Daegu bar for mapo tofu rice bowls and Peking duck: Mirim Yangjang

This is Mirim Yangjang Daegu, right in the middle of the bar street in Gyodong, Daegu. It is a hot spot that has gotten famous lately as a Peking duck specialist. Let’s head on in, nice and easy.

A softly lit, cozy Gyodong bar atmosphere

The interior has this kind of vibe. The lighting is softly dim throughout, I guess? It feels comfortable and cozy, so it is great for a drink. They are also open during the day, by the way, so it works nicely for a meal or a drink with your meal too.

This kind of feel. Looking at the people visiting, there were lots of younger customers in their 20s and 30s.

Over by the kitchen, there are ducks hanging up.

And here too,

Apparently, Mirim Yangjang carries on the meaning of an old dressmaker’s shop that tailored women’s clothes. They wanted to create a space where people could take a short break from busy daily life and refresh themselves, and as I sat there having a shot of soju, I could feel that mood.

You all know you only end up keeping little sticker photos like these when you have eaten really well, right?

They are selling merchandise too—hoodies, hats, and so on.

You order with the QR code at your table. Honestly, it is really convenient since there is no need to call over the staff and all that.

Menu

Ordering half Peking duck and mapo tofu

We ordered half a Peking duck, mapo tofu, and one bowl of rice.

The peanuts and that other item are the basic side dishes, while the shredded scallions and cucumber are for wrapping with the Peking duck. They served sauce alongside them too.

Ta-da, the Peking duck is here. It comes with wheat pancakes too, each one portioned separately. Since it arrives already sliced like this, it seems easy to make bite-size wraps.

Look at that sheen—it is so glossy, right? This is half a duck, and it is just the right amount for two people to share. Their signature Peking duck is apparently made with at least 30 hours of care, from drying through roasting. They really seem serious about duck. You can feel the craftsmanship, shall we say?

Peking duck wrapped in wheat pancakes

Like this, on top of a pancake,

Add sauce, pile in the scallions and cucumber, roll it all up, pop it straight into your mouth, and knock back a shot of soju!! That is instant happiness.

This sauce definitely went well with the Peking duck. Its sweet-salty flavor brought out the duck’s rich savoriness while cutting through the richness too.

Trying the skin on its own, I loved how thin and crisp it was, breaking apart lightly like a cracker.

Mapo tofu that called for rice

The mapo tofu had spicy, salty seasoning that had soaked nicely into the tofu.

A slight numbing kick and deep umami kept me reaching back for more. It was plenty tasty, but I

couldn’t possibly not order rice, could I?

So, right away, I mixed it all thoroughly with rice and turned it into a mapo tofu rice bowl.

It was definitely delicious, but I am a huge mala fan, so I thought it would be even better with a little more numbing heat, haha. It might be nice to have something like mala oil or black vinegar at a self-service bar.

I ate really, really well. To have Peking duck somewhere like a hotel, you would usually have to pay almost ₩200,000 more. Of course this was half a duck, but ₩35,000 feels genuinely reasonable. Not only the Peking duck but all the other food was delicious too, so it is a perfect place to visit if you are looking for a Chinese-style bar.