Garosu-gil Chinese restaurant with a round-table lunch: Samsin

I visited Samsin Garosu-gil, a hot spot for Chinese course meals in Garosu-gil. The interior caught my eye from afar because it was so flashy, and with the Tokyo tangsuyuk I had been curious about plus xiaolongbao in the course, it was just right for lunch.

A flashy restaurant atmosphere

Samsin Garosu-gil has a pretty lavish interior.

Even the entrance is a little unusual, and it feels a touch upscale rather than like a typical Chinese restaurant.

I thought it would be nice for a date or a get-together, too.

The whole concept feels like it really puts effort into the interior, so it was fun to look around from the moment I walked in. A golden dragon welcomes you, haha.

We sat at a round table, and it felt somewhat enclosed—almost like a private room—which I liked!

Everyone had left before break time, so I got to look around the different rooms. Even the basic tableware is gold-toned, so it seems like a good place for hosting guests too, haha.

Samsin Lunch Course A

Since I came for a Chinese course meal in Garosu-gil, I looked over the courses first.

Lunch Course A includes Sokcho snow crab soup, two handmade xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Tokyo tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried pork), and a choice of Taean potato jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) or meat jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), followed by dessert. It seemed very reasonably priced, so I ordered it!

I had originally been curious about the Tokyo tangsuyuk and xiaolongbao, and since both came with the course, I chose it right away. It would be good to check the lunch-course ordering time ahead of time, before break time. When I visited, it felt like around 15:00 was the last time to order lunch.

There is a wide range of alcohol too, from soju and beer to makgeolli and whisky.

Side dishes and accompaniments

As with a Chinese course, the dishes came out one by one to enjoy in sequence, though I was a little disappointed that the side dishes did not include zhacai. They were offering free corkage as an opening event, so I asked to cork a bottle of wine and they brought wine glasses and an opener!

Overall, the clean interior and course setup made it easy to focus on the food.

They started us with soup, which was nice for settling the stomach before the meal.

It was savory and full of umami!

The xiaolongbao were full of juices, so I had to eat them carefully, haha. If you eat one in a bite, the juices can come pouring out, so I recommend letting them cool slightly first.

From Tokyo tangsuyuk to jajangmyeon and jjamppong

My personal favorite of everything I had that day was, of course, the Tokyo tangsuyuk.

I had heard that Samsin was known for its tangsuyuk, so I was curious.

Once I tried it, I understood why it is a signature dish. The sauce and fried coating worked well together, and it was the dish that stayed with me most.

One slight disappointment: I am not sure whether the person who brought it over was the owner or simply not the main server, but it was unclear whether they were meant to do the presentation or not... haha.

For the Tokyo tangsuyuk, it seemed like the main point was watching the butter melt and hearing the sauce sizzle as it was poured over, but they did not show that part. Another staff member came over later and explained it, haha.

For the noodles, you choose either jajangmyeon or jjamppong, and we picked one of each to try.

Both the jajangmyeon and jjamppong were easy, dependable choices.

But they did not just end up being ordinary—each dish had a subtle little kick, which made them fun to eat.

Dessert came at the end too, making for a sweet finish, and the course felt quite substantial for a Chinese meal in Garosu-gil.

My overall take on Samsin Garosu-gil

When I visited, there was free corkage as an opening event, so it may be worth checking out for anyone looking for free corkage in Gangnam. If you want to enjoy a leisurely Chinese course meal in Garosu-gil, I recommend Samsin Garosu-gil!