Someone in my circle keeps calling spontaneous get-togethers at Yonghwa Banjeom, so I got to go back again. There aren’t many Chinese restaurants in Korea that are this good, so it seems fine to make it a regular thing.
The spread
The century eggs and cilantro are so good, but you can’t lose your pace this early on.
Today’s sponsored drink
Kinmen kaoliang liquor at 58% ABV, flown in from Taiwan. Even the aroma was on another level.
Five-spice braised pork
It’s gotten even better than before. I’d be grateful with just this one plate as a drinking snack, but dishes even tastier than this kept coming out.
Yangjangpi
You break the yolk and mix it all together. The ingredients have a real wok-fire flavor, and the balance of flavors is just right.
Sea cucumber
I was impressed when I had it last time too, but today it was even better. The sea cucumber was fresh, but the sauce was truly a work of art. Getting a dish like this at this price is practically a steal.
Jachungyeol (fried spring rolls)
Maybe because it’s on the oily side, it went really well with the Kinmen kaoliang.
Menbosha
Shrimp paste sandwiched between bread and deep-fried. Somehow it tasted a bit like tod mun goong. I’d been curious about this dish, and it was as good as I’d hoped.
Kkanpunggi
Apparently there’s a famous kkanpunggi place somewhere in Seoul, but once you’ve had it here, you don’t feel any need to go anywhere else.
Stir-fried pork with garlic scapes
Came out nicely stir-fried.
Japchae
I was full, but there was no way I could leave any of it.
Fried rice
Fried rice with plenty of wok-fire flavor.
Jjamppong
The broth was so refreshing. Great for a hangover.
It’s far, so it’s hard to go often, but it’s a place I want to drop by whenever I get the chance. I hope another chance comes soon.
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