Hongdae Chinese spot: broth tantanmen with marinated egg, Surim

I went to Surim Sikdang in Hongdae with a friend on the weekend, and from the eggplant dumplings to the tantanmen (Sichuan-style sesame noodles) and the dongpo pork rice bowl, everything was so, so good that I left totally satisfied.

If you like tantanmen, dongpo pork (braised pork belly) bowls and eggplant dumplings, give it a try!! (Because it's seriously delicious, haha.) The restaurant is also cozy and clean, so I felt comfortable the whole meal, haha.

Surim Sikdang Hongdae location and opening hours

Surim Sikdang Hongdae is at 19-19 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the ground floor, and it's open daily 11:00–21:00. On weekdays there's a break time from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order is at 20:00; on weekends there's no break time.

• Reservations: available (Naver Reservation; group bookings for 6 or more)
• Parking: on weekends, one space next to the restaurant is available (first come, first served)

Walk from Hongik Univ. Station toward Hongik University and you'll find Surim Sikdang Hongdae!!

This is the entrance!!

There are signs out front, so you can spot it at a glance!!

Is Surim Sikdang Hongdae good for solo diners and groups?

Surim Sikdang Hongdae has bar-style seats and a back room, so both solo meals and group meals work. My friend and I ate privately in the back room.

This is the inside!! There are bar-style seats, great for eating alone, and there's also a room(?) inside, good for groups, and for a private meal with friends, family or a partner, haha.

There's a separate spot for hanging your coat too!

Once you come in, there's another separate entrance leading to the room(?)!

This is the space inside! We had our meal here, nice and private, haha.

And there's a separate self-serve bar!

Surim Sikdang Hongdae menu and what two friends ordered

You order by kiosk at Surim Sikdang Hongdae, which is convenient. The two of us got one each of tantanmen, dongpo pork rice bowl, eggplant dumplings and cider, mostly picking dishes marked with a star on the menu.

You can order at the kiosk, so ordering is easy, haha.

This is the menu. The two of us ordered like this. We mostly tried the dishes with a star, haha.

• Tantanmen 1
• Dongpo pork rice bowl 1
• Eggplant dumplings 1
• Cider 1

There are instructions on how to enjoy the food best, so take a look~!!!

These are the basic side dishes I got from the self-serve bar. We ordered the eggplant dumplings, so I got soy sauce ready too, haha.

What does Surim Sikdang's broth tantanmen taste like? A first-timer's take

The tantanmen at Surim Sikdang Hongdae has a spicy broth with a nutty flavor, and the noodles were cooked just right. It was my first time with broth-style tantanmen, and I think I'm going to become a tantanmen fan now.

Heart pounding.

Totally delicious. These are my friend's picks, never a miss. Everything was great.

First, the tantanmen. The broth is spicy, the noodles are good, and it's my first broth tantanmen, but I think I'll love tantanmen from now on..♥

See that pile of marinated eggs on top, all soft and squishy!!!! We added extra marinated egg too..haha.

Are Surim Sikdang's eggplant dumplings worth ordering?

The eggplant dumplings at Surim Sikdang Hongdae have meat inside the eggplant and a crispy fried coating, and they were the best kick of the three dishes that day. The eggplant was fresh and the meat filling was generous.

These are the eggplant dumplings! See how crispy the coating is? Everyone, you have to order the eggplant dumplings!! Because they're so good, T_T

The coating is crispy and there's meat inside the eggplant, so the combo of eggplant + meat + crispy batter is the best.

Surim Sikdang dongpo pork rice bowl: how it tastes

The dongpo pork rice bowl at Surim Sikdang Hongdae had well-balanced sauce seasoning and very tender pork. Sweet and salty, so so good!!!!

The dongpo pork bowl, tantanmen and eggplant dumplings were all so, so good that my friend and I stuffed ourselves, you know? When it's good, have it once more, haha.

Surim Sikdang Hongdae: final verdict

My friend and I were craving Chinese food and visited Surim Sikdang Hongdae, and I was so happy to find a great spot. I'd never had broth tantanmen before, and it's the kind of taste I'd eat often!!! A spicy broth with a nutty flavor. The noodles were cooked just right (good-), and above all, the kick is the eggplant dumplings, T_T The eggplant is so fresh, the meat inside is generous and the coating is really crispy!!!!!

The owner and staff were also so kind, and the interior has a cozy, comfortable wood-tone mood, with a private back room that's great for enjoying food, haha. If you're looking for a Hongdae or Sangsu restaurant, I highly recommend Surim Sikdang Hongdae♥