Apgujeong Chinese restaurant for five-spice beef shank: Bobo Sikdang

While looking for a Chinese restaurant around Apgujeong Rodeo, I ended up back at Bobo Sikdang, which I've now revisited several times because it's just that good — the exterior alone looks clean and upscale haha.

This is a place I keep coming back to because it's genuinely delicious, and it's also been featured on Culinary Class Wars 2 and has a Blue Ribbon mention, so I'd strongly recommend it to anyone looking for good eats around Apgujeong Rodeo — a Chinese restaurant well worth trying!

Inside Bobo Sikdang Apgujeong: the dining room and private rooms

Once inside, you're greeted by a modern-feeling Chinese restaurant — the tables have a decent amount of space between them, and there are even upscale private rooms, which look great for dates as well as family gatherings, important meals, or small group get-togethers!

This Apgujeong Rodeo restaurant has an open kitchen setup, so you can catch glimpses of the cooking happening — personally I loved that hahaha. Every once in a while you might even catch a surprise flame show~~

Why book ahead at Bobo Sikdang, plus the free tea and pickled gungchae

Since I'd made a reservation, the table was neatly set when we arrived, with warm tea and pickled mustard greens (gungchae jeolim) provided as standard. This is a popular Apgujeong Rodeo spot, so I'd recommend booking ahead!

What is on the menu at Bobo Sikdang Apgujeong?

The menu is quite extensive — course meals, soups, cold dishes, fried dishes, steamed dishes, braises, stir-fries, grilled items — so many categories. What stood out most was how many unusual, upscale Chinese dishes you don't often come across haha.

There's a good variety of rice/noodle dishes and alcohol too, which seemed great for a group ordering a spread of things to share :) Traditional Chinese liquor, Chinese wine, various wines and champagnes, Korean traditional liquor, highballs, whisky, beer, and more!

Ohyang jangyuk: cold beef shank in five-spice soy sauce

On previous visits I'd tried a whole range of dishes — mapo tofu, sirloin steak, dongpo pork, eggplant fritters, spicy fried monkfish, and more! This time, as something new, we started with oxhyang jangyuk haha. It's a cold beef dish made by boiling beef shank in five-spice soy sauce, chilling it, then serving it with soy jelly and vegetables — the presentation alone was clean and upscale..✨

Eating the beef shank and shredded scallion together with the soy jelly gave a clean, subtly salty savoriness, and since it's served cold, it paired well with the other dishes too haha. The five-spice soy sauce made it feel like being in China ~~ Such a delicious first dish — Mom loved how unique and tasty it was too!

Hongso jangeo, the chef's pick of Chinese-style whole braised eel

The dish I was most looking forward to that day was the chef's recommended hongso jangyu. ✨ It arrives in the pot, and the staff opens it right at the table — the presentation alone was on another level haha. It's completely different from the usual grilled eel you'd picture, so it was fun just watching this Chinese-style braised whole eel being served!

Hongso jangyu is apparently a Chinese-style whole eel braise, simmered in a special soy sauce blend for deep flavor! The rich sauce had really soaked into the eel, and the thickness of the sauce — almost like collagen had melted in — was impressive haha. It's meant to be eaten small bones and all, which made it even more distinctive.

Taking a bite of the eel meat, it was really plump and tender! The soy sauce itself is deeply savory so it's delicious on its own, but dipping it lightly in the pepper vinegar served alongside added a tangy, slightly sharp note that gave it a whole different feel.

Why the writer keeps returning to Bobo Sikdang in Apgujeong

One reason I keep returning to Bobo Sikdang is that you can properly enjoy Chinese dishes that aren't easy to find elsewhere hahaha. If you're looking for something around Apgujeong Rodeo and want Chinese food with a bit more character, I'd strongly recommend Bobo Sikdang. ♥️

With its clean, upscale atmosphere and private rooms, it works for everything from dates to group gatherings, and the wide menu selection makes it great for visiting with several people. If you especially like dishes like oxhyang jangyuk or hongso jangyu that you don't commonly see at other Chinese restaurants, you'll enjoy it even more. If, like me, you're looking for a place you'll want to keep coming back to, remember this one and pay a visit :)