Cumin beef at Cheonghwaweon, a Sinchon Chinese restaurant in Seoul

Hi, I'm Bunmari. I'm known for loving Chinese food, so after doing an escape room in Sinchon, I wanted proper Chinese food and ended up at Cheonghwaweon.

Even from the menu outside, there were so many options — knife-cut noodles, dim sum, all kinds of stir-fries — that I spent ages deciding what to order. The place was packed inside, so I thought, 'this must already be a famous Sinchon restaurant.' There are some small tips hidden along the way too, so read to the end >,<

Where is Cheonghwaweon in Sinchon?

Cheonghwaweon isn't far from Sinchon Station Exit 3. It's right on the main street, so it's not hard to find.

From beef daosakmyeon, which works well as a solo meal, to dim sum like xiaolongbao and shumai, to dishes made for sharing like yurinji, cream shrimp, and cumin beef, the menu is flexible depending on how many people you're with.

What is daosakmyeon, or knife-cut noodles?

Daosakmyeon is a noodle dish representing China's Shanxi province, made by shaving dough with a special tool directly into boiling water. Unlike regular noodles, the thickness isn't uniform — thicker in the middle, thinner at the edges — giving it a unique texture. I love this texture so much; it's a different charm from kalguksu (knife-cut wheat noodle soup). If you've never had daosakmyeon, you have to try it!!

After a long think over the menu, since it was my first visit, I decided to go with the signature dishes and ordered beef daosakmyeon and xiaolongbao. As for the cumin beef, I'd read a blog post insisting this one dish was a must-order, so I got pulled in and ordered it too haha.

The turnover looked good.

Beef daosakmyeon, Cheonghwaweon's signature noodle bowl

Cheonghwaweon's signature beef daosakmyeon has noodles that get chewier the more you chew. Unlike typical Chinese-style noodles that stay uniformly bouncy from start to finish, these have both softness and chewiness at once, so it was fun to keep chewing. The broth wasn't just heavy with meat aroma — it had the refreshing coolness of vegetables along with the rich stock, which paired well with the noodles. The beef, probably from being simmered a long time, practically melted in my mouth.

Xiaolongbao at Cheonghwaweon: how juicy are they?

Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) filled with pork. It's best to put one on a spoon and gently poke a hole in the wrapper. There's hot broth inside, so to not lose a drop, I let it cool a bit before slurping it into my mouth.

Adding a bit of the ginger served alongside cuts through the heaviness of the pork with its aroma, making it taste even cleaner.

Cumin beef, the dish I ordered after reading a blog

After looking through a lot of blog posts, I kept seeing so much talk about the cumin beef that I got curious and ordered it. For someone like me who loves yangkkochi (lamb skewers) or just loves cumin in general, this dish was a perfect match. The savory taste of the beef and the distinct aroma of cumin rose together, and it was seriously a rice thief.

And the rice is free!! Thanks to the unlimited refills, I quickly finished two bowls along with this rice thief of a dish. Put a few pieces of cumin beef on rice with a little sauce, and you truly won't need anything else.

If you want to try proper daosakmyeon, dim sum, and a variety of Chinese dishes instead of the usual Sinchon options, why not check out Cheonghwaweon~?! Next time I'll have to try the other dim sum I couldn't decide on and the mapo tofu too >,<