I went to a tasty Chinese restaurant near Samgakji. Hongma Banjeom is a name made by combining Hong Kong Banjeom + Macau Banjeom, and it’s a neighborhood Chinese place created by someone who is hugely famous in Korea for his franchises. The menu is similar to a typical neighborhood Chinese joint but also different, and the dishes that came out were definitely made properly. It shows that even a franchise is worth eating at if it’s a good one.
Namsan Tower
I took this on the way. A photographer should always carry a camera, right?
The ark
I heard it was bought in Israel. A lovely ornament.
Inside the ark
Noah’s Ark is meticulously recreated inside too. I enjoyed looking at it.
Guo bao rou
Unusually for a neighborhood Chinese place, they had some special dishes. Inside the guo bao rou there was something more like chashu than ordinary pork. The sweetness of the sauce stands out a bit, but the batter was thin and crispy and the meat was tasty too. I wouldn’t call it authentic Chinese, but it’s a satisfying dish.
Tangsuyuk
Very similar in style to the guo bao rou, but for me the guo bao rou was better. Probably because of the difference in size.
Fried mandu
Dedicated to the Mandu Road. Not bad for dumplings from a neighborhood Chinese place.
The soup that comes with the Peking duck
It’s jjamppong broth. The kimchi in it seems to make it even more refreshing. There’s a very faint smoky wok flavor too, and while it’s not at the level of a famous restaurant, it’s far beyond the neighborhood Chinese standard. I could polish off a whole bowl of rice with just this. Seems like it’d be good for a hangover too.
Peking duck
This is the one dish you have to order the day before.. At 23,000 won for a whole duck, it’s incredibly cheap. At a regular Chinese restaurant it’s about 60,000 won. As expected, the skin is delicious. Great value for money, and compared with the uniformly bland neighborhood Chinese places, it’s really quite excellent. I ate like crazy. Maybe because it’s popular, people from the neighborhood kept pouring in.
Kkanpunggi
It was a bit spicy. Not bad, but it didn’t wow me like the guo bao rou did.
Pickles
I took a photo because it was unusual to get pickles at a Chinese restaurant.
Jjajangmyeon
They say Hong Kong Banjeom specializes in jjajangmyeon and Macau Banjeom in jjamppong, but at Hongma Banjeom you can order both. Not bad, but nothing distinctive.
Jjamppong-bap
The jjamppong is tastier than the jjajangmyeon. Maybe my standards for jjajangmyeon are too high.
There are noodles too
It’s not just rice inside, there are noodles as well.
I really enjoyed it, but it’s a neighborhood Chinese place with the limits that come with that, so there’s no need to go out of your way to get there from far off. If you ever find yourself eating around Yongsan/Samgakji, drop by..