Sandong Gyojagwan in Apgujeong is a restaurant that uses good ingredients, cooks with care, and charges a reasonable (which is to say, not cheap) price for it. Even if it is a bit pricey, it is nowhere near hotel-Chinese-restaurant levels, so it is well known among gourmets who put taste first. The place is tiny, tucked away in a back alley full of eateries, and the owner is on the prickly side, but I suspect that very Midnight Diner-like atmosphere is part of why foodies love it so much.
The table setting
Neat and tidy.
Side dishes
There is zha cai, so a quick glass of kaoliang liquor with that as a nibble before the food arrives works nicely.
Ohyang jangyuk
In great shape. The kaoliang went down way too easily.
A shrimp dish
It has been so long that I cannot remember the exact name or taste of this dish, so bear with me. I enjoyed this one too. The ingredients are really good.
Boiled dumplings
I prefer Pyeonuibang’s myself, but the boiled dumplings here are very substantial too.
A soup dish
After inhaling all that liquor and food, I needed a bit of soup as well.
Fried rice
Overall every dish was good, in a style that goes easy on the seasoning. I really liked it. The only problem is that, Chinese restaurant or not, it is hard to get a group of more than four in here. The hours are not long, so it does not really work as a second stop; it is best when you are around Apgujeong and want a simple meal and a drink as the first stop of the night.
Gelato
For dessert I bought gelato at the newly opened Italian-run gelato shop in Garosu-gil. The quality was excellent this time, but from my next visit on it dropped off a cliff. I have no idea how the taste can change so suddenly..
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