Jecheon Chinese restaurant for spicy Jecheon tangsuyuk with parents: Nangman Jjajang

I went back to the countryside for my mother's birthday :) After arriving at the local bus terminal the day before her birthday, I was so hungry on the way home that we stopped in at this place. Turns out it's a genuine Uirimji favorite! It's called Nangman Jjajang (낭만짜장), and we went in with zero expectations, but both my parents and I came away so satisfied with the meal that I just had to share it!

Jecheon tangsuyuk, my new favorite tangsuyuk of all time

The new Jecheon tangsuyuk from the original cream tangsuyuk restaurant — instantly the best tangsuyuk of my life!

Our family ordered the new menu item, Jecheon tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) in spicy, plus tray jjajang (black bean sauce noodles served on a platter) and a refreshing cold jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). This place is apparently the original that developed Korea's first cream tangsuyuk back in 2010, so I agonized over whether to get the cream version, but they said a spicy Jecheon tangsuyuk had just launched, and since we're a spice-loving family we went for it...! Wow... there was not a single ounce of regret in that choice!

It was my first time having spicy tangsuyuk, and it wasn't an artificial capsaicin kind of heat — it was a savory, umami-packed spiciness that keeps you coming back! They use scallion oil in the batter coating, so the nuttiness was on another level, and maybe because they use domestic fresh pork tenderloin, there was zero porky smell and the meat was so tender~ My parents loved it too, saying the meat was soft and the sauce was clean and refreshing :)

Sweet-potato tray jjajang and cold jjamppong

And then the tray jjajang! Unlike most Chinese restaurants, even after finishing it I didn't feel bloated or greasy, and the aftertaste was incredibly clean~ I wondered what the secret was, and they said they cut down on sugar and add sweet potato for a natural sweetness!! I'd actually been wondering while eating why there was sweet potato in the jjajang, but I never guessed that was the reason 🫢 The noodles are made in-house, kneaded fresh every morning, so they were chewy and bouncy, and the pairing with the jjajang sauce was out of this world!

The cold jjamppong had an appealing sweet-and-tangy broth. My father doesn't usually go for tangy things, so he said it wasn't quite his taste, but for me, someone who loves sour flavors, it was an absolute perfect match! Depending on how you feel about sourness it may divide opinion a little, but the quality of the food itself is excellent, so I strongly recommend it as a summer treat!

Spacious, comfortable dining room and plenty of parking

A comfortable space and a warm atmosphere

The first thing I liked when we walked in was how spacious and comfortable the dining room was. (There were too many customers for me to take a photo, though…!) Even with quite a few family groups, the tables were spaced far enough apart that it never felt cramped, and the parking lot in front had plenty of spots, so we could walk right in without any parking stress!

What moved me most was the owner's kindness and warm generosity. They told us that on the last Friday evening of every month they even serve jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) as a volunteer service. Great food and a heart this generous — I couldn't help hoping more people would come and shower this place with business~👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Instead of complaints, plans to come back

Honest drawbacks? More like a vow to return!

Usually a restaurant has at least one downside — a long wait, awkward parking, something — but honestly, even trying to squeeze one out, I really couldn't find any here. Easy parking, a spacious dining room, a kind owner!!! Above all, the food isn't overly heavy, so it's a healthy Chinese restaurant where you don't feel guilty afterward~ If I absolutely had to name a regret.... it's that my stomach has a limited capacity and I left without trying the original cream tangsuyuk, which will haunt me forever? 😂😂

So next time the plan is to bring Grandpa and Grandma too, the whole family out in force, and demolish both the cream tangsuyuk and the Jecheon tangsuyuk! (Honestly I'm super curious about the garlic tangsuyuk too...) It was so good that as soon as we got home I went over to my grandparents' place nearby to say hello and bragged in great detail about the Jecheon gem I'd found — and it turned out they already knew it as a Jecheon locals' favorite~ If you're looking for a trustworthy local spot while traveling in Jecheon, this one is a guaranteed win! Seriously~~~

Nangman Jjajang details

• 2-41 Uirim-daero 48-gil, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea (충북 제천시 의림대로48길 2-41)
• Dedicated parking lot in front of the restaurant (very roomy)
• Daily 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM
• Break time 4:00 – 5:00 PM
• Last order 7:00 PM

A meal that made the whole family happy

It was a day when I stumbled in out of sheer hunger and came away having met the best tangsuyuk and jjajangmyeon of my life. Thanks to fresh local ingredients and dishes made with 20 years of dedication, the whole family got to enjoy a happy meal out! If you want clean Chinese food without the greasiness, or you want to fill up after taking in the beautiful scenery at Uirimji, I strongly recommend Nangman Jjajang, a genuine Uirimji favorite~ I hope you'll all visit at least once and experience a warm meal made with so much care!!!