Seomyeon bar: Anpanman monjayaki & yakisoba at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego

Monjayaki and yakisoba at a Seomyeon teppanyaki spot. When you want a different kind of evening in Seomyeon with tasty bar food, this is the place! This time I visited Cheolpaneun Pinggyego (철판은 핑계고), where you can enjoy all kinds of griddle dishes.

Cheolpaneun Pinggyego serves a wide range of dishes, from monjayaki, a Japanese griddle dish, to hearty yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles). Getting to enjoy the dish coming together on the griddle was part of the charm. It's a good Seomyeon bar for a meal with friends or a drink in the evening.

What should you order on a first visit to Cheolpaneun Pinggyego, and what about parking?

On a first visit, I recommend ordering monjayaki and yakisoba together. There is no parking support, so if you're driving, it's better to use a nearby public car park.

• First visit: order monjayaki and yakisoba together and compare the different textures.
• With friends: order several dishes and share to try a variety of griddle food.
• Looking for drinking snacks: pick dishes like monjayaki or yakisoba that are easy to share.
• Coming by car: there's no parking support, so use a nearby public car park.

What's the atmosphere at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego like?

The inside of Cheolpaneun Pinggyego is tidy, and you can watch the food being made on the griddle up close. Monjayaki and yakisoba aren't things I eat every day, so it was a nice way to try something new. Watching it cook right in front of you was impressive.

Watching the food cook is fun, and it gives the place a different feel from an ordinary meal. Friendly service made it comfortable to eat, too. The menu is varied, so it's a decent place to come on a day when you want both a meal and drinks. With this atmosphere, I thought it suits anyone looking for a good Seomyeon bar.

What does monjayaki taste like, and how do you eat it?

The first dish we ordered at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego was monjayaki (₩20,000), a signature griddle dish from Japan's Kanto region. This day, it came out in the shape of cute Anpan-man.

Monjayaki looks similar to okonomiyaki, but it differs in how it's cooked and in texture. A thin batter is spread on the griddle, topped with various ingredients and cooked, and you scrape off little bits with a small spatula, which is part of the fun.

Instead of a thick, firm shape like a typical pan-fried dish, it's moist and soft. One bite and the soft batter blends with the flavors of the various ingredients,

giving you a different kind of taste. Scraping off the part touching the griddle bit by bit was especially unique. The cooked parts add a nutty flavor, and the overall moist texture gives it a charm unlike other griddle dishes. Even if you often eat okonomiyaki, monjayaki differs in texture and in how you eat it, so it can be a new experience.

I think it would go well with cold draft beer or a highball, which makes it a good pick for an evening drink. If you want to try something different in Japanese griddle food, it's worth a shot.

How is yakisoba different from monjayaki?

The second dish we ordered at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego was yakisoba (₩16,000), Japanese stir-fried noodles. Chewy noodles, crisp vegetables and meat are stir-fried on the griddle and coated in a special sauce.

Yakisoba is salty at its base, with a subtle sweetness and savory depth. The sauce soaks into the noodles so you taste it with every bite, and the mix of chewy noodles and vegetable textures made it fun to eat. Unlike the moist, soft monjayaki, yakisoba keeps the springy bite of the noodles, so alternating between the two worked well. Thanks to the savory sauce, it's filling as a meal and also goes well as a drinking snack. If you're visiting with several people, ordering monjayaki and yakisoba together and sharing is a good approach.

Since each has a different texture and flavor, it was more varied than eating just one dish. If you're looking for a Seomyeon teppanyaki spot, this familiar yet appealing Japanese noodle dish is worth a look too.

How are the portions and quality for the price at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego?

What we ordered this time was monjayaki at ₩20,000 and yakisoba at ₩16,000, ₩36,000 in total. Having both let us compare their different textures and flavors, which was nice.

The monjayaki's moist, soft texture was appealing, and the yakisoba stood out for the harmony of chewy noodles and a salty-sweet sauce. Overall the quality for the price is good and the portions are fairly generous, so it was fine for sharing with my companion. Being able to enjoy the cooking process on the griddle made it more fun than simply eating. On a day when you want a meal and drinks together, it's worth considering if you're looking for a Seomyeon bar.

Cheolpaneun Pinggyego Q&A

What should I order?

Order the moist monjayaki together with the yakisoba, whose sauce is rich and savory, and you get to enjoy two different charms.

What is monjayaki?

It's a griddle dish from Japan's Kanto region: a thin batter and various toppings are cooked and eaten with a moist, soft texture.

Is parking available?

Cheolpaneun Pinggyego has no parking support, so I recommend using a nearby public car park.

Is it good for both drinking snacks and a meal?

It has everything from hearty dishes like yakisoba to griddle dishes that are good for sharing, so it works fine for a meal and drinks together.

Verdict on Cheolpaneun Pinggyego, a Seomyeon bar

Cheolpaneun Pinggyego is a Seomyeon bar where I got to enjoy Japanese griddle food in a fresh way. The monjayaki's moist, soft texture was appealing, and scraping it off bit by bit with a small spatula was fun. The yakisoba, with chewy noodles, vegetables and a salty-sweet sauce, went well alongside the monjayaki. The two dishes differ in texture and flavor, so the meal felt varied.

The quality for the price is good and the portions are fairly generous, so it was satisfying to share with a group. If you want griddle food in a tidy setting or are looking for unusual drinking snacks, it's worth a visit. If you're searching for a Seomyeon bar, Cheolpaneun Pinggyego, centered on griddle dishes for both meals and drinks, is worth a look. And if you're curious about Japanese griddle food, try monjayaki and yakisoba together here.