Yeoksam Chinese: smoky jjamppong, Sichuan tangsuyuk, Jjamppong Jijon

What is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch like?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch (짬뽕지존 역삼점) is a Chinese restaurant specializing in jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), about a 5-minute walk from Yeoksam Station. It's a great Yeoksam lunch spot, and the space is sooo big that it works for group dinners too. Of course, you can also eat comfortably on your own.

Parking is available, so it's easy to visit. I think it's good for anyone looking for a Chinese restaurant for a group meal. At weekday lunch the tables fill up, it's that popular. I suddenly craved spicy jjamppong, so I came to Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch -

What's on the menu at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch?

Compared with a typical Chinese restaurant, the menu is short. That means the focus is on the jjamppong, and you get a properly made bowl. Each table has an ordering system.

• Meals: jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce), jjamppong, crab fried rice, mapo tofu rice and more
• Unusual jjamppong: soft tofu noodle jjamppong, sujebi (hand-torn dough flakes) jjamppong, rice noodle jjamppong
• Dishes: yurinji, glutinous rice tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), kanpungsaeu, cream shrimp, Sichuan tangsuyuk, fried dumplings

I wanted fried rice, but you can't come to a Chinese restaurant and not eat jjajangmyeon, so jjajangmyeon it was. Order done!

[Order] Jjamppong, jjajangmyeon, Sichuan tangsuyuk

What's at the self-bar?

There's a self-bar in the middle of the restaurant, so you can take as much as you need. It has pickled radish, rice, jjasai, kkakdugi and raw onion.

The pickled radish first comes pre-packaged. There's quite a lot, so I finished it without a refill. It's hygienic and neat, which I like. It's also the thin style of pickled radish that I personally love, so even better -

How does the jjamppong taste?

The jjamppong here is spicy, with a rich, slightly thick broth and a strong smoky wok flavor. Speed is everything at a Chinese restaurant! The jjamppong and jjajangmyeon came out faster than I expected. The spicy broth is the key point of Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch's jjamppong.

The broth is rich and a little thick. The smoky flavor hits you, and it's packed with mushrooms, vegetables and seafood. The heat isn't artificial but a pleasant kick, so I kept spooning up the broth.

The noodles didn't get soggy and were just right, so I enjoyed it to the end. There were lots of big clams too, which I think gives the broth its flavor. The taste of jjamppong is all in the broth, and as a specialist, Jjamppong Jijon has an addictive taste that keeps coming back to mind.

What style is the jjajangmyeon?

The jjajangmyeon here is a basic old-style jjajangmyeon that men and women of all ages will like, with no love-it-or-hate-it edge. The seasoning is just right, and with plenty of vegetables it has a nice chew.

It's the classic old-style jjajangmyeon. There are even green peas! I was sad there was no ganjjajang (stir-fried black bean sauce noodles), but the basic jjajangmyeon was so good I left with no regrets. You can also take rice from the self-bar for free, so I mixed it into a bit of the sauce. I was full, but I couldn't not eat it, that flavor everyone knows!

Is the Sichuan tangsuyuk good even for dippers?

The dishes are good too. I ordered the Sichuan tangsuyuk: the batter is fried crisp and chewy, and the pork has no off smell, isn't tough, and gets nuttier the more you chew.

With tangsuyuk the sauce matters, and this one is moderately spicy and sweet, so it never got tiresome. The portion is quite generous, and it goes well with the jjamppong and jjajangmyeon too.

I'm a dipper (someone who dips tangsuyuk rather than pouring the sauce on), but even though the Sichuan tangsuyuk comes coated in sauce, I enjoyed it here. It's even better with raw onion on the side (my little pro tip). The crisp, chewy tangsuyuk has me wanting to come back again.

Are drinks after the meal free too?

The self-bar also has coffee, plum tea and yuja tea. All free, of course. We each had a cool, tangy glass of plum tea and a glass of yuja tea before leaving.

If you're looking for a Chinese restaurant for lunch near Yeoksam Station, try Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch.