Milyang Chinese restaurant, mild scorched-rice jjamppong: Milyang Dol

Choosing Milyang Dol Jjamppong near City Hall for a different kind of breakfast

Milyang Dol Jjamppong (밀양돌짬뽕) is a Chinese restaurant on Baengmin-ro near Milyang City Hall that specializes in stone-plate jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). The morning after a day in Milyang, I wanted something a little different from the usual, went searching, and found it.

I'd had stone-plate jjajang (black bean noodles) before, but stone jjamppong? The name alone made me curious. I'd never tried it, so I showed up full of anticipation.

Milyang Dol Jjamppong hours, waiting and parking

Milyang Dol Jjamppong is open 10:30 - 20:00, with a break from 16:00 to 17:00.

We went about 30 minutes after opening and it was already full. We signed up on Tabling (a waiting app) and waited out front. For parking, there's a huge empty lot next door, so that was easy.

Seeing people turn up this early in such a small town, I figured it must be pretty popular in Milyang. That got me even more excited.

Stone-plate jjamppong or stone-plate jjajang: which to order?

Most customers were eating either stone jjamppong or stone jjajang, so we agonized over it. The minimum order was 2 servings, so I was curious about both but had to give one up.

With jjamppong right in the restaurant's name, I figured it'd be more popular than jjajang, so we ordered the set that includes the scorched-rice stone jjamppong: the stone jjamppong + pork cutlet tangsuyuk + chicken tangsuyuk SET.

You get a free ade if you leave a review. "Dontang" is pork cutlet tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) and "titang" is chicken tangsuyuk. But we definitely ordered 2 servings, and this doesn't look like 2 servings. The amount is serious.

The self-serve bar has side dishes that go well with Chinese food, so grab some if you run short.

My first scorched-rice stone jjamppong: how did it taste?

This was my first stone jjamppong ever. Unlike an ordinary jjamppong bowl, it bubbles away on a stone plate, which really catches your eye. Stone jjajang is familiar, but stone jjamppong feels very unfamiliar. I tried it for the first time here at Milyang Dol Jjamppong, a City Hall-area favorite.

Seafood and noodles together, with hot steam rising. I wanted to dig in right away. It looks scorching hot, so no one's scooping it straight into their mouth with a spoon, right? Blow on it and let it cool slowly.

This is the set we ordered at Milyang Dol Jjamppong: stone jjamppong, pork cutlet tangsuyuk and chicken tangsuyuk.

The pork cutlet in the tangsuyuk is incredibly thick. The chicken tangsuyuk has a crispy, tasty coating, and dipped in the seasoned sauce it tasted like yangnyeom chicken (Korean sweet-spicy fried chicken).

At first the jjamppong had a little broth, but as it bubbled away it reduced completely and turned into something that looked like stir-fried jjamppong.

How spicy is level 1?

I chose spice level 1, and it was pleasantly spicy and tasty, mild enough that even someone who can't handle spice would be fine. The stone plate keeps it hot for a long time, and since I rarely eat stir-fried jjamppong, it felt fresh and different.

It kept that signature jjamppong flavor without the heat overpowering it, so I enjoyed it.

It's loaded with seafood too, which made me think of rice. I bet this Milyang City Hall-area spot's jjamppong would go great mixed with rice.

The scorched rice at the bottom, and the rice I held back on

There's scorched rice (nurungji) at the bottom of the stone plate. Not a huge amount, just a little taste. Maybe that's why I craved rice even more. Add rice to the thickened sauce and mix, and a 2-person set would feed 4. So I decided to hold off on the rice.

How many people can the stone jjamppong + tangsuyuk set feed?

The stone jjamppong + pork cutlet + chicken tangsuyuk set at Milyang Dol Jjamppong was so big it really needed 3 people, but no regrets. The pork cutlet here is excellent. The cutlet and chicken tangsuyuk were so good that eating them alternately with the jjamppong was delicious.

The thick cut of meat gives it a good chew too. I went back and forth: a bite of jjamppong, a bite of tangsuyuk.

Milyang Dol Jjamppong was a fresh reinterpretation of familiar Chinese dishes. Next time I'd like to try the stone jjajang I missed this time. I think it's best to visit with 2 people, or even better, 4.