I suddenly had a craving for jjajangmyeon, so I went around hunting for a place that makes it well. There are a few famous spots in Seoul, and of those I decided on Kaehwa, the easiest Chinese place to get to. It sits right in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong, and it is so well known that it hardly needs an introduction.
Side dishes
The typical Korean-Chinese restaurant lineup.
Tangsuyuk, small
Even the “small” is a bit much for two people, but it was fried nicely. Personally I prefer the style with more meat and a thinner batter, but for most people this is probably about right.
Jjajangmyeon
It is old-school jjajangmyeon, not outstanding so much as solidly done. Jjamppong tends to split sharply between the places that do it well and the ones that do not, whereas jjajang is not like that. Still, it was exactly the style of jjajang I used to eat, so it was a welcome sight. If I had the time, planning a tour of nothing but jjajangmyeon would not be a bad idea, but at my age that is honestly a bit much.
The noodles
Pretty good. Nothing like the soggy, overcooked noodles at a neighborhood Chinese joint.
Oyster jjamppong with garlic chives, mild
It is winter, so I could not skip the oyster jjamppong and ordered a bowl. If you want it in the usual jjamppong style, you would have to order the spicy version. The broth was clean and refreshing and there were plenty of oysters in it, so it was delicious. I expect I will be thinking about it again next winter.
The noodles
The noodles were good here as well. I have been surprised by how many places in Korea serve bad noodles, but this is not one of them. Of course the original oyster jjamppong comes from somewhere else, and there are plenty of places said to do it well, but either way I left satisfied. The jjajangmyeon is good too, which makes it even better.
Kaehwa is a Korean-style Chinese restaurant, conveniently located and tasty besides. That must be why tourists and locals alike pack the place. It would be a good spot to take visitors from abroad. These days the Korean Wave is everywhere, so there are plenty of foreigners who want to try jjajangmyeon.
Hot chocolate and a champagne truffle at Teuscher
The second stop was Teuscher. Compared with the price of their chocolates, the hot chocolate is not expensive at all, the same as at an ordinary coffee shop. The champagne truffle came to over 3,000 won, as expected. Even so, it would be hard to find hot chocolate this good anywhere around here. It was a little thin to call it a proper chocolat chaud (compared with Leonidas in Sindorim, where you can get a really thick one), but it was plenty tasty all the same. It is not overly sweet either, so it never feels heavy. If only it were closer, I would drop by often.