While the Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong area is known for hipster cafes and youthful spots, there’s a hidden Korean Chinese restaurant waiting to be discovered. Enter Pyeonuibang (편의방), a Korean-Chinese restaurant known for its dumplings.
Korean Chinese Food in Hongdae
Pyeonuibang (편의방) is located in an alley in Yeonnam-dong and has appeared on Korean TV a couple of times for their dumplings.
The restaurant itself isn’t very big but had quite a decent number of tables. You can also spot lots of decorations that reminded us of CNY. Maybe because of its location, the restaurant didn’t have a huge crowd for lunch.
Menu at Pyeonuibang (편의방)
You can find items like Jjajangmyeon (6,000won), Oyster Jjamppong (9,000won – only in winter), and Kkanpungi (25,000won).
The menu is placed on the wall entirely in Korean, so for those who can’t read Korean, a translator app might be useful here.
Jjajangmyeon
Since we’re at a Korean Chinese restaurant, we couldn’t resist ordering a bowl of Jjajangmyeon. It was served with lots of ingredients, such as onions, potatoes, and carrots. We did hope for a deeper black bean sauce flavour, but we can imagine how some might like this.
Steamed Fish Dumplings
With their dumplings so well-known, we had to order a plate of Steamed Fish Dumplings (9,000won). There were 8pcs, and it’s served alongside some cilantro and mustard sauce.
While dumplings are a pretty common dish in Korea, they usually contain pork or kimchi – fish was a first for us. The fish dumplings also didn’t contain glass noodles, a common ingredient in Korean dumplings.
The dumplings contained mackerel (we might be wrong) but didn’t have an ounce of fishiness to them. The skin-to-filling ratio was just nice, with the dumpling skin having a chewy texture. It was a light and addictive dish, with a moist center filling.
Make sure to dip them in the mustard sauce, a very interesting combination!
Hidden Korean Chinese Restaurant in Yeonnam-dong
If you find yourself staying in the Hongdae or Yeonnam-dong area, why not set aside some time during lunch/dinner to try some steamed fish dumplings. You might even come across something interesting in these alleys.
For more Korea-related articles: https://middleclass.sg/korea
Pyeonuibang (편의방)
353-94 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Mon-Sun, 11am-9pm
Nearest Subway: Hongik Univ Station (Line 2, Exit 3)
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
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