Changwon Chinese lunch with a friend: seafood bomb jjamppong, Hwaryong

Chinese lunch with a friend in Sangnam-dong, Changwon: why Hwaryong?

A few days ago I made a lunch plan with a friend in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, and we headed to Hwaryong Restaurant Changwon-Sangnam branch (화룡반점). As a solo-living foodie always hunting for a good meal, my goal this time was a fiery jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). 😊

Korean food is great, but lately I kept craving a really spicy jjamppong. 🍜 So I went to Hwaryong, a place I'd just discovered. I love both jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong anyway, so my expectations were high before we even arrived, haha. Sangnam-dong made it easy to get to, and the atmosphere was nice for a meal, so I was happy from the first impression.

Atmosphere and open kitchen at Hwaryong Changwon-Sangnam

Hwaryong is a clean, bright Chinese restaurant with comfortably spaced tables. That brightness was the first thing I noticed when I walked in, and it was a nice place to chat with my friend over a meal. Nothing felt cluttered or stuffy, so we were relaxed the whole time. The kitchen is open, so you can naturally see the food being made, and it looked well kept, which made me trust the place even more.

Self-serve bar and free-refill rice

Hwaryong has a neat self-serve bar for side dishes, and the rice is free to refill. You can take the sides you need without hesitation, and the free rice refills were honestly my favorite part. 🍚

These days, many places charge extra even for a bowl of rice when you eat out, so a perk like this quietly makes a big difference.

What we ordered for two: seafood bomb jjamppong set and ganjjajang

We ordered the seafood bomb jjamppong set for one, which comes with a mini tangsuyuk (sweet and sour fried pork), and upsized the tangsuyuk. We also added a ganjjajang (stir-fried black bean noodles with a thicker, drier sauce). For just two people, the lineup felt really generous. After a little chatting, the food came out quickly without a long wait. Watching the dishes land on the table one by one, I was already drooling. 🤤

How was the seafood bomb jjamppong broth?

As the name promises, the seafood bomb jjamppong came loaded with seafood in a deep, rich broth. It was the dish that caught my eye first, and it looked hearty just sitting there. The broth's dark color and spicy aroma stirred my appetite. The first spoonful of broth spread deep, rich flavor through my mouth, and it wasn't just harsh heat; the savory depth came through, so I kept going back for more. The noodles were pleasantly springy and went really well with the broth, and with such a variety of seafood, chewing was fun too. My friend kept raving about how good the broth was, haha.

Mixing free-refill rice into the ganjjajang sauce

The ganjjajang at Hwaryong was better than I expected, with plenty of sauce and a rich flavor full of onion and meat. The glossy sauce looked appetizing and coated the noodles well, so I was happy with it from the look alone. I tossed the sauce through the noodles and took a bite: deep flavor, with crunchy onion and chewy meat working together, and I emptied the bowl in no time. Personally I'm only satisfied with ganjjajang when the sauce is generous, and there was no shortage here.

I also brought over some of the free-refill rice and mixed it into the leftover sauce, and this combo was so good. 😋 I could finish every last bit of sauce without wasting it, which made it even more satisfying.

Texture of the upsized tangsuyuk

The tangsuyuk, upsized from the set's mini version, didn't let me down either.

Hwaryong's tangsuyuk was crispy outside and moist inside, with a nutty flavor that grew the more I chewed. It was good dipped in the sauce and mild enough to eat plain, so I kept reaching for it. Alternating the spiciness of the seafood bomb jjamppong with the savory tangsuyuk was a really good combination.

Chinese lunch in Sangnam-dong, Changwon: how was Hwaryong Changwon-Sangnam?

My friend and I ate so eagerly that before we knew it, almost everything on the table was gone, haha. It felt like my first really satisfying Chinese meal in a while, and I was in a good mood the whole time. If you're craving Chinese food in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, I think a visit to Hwaryong would make a satisfying meal. 😊