Paju Chinese restaurant with stone-plate jajangmyeon: Dolpanseok

A relaxed stone-plate Chinese meal near Simhaksan

This time, I went with my mom and sibling for a delicious lunch at an up-and-coming Chinese restaurant near Simhaksan. Around Simhaksan, there tend to be lots of Korean set-meal restaurants and Korean food spots, so I was really happy to find such a different, hearty Chinese restaurant. The place we visited was Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch (돌판석짬뽕 파주심학산점)!

I purposely visited late on a weekday to catch a quieter time, and the restaurant was pleasant and made for a much more relaxed meal.

Apparently it gets really busy on weekends, so I recommend a late weekday afternoon if you want to take your time. The interior is spacious and the tables are generously spaced out, so it felt just right for a family gathering or meal out.

Stone-plate jajangmyeon and must-have scallion kimchi

The scallion kimchi is essential! You really have to get the pa-kimchi (scallion kimchi) from the self-service corner! Its pungent, spicy-sweet, nicely fermented flavor was incredible. It was such a treat that I could have finished a whole bowl of the unlimited rice from the self-service corner with just this kimchi on top. The sizzling, savory stone-plate jajangmyeon and sharp scallion kimchi cut right through the richness, so we enjoyed every bite without getting tired of it.

The Donchitang set the three of us ordered

ORDER LIST

• Crispy-rice stone-plate jajangmyeon (medium)
• Donchitang set (medium crispy-rice stone-plate jajangmyeon + Donchitang): ₩42,000
• Add one whole squid: ₩5,000

The three of us ordered the well-rounded Donchitang set and added a whole squid. As soon as it arrived, it came sizzling on a hot stone plate—such an eye-catching sight!

The stone plate was lined with savory nurungji (scorched rice), then topped with flavorful seafood jajang sauce and a satisfyingly large whole squid cooked until tender. Maybe it had been a while since we had proper stone-plate jajangmyeon, but from the first bite both my mom and sibling kept marveling at how good it was.

The sauce soaked right into the noodles, and the stone plate kept everything warm until the very end, which made it even better.

A combination made even better with crispy Donchitang

The Donchitang that came alongside was such a brilliant move! Donchitang is a half-and-half dish of handmade pork cutlet tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried pork) and chicken tangsuyuk, fried crisp.

Taking bites of that crispy, savory Donchitang between the stone-plate jajangmyeon was an absolutely perfect match. It was crisp outside and moist inside, making the texture fun too, and we just kept reaching for more without a chance for it to feel heavy.

Scrape up all the scorched rice stuck to the stone plate too—it is so good!! This set alone was plentiful enough to make three adults absolutely stuffed, with a really satisfying mix of dishes. There was even a little tangsuyuk left, so we packed it to take home; amazingly, it stayed crispy and savory even after it cooled, and we enjoyed it to the last bite.

There is coffee, Yakult, and hangwa (traditional Korean confections) on the way out, so do not forget dessert~ 🎵 🎶 The food was great, and the owner’s generous hospitality made this a place that kept us feeling happy throughout the meal.