Crystal shrimp dumplings a picky kid ate in Daehangno: Cheonghwawon

The taste of Taiwan in Daehangno The golden combo of daoxiaomian and dal mandu "Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch"

We went to Daehangno to see a play and were figuring out what to eat for lunch, so we stopped by Cheonghwawon, known for its noodles and dumplings.

Where is Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch, and what are its hours?

Name: Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch Address: 1st and 2nd floor, 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (183 Myeongnyun 2-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul) 166m from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 Hours: Daily 11:00–22:20 Last order: 21:50 (closed Lunar New Year's Day)

First and second floor seating at Cheonghwawon on a weekend lunch

Both the 1st and 2nd floors belong to Cheonghwawon. The 1st floor has the kitchen and dim sum steamers, mostly 2-seat tables and bar seats, while the 2nd floor has 4-seat and 2-seat tables. On a weekday lunch the crowd would probably be office workers, university students, and tourists, but on the weekend lunch we visited, there were quite a few families with kids headed to a play too.

One of the signature dishes at Daehangno's Cheonghwawon is beef daoxiaomian — a Taiwanese soup noodle with rich, deeply simmered beef broth, daoxiaomian (noodles shaved off the dough with a knife, following its grain) and tender beef shank. What is daoxiaomian? Noodles made by shaving a large block of dough with a special knife and boiling the strips.

How to order at Cheonghwawon and what's on the free side dish bar

Once we sat down, they brought us cold water, and we ordered easily through the table-side kiosk.

There are two side dishes total, and you can help yourself to as much as you like from the start — peanuts and pickled mustard greens.

I only brought over the pickled mustard greens, and their tangy flavor really woke up my appetite.

Sujeongdal mandu, 9,500 won: the dumplings a chive-avoiding kid ate half a plate of

Sujeongdal mandu, ₩9,500 — you have to try this! It's the kind of charming dumpling that made my kid, who normally won't touch chives, pick up chopsticks and say it was delicious. *Sujeongdal mandu: dim sum combining plump shrimp meat with chives

It's a dumpling with plump shrimp meat paired with chives. The wrapper is chewy, the inside is packed with shrimp, and it even has chives, which are good for you — I figured I'd be the only one who liked it. But my kid cleared half the plate. (We packed one more box to take home.)

Shrimp fried rice, 9,500 won: why we picked it over beef fried rice

Shrimp fried rice, ₩9,500. At Cheonghwawon, a lunch spot near Hyehwa Station, there are two fried rice options: beef or shrimp. I went back and forth, then glanced at another table — the beef fried rice was dark from soy sauce seasoning. And nobody nearby had ordered shrimp fried rice. Alright, let's go with shrimp! *Shrimp fried rice: shrimp and egg stir-fried with rice into a nicely fluffy fried rice

Even my kid's dad, who doesn't like shrimp, ate this shrimp fried rice happily. The shrimp is only on top as a topping, so I scooped off all the shrimp on top and gave it all to my kid, leaving just the rice underneath for him — and of course, Chinese-style fried rice with distinct, springy grains is delicious by default. Next time I come with a friend, I want to try the spicy tiger rice bowl or the Chinese-style gungbogyejeong rice bowl.

Beef daoxiaomian, 10,500 won: knife-shaved noodles in broth with no chilli heat

Beef daoxiaomian, ₩10,500. First time trying daoxiaomian. Before ordering I was a little wary since it was unfamiliar, but once I heard it was Cheonghwawon's signature Taiwanese-style beef daoxiaomian, I couldn't not order it.

The noodles felt like roughly cut hand-torn kalguksu — thick with a good chew, and the broth has zero spice! That's why even my kid ate it well. Especially the big chunks of meat inside had an unfamiliar look, almost like braised short ribs, but the familiar flavor meant the whole family ate heartily and felt full.

The taste of Taiwan in Daehangno, the golden combo of daoxiaomian and dal mandu — "Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch" — the end.