Two-dish dinner for two at a Deoksugung Chinese restaurant: Huhugwan

This time I went with Bamtol-ssi to Huhugwan near City Hall Station. Let me just say it up front... this place was seriously a legendary find.

Where is Huhugwan, and what is it like inside?

Huhugwan is a Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building at 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, near City Hall Station and Deoksugung. The moment you step in, you get that unmistakable Chinese-restaurant atmosphere~

Out of everything I've eaten lately, this ranks right up at the top — Bamtol-ssi even said it was the best restaurant he's been to recently, that's how satisfied he was.

The menu is huge, but since it was just the two of us, we decided to keep it to two dishes!

Fried eggplant: almost too much for two people

🍆 Fried eggplant

From the moment it hit the table, the fried eggplant at Huhugwan was pretty overwhelming just visually. The portion is genuinely huge. I figured fried eggplant would be more of a side dish, but it came out as a plate piled full, and my first thought was, 'Can the two of us actually finish this?'

The outside was fried crisp, but one bite in and the eggplant inside melted soft — that classic crispy-outside, tender-inside combo, done right. Some people don't like eggplant because of its mushy texture, but this fried eggplant wasn't like that at all — inside the crunchy batter, the eggplant was moist and tender in a really appealing way!!

Bamtol-ssi had never eaten eggplant in his life until he met me and started trying it, and even he said this fried eggplant was amazing!!!

The batter wasn't overly thick, so you got a definite crunch while the eggplant kept all its moisture. Especially hot out of the kitchen, you'd hear that crisp bite first, then the soft, giving texture of the eggplant right after — genuinely delicious!!! Honestly if I could only reorder one dish from that day, it'd be the fried eggplant, no question. 🍆

What does Huhugwan's garlic scape fried rice taste like?

🍚 Garlic scape fried rice

And the other star of the day: garlic scape fried rice!

I always thought fried rice was something you could get anywhere, but one bite of Huhugwan's fried rice and I thought, 'wow, they really know how to fry rice.' Above all, every single grain was fluffy and distinct.

Fried rice can sometimes come out clumpy or a bit wet, but at Huhugwan the grains never stuck together — they scattered apart with a great bite. Garlic scapes showed up throughout, adding that crisp texture and a subtle garlicky aroma, so you could keep eating the rice alone without getting tired of it. The garlic scapes weren't overpowering either, just enough to add aroma and texture.

Between the fluffy grains, you'd catch the crunch of garlic scapes, and overall there was a gentle smokiness and umami running through it — clean but addictive, I'd call it. It wasn't a fried rice that wows you with strong seasoning; it was the kind where each ingredient's flavor comes together so well that your spoon just keeps going back.

Eat some fried eggplant, then a spoonful of fried rice to reset your palate, then back to the eggplant... The two of us just went fried eggplant → fried rice → fried eggplant → fried rice on repeat. 😂

How it pairs with Tsingtao draft beer

🍺 And with Tsingtao draft beer on top?

We also got to try Tsingtao draft beer through a review event. This combo... doesn't even need explaining.

A bite of crispy, oily fried eggplant, then a cold sip of draft beer to clean the palate, then back to the eggplant again — genuinely art.... ugh, I want it again already...

Especially on a day like this with a fried dish as the main event, cold draft beer really works. Tsingtao's refreshing bite cuts right through the savory crunch of the eggplant, so you just keep drinking and eating. 🍺

Fried eggplant + fried rice + Tsingtao draft — I really recommend this combo!!!!!!!! (If there's a review event, definitely get the free beer! If you don't, you're missing out..ㅠㅡㅠ)

What to order at Huhugwan when there are two of you

❤️ A genuine favorite, verified by Bamtol-ssi

Would return: ★★★★★

It had been a while since we were both this satisfied with a meal. Bamtol-ssi kept saying it was delicious as soon as he took a bite, and later added, 'this is the best restaurant I've been to lately.' I completely agreed >,<

We didn't order a bunch of different dishes — just fried eggplant and garlic scape fried rice — but each one was so well made that the meal stuck with us. The fried eggplant was generous and had that perfect crisp-outside, tender-inside texture, and the garlic scape fried rice nailed both the fluffy grains and the crunch of the garlic scapes. Add Tsingtao draft on top and it was the perfect combination!

If you're looking for a Chinese restaurant near City Hall, I'd recommend Huhugwan pretty strongly. And if you go like we did, definitely order the fried eggplant, add a fried rice, and pair it with a draft beer.

This food outing with Bamtol-ssi was a real success. 🥢🍺❤️ Officially named Bamtol-ssi's best restaurant lately! Let's go again!