Nourishing seafood rice soup at a Hanam Misa Chinese restaurant

It's such a hit with elders because it's basically a nourishing meal you can serve as a tonic dish. The atmosphere is upscale enough for taking parents out on holidays, anniversaries, or special occasions, or for family gatherings. It's clearly Chinese food, but it somehow feels Korean too! Here's my write-up of a weekday lunch at O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang (오형제황제누룽지탕), which really charmed me.

Where is O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang Hanam Misa, and is there parking?

• ⏱️ Hours: Daily 11:00–21:20
• 📍 Location: 979m from Hanam Pungsan Station Exit 1, across from Misari Rowing Course
• 🚗 Parking: Large free parking lot
• N With a Naver reservation: 2 wanggun mandu (dumplings) + lemonade

O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang is a large Chinese restaurant across from the Misari Rowing Course, in an area packed with restaurants and cafés. It's a really eye-catching restaurant you'll pass on the way to Starfield Hanam or over toward Paldang.

It's close to Seoul, out in the Hanam suburbs, and has its own huge parking lot, so it's easy to get to and you never have to worry about parking. There's even staff on hand to guide you in.

Inside O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang: seating and the self-serve banchan bar

The interior of O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang is honestly grand. It's upscale and spotless, and because the place is so huge, it felt relaxed even with quite a lot of customers around.

The 4-, 6-, and 8-person tables are all spacious with plenty of seats, so it looked like it would be comfortable even for a big group.

It was a weekday late lunch, and there were a lot of middle-aged and older diners around. I guess it makes sense — as a hearty, healthy tonic meal, it's clearly very popular! Apparently on weekends there are tons of families bringing their parents in.

Near the windows there are booth seats where you can eat with a bit more atmosphere and privacy — the weather and greenery were so nice that even though Hanam is close by, it felt like a little getaway to the countryside.

On one side there's a self-serve corner for extra side dishes. Use it if you run low on banchan, and there's fruit for dessert after the meal — don't miss it!

Scorched rice soup menu and prices at O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang

The basic seafood scorched rice soup is 18,000 won, seafood abalone scorched rice soup is 20,000 won, mungbean abalone scorched rice soup is 22,000 won, maesaengi (seaweed) abalone scorched rice soup is 22,000 won, and imperial jeongabok scorched rice soup is 28,000 won. There's also fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk, chili shrimp, yurinki, an assorted platter, palbochae, jeongabok, and mini tangsuyuk. The menu keeps the scorched rice soups simple, while letting you enjoy upscale Chinese dishes alongside them!

The basic side dishes are set out first. They're clean, simple banchan, and the green onion kimchi and namul (seasoned vegetables) and white kimchi whet the appetite, giving it a slightly Korean-table feel.

Seafood scorched rice soup ₩18,000 / Fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk ₩26,000

Ordering the seafood scorched rice soup and fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk

For the seafood scorched rice soup, the broth and the scorched rice come out separately, and the staff pour them together right before serving. That way you get to enjoy the crispiness of the nurungji (scorched rice)!

The seafood scorched rice soup comes in a really generous portion, so we ordered just one and paired it with tangsuyuk on the side.

Here's the seafood scorched rice soup. A giant stone pot lined with scorched rice, piled high with all kinds of seafood that just scream Chinese cuisine. The seafood abalone scorched rice soup is the same but with an extra abalone on top.

The fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk also arrived. You can't have Chinese food without tangsuyuk! Since it's made with fresh tenderloin, it feels a bit more upscale and special. It wasn't the mini size but the regular size, and it was plenty for two people, even good for three!

For the classic dip-it-or-pour-it-on debate, I only poured the sauce over half!

Sweet and tangy, the most basic of basics — a classic tangsuyuk sauce.

How does the seafood scorched rice soup taste?

Today's star, the seafood scorched rice soup! It's a Chinese seafood scorched rice dish served soup-style, simmered in a stone pot, and the visual alone is so hearty it looks like a tonic dish that gives you energy just by looking at it.

It's packed with the vegetables typical of Chinese cooking and all kinds of seafood. I enjoyed tasting the crispy nurungji first, then savoring how it gradually turned soft and moist.

The savory flavor of the nurungji almost tastes Korean, yet it's still a proper Chinese scorched rice soup!

Piling on the green onion kimchi and white kimchi made it feel like eating delicious, healthy Korean food too! The seafood scorched rice soup is mild and not overly seasoned, universally likeable, with just the right mix of savoriness and Chinese flavor — a real standout dish. Picking out the chewy seafood bits was fun too! 👍👍👍

Fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk and the fruit dessert to finish

The fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk was seriously, truly soft and delicious. Being fresh tenderloin, the meat was so tender...

The sauce wasn't too sweet either — an upscale tangsuyuk dish anyone, kids or adults, would enjoy! At 27,000 won and with such a generous portion, I ate it all up happily.

The orange at the end was genuinely delicious too. A nice fruit dessert to wrap things up! The atmosphere, the food, the taste — everything about the meal was satisfying, and upscale enough to feel like being treated.

Why O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang works for a meal with parents

If you bring your parents here, they can eat something truly delicious, refined, and nourishing — the seafood scorched rice soup! I'd recommend O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang, the large Chinese restaurant in Hanam Misa. Now I get why it's called 'imperial'... thumbs up!