noodle flavor. The spice isn't intense, but since I can now handle mala, I'm going to enjoy it

Eating at the bar like this means you can also snap photos of the chefs at work — why is this angle so hip........?hahaha

The meat is packed generously in here, basically the chashu equivalent if we're talking ramen!! It's really stuffed full. And anyone with a low spice tolerance can eat it without a problem. Just the right amount of Taiwanese flavor!

My mom loves strong spice flavors and said she'd have liked it even stronger than this, but for me, a mala beginner, this was exactly the right level!

The star of the show: cold peanut noodles

Right as we were eating like this, the star of the show showed up — cold peanut noodles!!! This is so good. I could say it's delicious a hundred times and still need more ways to explain it

These cold peanut noodles are basically the truly thick noodles of tantanmen made without broth. While the beef noodle soup uses soft, tender noodles, the peanut noodles are packed with chew — bouncy-bouncy noodles that spring off your teeth! Perfect with beer!

My dad was already pretty full (from a lunch appointment), but he kept reaching for more and more until it was totally cleaned out

Beef noodle vs. peanut noodle texture

Noodle comparison (left) beef noodle vs. (right) peanut noodle

• Beef noodle soup: soft, tender noodles that pair perfectly with the broth
• Peanut noodles: scoop up the sauce with the noodles and it's chewy in your mouth, chewier than jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles)

Drawback: the peanut sauce is pretty rich calorie-wise.......when I was in Hong Kong, the manager at a tantanmen restaurant told me that if I ate too much because I loved it so much, I'd get a belly....but thinking back, why did that manager say that to me specifically..?hmm....haha

The taste here is great, but watching the chefs cook right in front of you, moving so fast, is completely hip,,, I officially approve this as a Seongsu restaurant. Chef, your passion, passion, passion!!

The Taiwanese sausage we missed, next time

After we finished everything, my dad said 'didn't you say you wanted sausage???' and my mom was genuinely shocked, going 'that's right!!!!!!!!!!!!!' but by then our stomachs were already full....

+) A little disappointing, but we'll meet again next time via Coupang Eats^^ hahahaha. Mom.. I have to order it for her next time. A Seongsu restaurant with delivery, a Seongsu hotspot, a Seongsu restaurant — go Bao Seoul!! (Definitely not a friend of the owner haha, just one person who really enjoyed this meal)