Iksan Chinese restaurant with old-style tangsuyuk: Hwangbihong

Hwangbihong: a Busong-dong, Iksan Chinese restaurant of over 20 years

I was looking for a Chinese restaurant in Iksan and ended up at Hwangbihong, famous for its jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Located in Busong-dong, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Hwangbihong has apparently held down this spot for over 20 years. Wow, hearing it's such an old, established restaurant made me even more curious. Just from the outside it had that hidden-gem neighborhood vibe, so I walked in with high expectations~

• Location: 1054-9 Busong-dong, Iksan, Jeonbuk
• Hours: 11:00–20:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Parking: Available in a nearby alley

Self-serve water and side dishes at Hwangbihong, and kimchi that steals the show

At Hwangbihong, water and side dishes are self-serve. These days there are plenty of sleek, modern Chinese restaurants, but this place still has that old-school feel from the Chinese restaurants I used to visit, which made it feel even more nostalgic haha. I've rarely seen a Chinese restaurant serve kimchi without ordering rice, but here the kimchi is seriously delicious. It was so good my chopsticks kept going back for more haha.

A 5pm visit: ordering mini tangsuyuk, jjajangmyeon and meat jjamppong

We timed our visit for 5pm, right as break time ended. We were pretty hungry, so after much deliberation over the menu we ordered mini tangsuyuk, jjajangmyeon, and meat jjamppong. My husband kept eyeing the seafood siraegi jjamppong (napa cabbage jjamppong) on the menu right up to the last second lol. We said we'd save that one for next time and went with meat jjamppong today!

Hwangbihong apparently makes its jjamppong broth from Hanwoo beef bones simmered for 24 hours. And the noodles are handmade daily with chives kneaded in, so you could feel the care put into every single dish. Simmering bones for 24 hours — I waited eagerly to see what the broth would taste like.

Old-style jjajangmyeon topped with green peas

The food finally arrived! An old-style jjajangmyeon topped with peas, something I hadn't seen in a while haha. I don't know why, but seeing peas on top of jjajangmyeon like this these days makes me so happy. I mixed it up thoroughly with both hands~ served some to my child and took a bite myself. The noodles were noticeably green. Probably because they're handmade with chives kneaded in — a different feel from regular noodles!

Hwangbihong's freshly fried old-style mini tangsuyuk

The tangsuyuk we'd been waiting for. The moment we took a bite of the freshly fried tangsuyuk, we both said at the same time,

Wow, this is really good!

lol. Crispy on the outside, with thick chunks of meat! Not the sticky-rice tangsuyuk or kkwabaegi-style you see often these days — this was exactly the tangsuyuk from old-school Chinese restaurants. Delicious dipped in sauce, delicious plain too, and best of all, being freshly fried gave it that great crispy texture.

Why a bowl of rice goes into the meat jjamppong broth

The dish we were most looking forward to — meat jjamppong! True to its name, it was packed with meat. One taste and the broth was genuinely delicious. Being bone-broth based, it had a rich yet deep flavor. The noodles were chewy and the meat generous, and my husband inhaled it, sweating and saying how good it was haha.

We were already full after finishing the noodles, but my husband suddenly said, "Add one bowl of rice." Lolol. He said he'd regret it if we left without soaking rice in the broth. So we ended up adding a bowl of rice and thoroughly finished off the broth with it. Maybe because the broth was simmered so long from bones, it was truly outstanding. The kind of taste that makes you think, "this is what jjamppong broth should taste like~"

Is Hwangbihong worth recommending in Iksan, and what to order next?

I felt great, like I'd discovered a real find in Iksan. Well-known chains are nice, but I get even happier finding a hidden, long-standing gem like this. If anyone asks me, "Where's a good Chinese restaurant in Iksan?" this is the place I'd tell them about.

And my husband has already decided on his next order lol. The seafood siraegi jjamppong we couldn't try today! He says the meat jjamppong was so good that the seafood siraegi jjamppong must be even better, and he's determined to try it next time. He seems pretty disappointed we didn't get to it today haha.

Hwangbihong, a Chinese restaurant in Busong-dong, Iksan that's held its ground for over 20 years. Meat-packed jjamppong, freshly fried old-style tangsuyuk, and handmade chive noodles! All three of us ate happily and left this Iksan Chinese restaurant giving it a big thumbs up. 😊