Yangcheon Chinese restaurant for japchae rice: Yugwanjang Banjeom

A few days ago, I was craving jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), so I went to a Chinese restaurant near my neighborhood, but the food there was so disappointing. That made me keep thinking about Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch (유관장반점 오목교역직영점), a Mokdong Chinese restaurant I visit often, so I went back just two days later!

Getting There & Parking

Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch is about a one-minute walk from Exit 2 of Omokgyo Station on Line 5, so it is super close to the station, haha. Parking is available too; if the building parking lot is full, you can use the paid Mokdong Public Parking Lot!

Exterior & Interior

I figured it would be busy at lunchtime, so I visited at around 11:30 a.m., somewhere between opening time and lunch. It is on the second floor of the building, so just enter through the entrance on the right!

Maybe because it is a Mokdong Chinese restaurant where people queue, there were chairs outside for waiting too, haha. There is also an elevator, so anyone who has trouble taking the stairs should be able to get up comfortably.

There was both a main dining area and private rooms. The rooms can hold up to 14 people, so I thought it would not be a bad choice for a group gathering or company dinner. The dining area is spacious too, so even if there is a wait, turnover should be fairly good.

A country-of-origin notice was clearly posted by the kitchen, so anyone who needs to check it can do so there.

Menu & Order

• Japchae rice — ₩10,000
• Seafood fried rice — ₩11,000
• Mini tangsuyuk — ₩13,000

Last time, I ordered jjampong and fried rice, but this time I wanted to try completely new dishes. I chose japchae rice, while my companion chose seafood fried rice. And because the tangsuyuk here is nicely chewy and delicious, we ordered the mini tangsuyuk too.

They brought out the basic side dishes right after we ordered: zha cai (pickled mustard stem) and danmuji (pickled yellow radish)! I personally like zha cai, so I loved that it came instead of onions.

How Generous Is the Japchae Rice?

The food arrived after about five minutes! The first dish I tried was the japchae rice, haha. It costs ₩10,000, and both the rice and japchae portions were generous, so I thought it was really great value.

I debated between the spicy pepper japchae rice and the regular japchae rice, then ordered the regular one. Even the regular japchae rice had chili oil in it, though, so it gave off a lovely spicy aroma.

The japchae noodles had not gone soft and had a pleasantly bouncy texture. The sauce, mixed with chili oil, pork, and all kinds of vegetables, had plenty of wok hei, and because it was not sweet, it was so good with the rice.

Fried-rice dishes also come with jjampong broth. Even though it is a complimentary broth, it had squid in it too, so good!

Seafood Fried Rice with Jjajang Sauce

The next dish I tried was the seafood fried rice, haha. The japchae rice was generous too, but the seafood fried rice seemed to have even more rice.

One side had jjajang sauce, while the other had fried rice loaded with bean sprouts, egg, squid, shrimp, and more. No matter how I looked at it, this being ₩11,000 felt like excellent value.

The jjajang sauce was not overly sweet, just lightly sweet, and paired with the savory seafood fried rice for a nicely balanced sweet-and-salty flavor. The bean sprouts gave it a pretty good texture too!

Crisp and Chewy Mini Tangsuyuk

Next up was the mini tangsuyuk, haha. I think it is a must-try when you come to Yugwanjang Banjeom near Omokgyo Station: for ₩13,000, you get enough tangsuyuk for two people to eat until full.

The tangsuyuk was crisp outside and moist and chewy inside from all the glutinous rice—there is no way it would not be delicious, haha. The quality of the meat inside was satisfying too, with no unpleasant odor. So good!

Final Thoughts

After being so disappointed at another Chinese restaurant recently, I came straight to cleanse my palate at Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch. The food came out quite quickly, the restaurant was clean, and the owner was kind, so I was happy with the visit. I also like that it tastes consistent every time I come, without ups and downs. If you are looking for a good restaurant near Omokgyo Station or a Chinese restaurant in Mokdong, I think it would be worth visiting Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch.