Mokdong Chinese restaurant: free swap to jjampong rice, Yugwanjang

Today was one of those days when Chinese food suddenly hits you hard. We both wanted jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup), so the menu was settled, and while looking for somewhere to go after work I found Yugwanjang (유관장반점) near Omokgyo Station, haha. A review said it was a new Chinese restaurant in Mokdong, and since we love visiting newly opened places, we decided to go without a second thought!

How to get to Yugwanjang Omokgyo Station Branch, and where to park

Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch is 1 minute from Exit 2 of Omokgyo Station on Line 5, at 256 Mokdongdong-ro, 2nd floor, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Hours were listed as daily 10:30–21:00, and the subway access is really great, haha.

You can park in the building's lot, and if it's full, the sign says to use the paid Mokdong public parking lot, so people coming by car can visit easily too.

Yugwanjang dining room: seating and private rooms

The sign lettering is huge, so it's easy to find, and the entrance is on the right side of the building, where an elevator takes you up to the 2nd floor. I rushed over right after leaving work and got in without getting lost.

I wondered why it's called Yugwanjang, and another review said the name seems to come from the first characters of Yu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei (from Romance of the Three Kingdoms), haha. The owner must be a huge Three Kingdoms fan?

The place looked big from outside, and inside it felt like even more tables? There are also private rooms, so it looked good for family gatherings or company dinners! Most tables were 4-seaters, but they're spaced widely, so six people could probably squeeze in.

Yugwanjang self-serve bar and table condiments

The place is large, so there are as many as 2 self-serve bars. Onion, jjasai (pickled Chinese mustard stem), pickled radish, small plates and other sides and tableware are there for you to grab!

The country-of-origin board is placed where it's easy to see, haha, and each table has soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, seasoned salt and so on, so you can sprinkle them on as you like.

Yugwanjang receipt review event: free dumplings or a drink

Yugwanjang also runs a Naver receipt review event: if you take part, you get 2 fried dumplings or a drink, so it's worth joining if you're interested.

What we ordered at Yugwanjang for an after-work dinner

• Fried rice ₩9,000
• Bone-broth seafood jjampong ₩11,000 (changed to jjampong rice)
• Mini tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) ₩13,000

The two of us ordered fried rice, the bone-broth seafood jjampong swapped to rice, and a mini tangsuyuk. We were really hungry, so we picked the menu first: the next table was enjoying their fried rice so much that we chose one fried rice, switched the seafood jjampong to rice (free), and added the mini tangsuyuk, haha.

Yugwanjang fried rice: how big and how good?

The fried rice (₩9,000) came out first, and I was surprised by how loose and fluffy it looked and how huge the portion seemed.

For ₩1,500 more you can get the extra-large size, but unless you eat a lot, the regular size won't leave you short. It also comes with jjampong broth, so it went down easily without feeling greasy, haha.

The grains were fluffy, but maybe thanks to the egg the texture was soft and easy on the stomach, and the sauce wasn't salty or harsh, so it was comfortable to eat. A certified Omokgyo Station good eats spot~

Swapping bone-broth seafood jjampong for jjampong rice: what you get

The bone-broth seafood jjampong (₩11,000) can be changed to jjampong rice for free at the kiosk. I personally like rice more than noodles, so I switched it, haha.

With all kinds of seafood inside, the broth was deep and spicy. The seafood and vegetables are stir-fried over a flame, so the broth has a faint smoky wok flavor too, a taste it's hard for a Korean not to like!

There was shrimp in it and plenty of vegetables, so it felt really substantial, haha. People who love jjampong will probably be very happy here.

The bowl of rice was also very generous, almost a heaping bowl with just a little more on top, so men in particular could leave well fed.

Is the ₩13,000 mini tangsuyuk good value?

The mini tangsuyuk at Yugwanjang is ₩13,000, and the portion surprised me once again. That much tangsuyuk at this price felt like fantastic value. It was the last dish to arrive, so with everything on the table I shot a video of the spread too~

Carrot and cabbage were laid underneath, which went nicely with the pork, and personally I'm fine with either pouring the sauce on or dipping, but I liked that the sauce came separately so everyone can be happy.

The tangsuyuk stayed crispy even when left a while with the sauce on, and the batter wasn't too thick compared with the meat, so it wasn't very greasy and tasted nutty. The meat was in good shape too, so it was properly juicy, bursting~

Verdict: Yugwanjang Omokgyo Station Branch in Mokdong

We visited Yugwanjang Omokgyo Station Branch because we heard a new Chinese restaurant had opened in Mokdong. The interior was spacious and pleasant, and the staff were friendly, so I was very happy with the service. The table layout, which feels a bit private, and the rooms made it great for eating while chatting.

The food quality was good and the portions were big, so I was totally satisfied with the value. If you're looking for good eats around Omokgyo Station or a Chinese restaurant in Mokdong, Yugwanjang is worth a visit!