Chinese restaurant in Paju for octopus jjamppong: Dolpanseok

I want to introduce a great Paju Simhaksan spot that was exactly my jjamppong-loving companion's kind of place. We went back again before even a week had passed after this visit. It has not been open long, but word has already really gotten around. It serves jjamppong on a hot stone plate over nurungji (scorched rice), so you can finish with a hearty rice porridge, too.

What are the location and parking like?

There is plenty of parking right in front of the building entrance. Lotte Outlet and Paju Book City are nearby, so it seems easy to eat here and then go shopping or visit a café nearby.

The restaurant uses the entire building you see here, so it is quite large.

Restaurant atmosphere and self-service corner

There are partitioned, U-shaped seating areas and an open hall in the middle. The tables themselves are large, so even with lots of dishes spread out, they never felt cramped.

The self-service corner has the basic danmuji (pickled radish), chunjang (black bean paste), and onion, while you can take as much green onion kimchi as you like. The rice cooker on the right is there for anyone to have unlimited bowls of rice at no extra charge. I thought that was wonderfully generous.

Ordering stone-plate jjamppong and the Donchitang set

There are so many menu items; I put the detailed menu in the video. We chose the medium stone-plate jjamppong with the Donchitang set. Since it comes with fried pork tangsuyuk and chicken gangjeong, the set is much easier on the budget if several people are visiting.

There are different ways to eat the stone-plate jjamppong and stone-plate jajangmyeon. The kind staff explain it when they bring the food out, but it is good to go over it once more like this.

The basic sides are thin danmuji, onions that have had some of their sharpness taken out, and chunjang. They go together so well.

Stone-plate jjamppong with extra octopus

Every time we come, we add octopus for ₩5,000. It already includes squid, scallops, mussels, and more with their shells removed, but the octopus seems to make the flavor even richer. The appeal is that, because it is on a stone plate, it stays hot until the very last bite.

First, cut up the octopus. Then simply lift the noodles onto the bean sprouts without scraping the bottom, and the prep before eating is done.

They give you a large octopus, so the extra ₩5,000 never feels like a waste.

When food is very hot, you often cannot really taste it, but this broth is quite deep. Even without adding octopus, it comes with a wide variety of seafood.

How was the Donchitang set?

The set costs less than ordering the items individually, while the portions are the same.

Chicken tangsuyuk is on the left, and pork tangsuyuk is on the right. This place feels like a fried-food specialist. I heard the menbosha (fried shrimp toast) is good here too, so I want to try that next time. Perhaps they use wet breadcrumbs, because the texture is really distinct. Our preferences split: I liked the pork, while my companion liked the chicken. So ordering a half-and-half combination together seems like a satisfying way to enjoy it.

They use chicken thigh and pork loin, and the cross-sections show that they are packed full of meat.

I tend to eat lots of danmuji with Chinese food, and I was grateful that these slices were thin and easy to eat. We are comfortable with roughly the heat level of Buldak 볶음면, just about that level. It is not cloying or sweet even if you eat a lot, so I kept going back for more. Especially, all those bean sprouts were completely my thing. Mixing it all together does not make it bland.

Making nurungji porridge with the remaining broth

When this much is left, scrape up the nurungji at the bottom and you end up with a truly generous amount of porridge. Mix it a little sooner for that nurungji texture, or leave it longer before mixing for something more like softened porridge.

By the exit, they offer barley gangjeong (crispy puffed-grain snack) and yogurt as a complimentary service. Details like these make it seem that they put a lot of thought into their customers. The crisp gangjeong and yogurt made me feel nicely full.

From the first springy noodles to the final porridge, there is so much to enjoy that I am thinking about it even as I write this. If you are looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Paju, I would recommend Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch. On my next visit, I will give the stone-plate jajangmyeon a try.