I headed over to the Yongsan area for the first time in ages, and wow, it has changed. There are now enough good places to eat that it holds its own against Seongsu or Mullae. It always had a bit of that feel, but I never expected it to transform like this in such a short time..

Wandering around, there were plenty of places that looked good, and after agonizing over where to eat I settled on a place called LAO PIAK.

The place

It looked like the kitchen is staffed mainly by women from Laos.

The menu

Since I was here I had to order the signature dish, so I got the khao piak. They told me the fresh noodles weren’t available.

The table

Nice and tidy.

Khao piak

Honestly, telling Laotian, Vietnamese and Thai rice noodles apart is no easy job for my palate, but this place’s rice noodle soup came loaded with toppings and the broth was incredibly clean and refreshing. I was very happy with it.

Khua phak bung

Pork jowl stir-fried together with morning glory.

Sticky rice

I’d heard it’s good if you mix the sticky rice into the khua phak bung, so I tried it that way – tasty, sure, but a little sweet for my palate.

LAO PIAK Mangwon

Anyway, a good meal. My impression is that this is a solid Southeast Asian noodle place.

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