Jongno Chinese restaurant with eggplant and shumai: Cheonghwawon

I found Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점) while looking for somewhere to eat in Hyehwa ✨ I was craving something a little different from my usual choices, so I decided to go in.

The menu ranges from knife-cut noodles to dim sum and fried eggplant, so it was great for ordering a few different things to share.

If you like Chinese or Taiwanese food in Hyehwa, this felt like a Daehangno restaurant worth trying at least once 😊

A wide range of Chinese dishes near Hyehwa Station

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is close to Hyehwa Station, so it is pretty easy to get to. When you have plans for a play or a date in Daehangno, choosing a restaurant can be a task in itself, right? Especially on weekends, everywhere is crowded and I end up debating the menu for ages.

Cheonghwawon has plenty of choices, from noodles and dim sum to larger dishes, so it looked like a comfortable place for groups to choose a meal 🙌 Its location is also quite handy for anyone looking for a filling meal before or after a performance in Daehangno.

Hot, juicy shumai

The first thing I tried was the shumai (steamed dumplings) 💛 I picked one up as soon as it arrived piping hot, and the generous filling made it more substantial than I expected.

The wrapper was not too thick and the filling was moist, making these perfect to pick at before the mains arrived. They were bite-sized, not heavy, and not overly seasoned, so I kept reaching for more.

If you visit Cheonghwawon, I would recommend adding an order of dim sum rather than ordering noodles alone ✨

Crispy yet tender fried eggplant

And the dish that really made an impression on me was the fried eggplant 🔥 Even if you are not a huge eggplant fan, it can be a different story when it is fried, right?

The outside was crisp while the eggplant inside was soft and juicy, and that contrast in texture was so good. I think even people who dislike eggplant's usual squishy texture could enjoy this more easily!

The sauce added savory depth, and I kept picking up piece after piece 😋 If you are visiting with several people and want to add a side dish, I would recommend the fried eggplant.

Filling beef stir-fried noodles

For our main, we ordered beef stir-fried noodles. The seasoning was evenly worked through the noodles and there was beef mixed in too, making it quite a filling dish on its own ✨

It had the wok aroma and salty, savory flavor typical of stir-fried noodles, so it was nice to alternate it with the shumai and fried eggplant.

Noodles alone can become a little repetitive, but bites of beef throughout definitely made the dish feel more satisfying.

If you are ordering several dishes to share, adding the beef stir-fried noodles to the mix was a good combination 👍

How the three dishes worked together

The shumai was moist and clean-tasting, the fried eggplant was crisp yet soft, and the beef stir-fried noodles were filling and savory! Since all three had different styles, sharing them was more fun than having just one dish. I was happy with the spread too, since we got to enjoy dim sum, fried food, and noodles all together 🥰

Is it a good meal before or after a Daehangno show?

Hyehwa is somewhere I often visit for plays or dates, but sometimes the same old menus get tiring, right? At times like that, Cheonghwawon was a nice option for enjoying something a little different, such as knife-cut noodles or dim sum ✨ I would recommend it to anyone looking for a filling Daehangno meal near Hyehwa Station or hoping to try several Chinese dishes together.

The fried eggplant especially stayed with me, so if I visit again, I would love to order it again alongside different dim sum 💛