Yuxiang pork rice bowl and guobaorou in Daehangno: Cheonghwawon

Hi, it's Jiyoung :) Today I went to Cheonghwawon, a Daehangno restaurant famous for its dim sum and beef noodles!

Actually I'd already been here once before haha, and it was so good that time,, but I got a great chance to visit again, so I headed over with an excited step,,, Cheonghwawon, a place you can trust!

What are the mood and seating like at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch?

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a Chinese restaurant on Daemyeong-gil 36 in Jongno-gu, near Hyehwa Station in Daehangno. The exterior has this vintage Chinese vibe going on,,, let's go on in!

Inside it's done up in wood interior like this, with plenty of seating on both the 1st and 2nd floors. We visited around 1pm on a weekday and got seated right away, no waiting!

Here's what the 2nd floor looks like. With its vintage wood interior it'd be a great spot for a date too.

Plenty of seats and floor-to-ceiling windows made for a really nice atmosphere!

How do you order? The four dishes three of us picked

You order at Cheonghwawon via kiosk! For three of us we ordered xiaolongbao + daoxiaomian + yuxiang pork rice bowl + guobaorou!

Once you sit down they bring out basic side dishes like this. Those salty peanuts you just keep reaching for,,,

Youbo daomyeon: knife-cut noodles mixed with beef

After about a 10-minute wait, the daoxiaomian came out first! Think of it as knife-cut noodles mixed with beef!

Just the look of it is amazing,,, but it tasted so good too, T_T. The beef stir-fried in chili oil had incredible depth, and paired with the chewy knife-cut noodles it just kept going down!

The noodles were so springy and glossy, and once mixed with the sauce the visuals were on point,,, like this,,,

The daoxiaomian noodles themselves were so chewy and delicious, I felt like I understood why this place is famous for its beef noodles!

Xiaolongbao: soup-filled dumplings with ginger soy sauce

Next came the xiaolongbao! Dim sum that looked steaming hot,,, when dim sum comes out in a wooden box like this it somehow feels even more delicious haha, you know the feeling!

That glossy dumpling skin,,, it just looks so good,,

Can you see the broth,,, it's packed full of it T_T. Eating it with the warm broth and ginger soy sauce, the flavor was insane!

Such moist dim sum,, absolutely the best!

Yuxiang shredded pork rice bowl: savory, not spicy

I saw someone's review of enjoying this for lunch and got curious, so I ordered it. Fluffy, moist white rice came out with red-tinged meat,, and egg soup came alongside it too!

Full of chili oil aroma,,, it felt like being in China,,,

Taking a bite with the white rice made me so happy. Not too spicy, just a bite packed with umami!

Guobaorou: crisp outside, chewy inside

And finally, the guobaorou came out. This was seriously amazing,,, it's not the guobaorou you get at mala tang places!

This was actually my first time trying guobaorou at a Chinese restaurant, and the aroma alone was incredible,, they even give you tongs and scissors to cut it up like this! You could feel the chewiness even while cutting it!

One bite and the aroma fills your nose,, (you know what I mean, right? that tingly nose feeling when you eat real guobaorou,,, haha) it was genuinely delicious.

Look at the cross-section,,, crispy outside, chewy inside.

Was the return visit to Cheonghwawon worth it?

Cleared the table again today,,, Cheonghwawon is just so good,, this was a repeat visit and ordering the dishes I missed last time gave me this whole new kind of happiness haha. The beef noodles here are great, and the other dim sum dishes are amazing too T_T. The interior is pretty, and since the staff are actually from mainland China it really feels like being at the authentic source haha. Everyone was so kind, and thanks to them it was such a happy lunch,,, I also made a video so you can see the food more vividly haha!