Guui-dong Chinese restaurant jjajang platter for two: Hyeongjeae Guui

There are days when Chinese food comes to mind without even thinking twice for lunch. Sweet jjajang (black bean noodles), hot jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) broth, and crispy sweet and sour pork on the side — that combination just sounded right.

My wife happened to be craving Chinese food too, so we went back to Hyeongjeae Guui, a place we'd enjoyed before.

Since we'd already been once, I wasn't so much wondering what it would taste like as thinking about what to try this time. On days when you already know what you want to eat, having a place you're familiar with makes things so much easier.

Where do you park at Hyeongjeae Guui?

We drove to Hyeongjeae Guui and used a public parking lot near the restaurant. It's just a short walk from the lot to the restaurant, so if you're driving, it's worth checking the nearby parking options in advance.

Hyeongjeae is run by two brothers who've taken their parents' 30 years of Chinese cooking experience and made it their own. That backstory is interesting, but honestly, the main reason we came back was simply that we enjoyed the meal so much last time.

Ordering for two: jjajang platter, meat jjamppong and single-serving pork

This time at Hyeongjeae Guui we ordered a jjajang platter, meat jjamppong, and a single-serving sweet and sour pork. It's hard to choose between jjajang and jjamppong, and skipping the pork felt like a shame too. Eating with my wife meant we could order a bit of everything we wanted.

Last time we had a lunch set, but this time we just picked whatever we were craving. Coming back to the same restaurant and ordering differently gave us a completely different lunch spread from before.

How much food is the single-serving sweet and sour pork?

The single-serving sweet and sour pork at Hyeongjeae Guui wasn't something to underestimate just because of the name. Having a single-serving option was great for us, since we wanted a side dish alongside our noodles — and once it arrived, the portion turned out to be quite generous.

Even as a single-serving item, it came out generously enough for the two of us to share alongside our meal. If we'd only ordered noodles, we'd have felt a little shortchanged — so I was glad we added this. The pork was crispy right from the batter. Paired with the sweet sauce, it brought back that familiar sweet and sour pork taste from Chinese restaurants I grew up eating.

There's fun in discovering new flavors, but sometimes what you really want from sweet and sour pork is that familiar sauce. I think a lot of people remember how excited they got as kids when their parents ordered pork on top of jjajangmyeon — even jjajangmyeon alone was already a treat.

Maybe it was that nostalgia, but the combination of crispy batter and sweet sauce felt especially delicious this time.

Whole shrimp and seafood in the jjajang platter

The jjajang platter at Hyeongjeae Guui was satisfying too. It had a good amount of seafood to eat alongside the noodles, which made the meal more fun — and the plump shrimp stood out in particular.

Picking out a shrimp here and there while eating the jjajang gave it a different feel from eating noodles alone. If you like jjajang with seafood mixed in, I think this dish would suit you well.

What does the meat jjamppong broth taste like?

The meat jjamppong we ordered alongside was great to eat in turns with the jjajang platter. After a bit of jjajang, your hand naturally reaches for the jjamppong broth.

Being meat-based, the broth had a deep, savory flavor. I especially liked that savoriness this time. It wasn't just broth to sip alongside the jjajang — the jjamppong was delicious enough to enjoy on its own.

Between bites of pork, jjajang, and jjamppong passed back and forth, I thought ordering three dishes for two people turned out to be a pretty good call.

Seating at Hyeongjeae Guui for group lunches

Inside Hyeongjeae Guui, I noticed a partitioned space toward the back. It looked like it could seat more people than expected, making it a decent option for group meals.

In fact, there was a group having a lunch gathering when we visited. If you're setting up a lunch or dinner with coworkers around Gwangjin-gu, it seemed like a convenient space to have.

If you're coming with a large group, it'd be worth asking about seating in advance. Above all, the staff were kind to us again this time, which made the whole meal more pleasant. Even great food can make you hesitate to return if the service is lacking, but here the friendly welcome stayed with me just as much as the food.

It was a lunch that started with my wife and me simply craving Chinese food, and ended with us happily finishing jjajang, jjamppong, and sweet and sour pork. Next time we're near here and craving Chinese food, I think Hyeongjeae Guui will be the first place that comes to mind.