Seosomun Chinese izakaya for summer-only mazangmyeon: Huhugwan

It feels like more and more good restaurants with great atmosphere are popping up near City Hall Station lately. I was craving Chinese food today, so I went out to eat some! Chinese izakaya sounded intriguing, so this time I visited a Chinese food spot called Huhugwan.

The vibe was a bit more stylish and casual than a typical Chinese restaurant, so it seemed like it could work as a date spot near City Hall Station too. The food was better than expected, so let me give you an honest review ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Where is Huhugwan? City Hall Station Exit 10, second floor above City Hall Menzzuru

Huhugwan is a short walk from City Hall Station Exit 10. There's a Catch Table waiting machine at the entrance — on a weekday evening around 7:30pm there was no wait, but seats filled up quickly as we ate!

It's tucked into a Seosomun-dong alley, on the 2nd floor above City Hall Menzzuru, so you just take the stairs up. Even the exterior felt a bit different from a typical Chinese restaurant.

It has a slightly casual dining-bar kind of feel? There were a bunch of famous Chinese movie posters on the walls, which added to the atmosphere.

There's also a proper waiting area set up in case there's a line!

Inside Huhugwan: open kitchen and window seats

The first thing I saw walking into Huhugwan was the open kitchen.

It was fun watching the cooking process, and seeing the flames flare up here and there was surprisingly entertaining haha.

Seating was mostly tables for 2 and 4. We sat by the window, and since the weather was nice, they opened the windows all the way, so we got a cool breeze and it kind of felt like eating at an outdoor pojangmacha!

What we ordered at Huhugwan: mazangmyeon, fried eggplant, garlic scape fried rice

Here's what we ordered!

• Mazangmyeon (peanut noodles) ₩13,000
• Fried eggplant ₩18,000
• Garlic scape fried rice ₩11,000

Summer-only mazangmyeon, 13,000 won, sold through late September

First up, mazangmyeon!

I hesitated because it's only sold as a summer-limited item through the end of September, but I'm glad I ordered it.

It was my first time trying mazangmyeon and I was completely satisfied!! The peanut sauce was much thicker and richer than I expected — that nutty flavor hits from the very first bite, with a hint of mala spice that makes it addictive! The braised beef shank was chewy, which paired perfectly with the noodles.

Personally, it felt much nuttier and heartier than a typical bibim-myeon (spicy mixed noodles), so it was a refreshing change.

Fried eggplant, 18,000 won: crisp outside, tender inside, with Huhugwan's sweet-and-sour sauce

The fried eggplant was seriously... the outside is crispy. The batter is almost cracker-crisp on the outside, but underneath, the eggplant is moist and packed with juice.

Truly crispy outside, tender inside haha. It was even moister than eggplant fritters I've had elsewhere, and the eggplant's fibers stayed intact so it was easy to pull apart along the grain!

On top there's a drizzle of their secret sweet-and-sour sauce, which wasn't too sweet or overpowering, so I kept reaching for more.

Garlic scape fried rice, 11,000 won: dry, well-separated grains

And then the garlic scape fried rice! It's a fried rice where the grains don't clump together and stay fluffy, with crunchy bites of garlic scape throughout.

That crunchy texture amid the richer Chinese dishes made the whole meal feel much less heavy than I expected.

Complimentary fried dumplings and spring rolls

Oh, and the complimentary fried dumplings and spring rolls they served were freshly fried and super crispy. If you turn on store notifications and show them, they'll prepare it for you, so make sure to get it! I didn't expect much since it was a free item, but it was delicious too, which made me unreasonably happy ✨

The complimentary peanuts as a side dish were also great!! They have tea too, which pairs really well with Chinese food.

What to know before visiting Huhugwan: waiting, reservations, parking

At Huhugwan, you order via the QR code on the table. The menu descriptions are detailed, so it was nice to take my time browsing while deciding.

That said, since it's a well-known restaurant near City Hall Station, there could be a wait on weekday lunches or weekend evenings. You can also make a Naver Reservation, so I'd recommend booking ahead.

Also, the portions were bigger than I expected. We had leftover fried eggplant and asked them to pack it up, and they wrapped it nicely for us haha.

Verdict on Huhugwan: braised pork belly next time

Overall, Huhugwan was a satisfying Chinese restaurant near City Hall Station with both great food and a great atmosphere. The mazangmyeon and fried eggplant especially stuck with me.

The mazangmyeon's rich peanut sauce was irresistibly nutty, and the fried eggplant's combo of crispy batter and moist interior was really good. I actually wanted to try the braised pork belly too, but since it's a limited item, it was sold out by the time we got there, unfortunately. Next time I'm in the City Hall Station area, I'll probably stop by Huhugwan again to try the braised pork belly :)