Sanghaeru, the Chinese restaurant in the basement of the Electro Mart in Sinnonhyeon, is a place that made its name in Dongtan. Well, anyone in Korea who has eaten a fair amount of Chinese food probably knows it. Seeing something like this, Shinsegae’s power really is something.

It’s in a basement, but it was way bigger than I expected and packed with people. Hard to believe this is possible in the age of COVID..

There are all sorts of things on the menu, but even the cheapest course looked like plenty in both portion and flavor, so that’s what we ordered. If you want to order a bit of everything at a Chinese restaurant but can’t get four people together, a course works nicely.

Side dishes

The zha cai was good, so I had it refilled several times. When peanuts show up at a Chinese restaurant, somehow you end up drinking a bit more beer..

Cold platter

Maybe because they had only just opened, the serving felt a little all over the place, but the food, from the appetizers right through to dessert, was satisfying all the way. Just as I’d expected, I thought.

Crab meat soup

A soup absolutely loaded with crab meat, and so good. Warm and complex. I’d happily come back just for this.

Stir-fried crab meat

The crab meat does overlap within the course, but it’s delicious all the same. Even putting in this much crab meat, is there anything left over for them? It makes you worry about the restaurant..

Palbochae, I think..

You can tell they use good ingredients.

Beef

Not harsh at all, and tasty.

Jjamppong

Absolutely loaded with seafood.

Dessert

Even though we ordered the cheap course, there’s nothing to fault in the taste. I imagine that if we’d ordered one of the higher courses, everything would have come out just as good. The price is good, the taste is good, it’s all good, but since they’d just opened the service wasn’t entirely smooth, and the small tables and the sheer number of guests may divide opinion. Some people probably like that kind of atmosphere, though.. Anyway, the food is a sure thing, so it’s a place I’d like to come back to often when I get the chance.

Ade

I heard that if you eat at Sanghaeru and then go up to the cafe on the floor above, the coffee is cheap.. and I went and ordered something other than coffee.. living a life of missed bargains..

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