Cheung Kee Noodle House has moved from Hongdae to Itaewon. For details, check Nokjang’s blog http://hsong.egloos.com/3368583~
A member of a club I’m active in opened a restaurant in Hongdae around mid-March, and I was invited to the tasting event. It’s a wonton specialist called Cheung Kee Noodle House, right in front of the playground park. I heard it’s a great place from Hong Kong that earned a Michelin star for its wontons.
Front entrance
Given the location, it’s very easy to find. I thought they might be using both the first and second floors; they aren’t, but there are quite a few seats inside. Wonton noodles are a kind of fast food, so I guess they don’t need a lot of space.
Tables
Nice and clean. It seems to reflect the owner’s taste well.
During the opening event…
…and they even gave us a thoughtful little notice saying so. And yet I’m only posting this now (sob). I really need to clear out my backlog of posts.
Menu
It turns out there was more menu on the back, which I didn’t get a photo of. The wontons come in shrimp and pork, and the dry noodles are eaten topped with zhajiang sauce and braised beef. You can order the braised beef on its own as an extra, and it’s great with drinks too. Apparently you can also put it on the wonton noodles, but I didn’t try that. There are authentic Chinese sides that are hard to find in Korea, like stir-fried choy sum and gai lan, but they’re a bit pricey, so I’m not sure how satisfying people will find them. Then again, since nobody in Korea carries them, they grow the vegetables themselves in a greenhouse, and when you think of that effort the price doesn’t seem so bad. For drinks, small bottles of beer are available. The menu looks a little short for now, but I’m sure they’ll fill it out bit by bit as they go.
The wonton master who came from the main shop
They called him Master Lam, and he’s apparently been making nothing but wontons for over 40 years. Thanks to him, that day I got to eat authentic Hong Kong food that’s really hard to find in Korea. Someone who had actually been to Hong Kong even said it was better than the main shop there, and, well… I could see how that might be true.
The name board brought over from the main shop
Hanging a board with their own family name, 麥奀家, shows just how proud they are of their wontons.
Choy sum, gai lan
People used to free vegetables in Korea may wonder whether it’s worth paying for them, but the taste itself is good. Eating these exotic greens, you can maybe enjoy the feeling of having been to Hong Kong. Not that I’ve ever been…
Braised beef
I think the real hit of the day was the braised beef. I’m quite fond of stews, nimono and braised dishes like this, and this one, braised the Chinese way to come out nicely salty, had a special charm of its own. It’s good on top of the dry noodles, and on its own it’s a fantastic drinking snack. The only pity is that Cheung Kee only has beer and doesn’t sell baijiu, which would go so well with a strongly seasoned dish like this. Maybe I should get it to go…
Shrimp wonton noodles
This is Cheung Kee’s signature dish. The shrimp in the shrimp wontons are wonderfully plump and springy. The bowl looked small, but there are plenty of noodles, and one bowl filled me up nicely. I think it could become one of Hongdae’s specialities.
They even served us some shrimp wontons on their own.
How kind… The broth is clean and refreshing too, and I think it would be perfect as a hangover cure. If I lived nearby I’d probably come here often on weekends to nurse a hangover. One thing, though: the egg noodles look thin, but some people said they seem to swell up in your stomach once you eat them, so you get full very quickly, which was a bit much for them. If you’re not confident about the portion, I’d recommend ordering the mini size and adding a side dish.
Sui gaau
These are wontons with pork in them, and they have a different appeal from the clean taste of the shrimp ones. I’d recommend trying them separately rather than getting the mixed bowl.
Today’s sponsored drink
Normally you’re not supposed to bring your own alcohol, but since the place is run by someone we know, we drank the Kinmen kaoliang liquor a friend who came with us had brought. I’d only heard the name of Kinmen kaoliang, and it really is something. It’s close to 60% alcohol, yet until it passes down your throat it leaves nothing in your mouth but smoothness and a rich aroma. It was easier to drink than 20% soju. Once it goes down your gullet, though, it really burns all the way… Premium Chinese liquor is fun too. If I ever get the chance to go to China, I’d like to pick up a bottle. I’d have to be careful to avoid fakes, though.
Zhajiang noodles
I suppose you’d call it the origin of Korean jajangmyeon. It’s an interesting taste, but the wontons and the braised beef were so impressive that it got a bit overshadowed.
I ate really, really well that day. I’ve heard the place is doing good business, which makes me feel a little less guilty about posting this so late ^_^ I need to get all my backlog posted and get back to a normal pace. If I’m not managing one post a day, feel free to call me out. I’ll post right away.