I came back to Korea for Chuseok, and to catch up with friends I set up a meet at a place called Sichuan House in Samseong-dong. It’s no great foodie spot, and I’m not especially into Sichuan food either, but we picked it for the discount coupon and the easy access. It’s a fairly successful chain, so for the price it was reasonably satisfying. I have no plans to go back for now, but if someone wants to go I won’t stop them.
It’s in front of the Oakwood at Samseong Station. It used to be called Red Pepper Republic, so that’s what I went looking for, but the name had changed and I kept circling the area. -_- No idea when it changed..
The lighting inside was absolutely terrible, so the photos didn’t come out well. Then again, it’s a family restaurant, so good photos wouldn’t have made much difference.
Ohyang jangyuk (five-spice braised beef)
Not as good as a specialist ohyang jangyuk place, but perfectly edible. For a family restaurant, this is more than you can ask for.
Hot and sour soup
The broth was a bit sour, but honestly I couldn’t tell whether this counts as hot and sour soup or not. There was nothing you could call a balance with the heat, and it was very ordinary. Then again, this kind of thing will probably go down better in Korea than authentic Sichuan cooking.
Fried rice
I think it was Yangzhou-style fried rice, and it was reliably tasty. When you’re eating spicy food, rice is a must.
Guobaorou
It’s not fair to compare it with a specialist, but it’s way better than the tangsuyuk at a neighborhood Chinese joint.
Mapo tofu
We ordered this one with a coupon a diligent friend had collected. The signature Sichuan heat usually comes from sancho and Sichuan peppercorns, but this mapo tofu barely used those spices at all. So it’s a flavor Koreans are used to, but it didn’t have much to do with the name Sichuan House either.
Forgot the exact name, but chicken stir-fried with chilies
The frying was fine, but the portion was small. It looks like a dish that costs next to nothing in ingredients, so that really hurt..
Stir-fried shrimp
This was about average too. With the dishes done, we moved on to the rice-and-noodle part of the menu.
Dandan noodles
The broth tasted like it was made from peanuts… Dandan noodles do use peanuts, but this was a bit over the top. The noodles were like jjolmyeon noodles.
Stir-fried seafood udon
Thick noodles and a simple recipe make it easy to cook, so it’s hard to go wrong with it anywhere.. At a place like this you should order this kind of dish; ordering something hard to make and then grumbling that it’s bad is kind of silly.. So I was very happy with it.
Jjajangmyeon
I just ordered it on a whim, and it came out about as I expected.. I did think about not ordering something this unsophisticated at a Chinese restaurant, but I’m a bit of an unsophisticated guy to begin with.. You have to own it.
The food was decent and the prices were reasonable. It’d be ideal for a casual get-together. But my stomach can’t handle spicy food, so I probably won’t be going back.