Jung-gu Chinese restaurant for a lunch-discount meal for two: Huhugwan

Huhugwan near City Hall Station: arriving at 3:30pm with a reservation

Huhugwan is a Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor of Seosomun-ro, just a straight walk from Exit 10 of City Hall Station. There can be a wait, so please make a Naver reservation for lunch and dinner peak hours — we had one.

Hearing that my boyfriend had a split shift off, we headed over for an early dinner at this Chinese restaurant near City Hall Station. It's easy to find, straight from Exit 10 — just head up to the 2nd floor.

Open from 11am to 11pm. The surprising part is that it's always open with no break time.

The menu is also posted at the entrance, so you can browse what's on offer before going in. My boyfriend and I roughly decided what to order before heading upstairs.

Diners from 1F Menzuru or 2F Huhugwan get 10% off at the wine bar on the 3rd floor~~ Eat here, then head up for round two at the wine bar...

Solo-dining zone and Hong Kong vibes at an off-peak hour

The 2nd floor of Huhugwan has Hong Kong vibes the moment you walk in. There's also a solo-dining zone set up so you can eat a simple meal alone. Maybe because we came at the odd hour of 3:30pm, we were able to eat at a relaxed pace. My boyfriend and I settled comfortably into a table seat.

You can get a drink or Chinese-style water dumplings for writing a review, so be sure to leave one while you wait for your food and grab the dumplings or drink.....

Yuzu pickled radish and water set on every table. Instead of plain water, they give you a nutty-tasting tea, which I loved.... A place that gives you tea instead of water = a good restaurant.

Ordering by QR code: eggplant rice bowl, mala fried rice and small yurinchi

Huhugwan doesn't have a separate menu at the table — you order through a QR code at each table. We ordered the eggplant rice bowl, mala fried rice, small yurinchi (lunch discount), and Coke Zero. We visited during lunch hours so we got the yurinchi at a discount. Lunch, love ya.

Eggplant rice bowl: the best dish we ate at Huhugwan

The eggplant rice bowl arrived first. I ordered it because reviews raved about how good it is, and sure enough, it was the best dish. I ordered it spicy, but I think it could have been even spicier. Big chunks of fried eggplant sit on top, with the sauce topped with finely chopped mushrooms and vegetables.

Squid ink yurinchi: how big is the small size?

The yurinchi (crispy fried chicken with sauce) I was looking forward to most. Even in the small size, the portion was surprisingly generous~~ It's fried with squid ink, so the batter is jet black. The chicken was very tender and not tough at all, easy to keep eating. The sauce was nicely sweet and tangy, making it a great side to pair with both the eggplant rice bowl and the mala fried rice.

Mala fried rice: even a mala skeptic finished the bowl

The mala fried rice my boyfriend ordered. Even he, who isn't a huge mala fan, cleaned the whole bowl. We upgraded to spicy, and it turned out just spicy enough to be delicious.

How much should two people order at Huhugwan?

For two adults, two mains plus a side of yurinchi is plenty to leave you full and satisfied.

And the egg soup that came along with the meal. This was genuinely delicious — I didn't know egg could be this soft. Well-seasoned too, so it went down easily.

You absolutely must try the eggplant rice bowl .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ It's a flavor even eggplant haters will love.

The mala fried rice my boyfriend cleaned right up.

The squid ink yurinchi you can only get cheaply as a side during lunch hours. It seems the small size isn't sold separately in the evening.... Eat it together with the vegetables and it's pure bliss.

We ate every last bite~~