Korean take on a Chinese dish.
Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) is a popular Korean-Chinese fusion noodle dish. It is made with a thick black bean paste sauce, diced pork, vegetables and noodles. It is also one of the representative takeout food in Korea. Watch a Korean drama and chances are that you might have seen a scene of the character ordering takeout jjajangmyeon. The dish is often served with a side of raw sliced onions and danmuji (단무지), or pickled radish.
One of the more popular places to get your fix of jjajangmyeon is Hongkong Banjeom. Here, they specialize in 3 main dishes, mainly jjajangmyeon(noodles with black bean sauce), jjamppong(짬뽕, noodles with a spicy broth) and tangsuyuk (탕수육), or fried pork. The black bean sauce packs a punch with its strong fragrance and taste. You can usually find a generous serving of onions in the sauce, which contributes heavily to the flavour.
Another popular Korean-Chinese dish is jjamppong. It is a a spicy noodle soup usually served with seafood. It has its origins from traditional Chinese cuisine, but has since then evolved to suit Koreans’ tastebuds. The common ingredients include mussels, squids, prawns and lean pork. This is the reason why jjamppong usually costs more than jjajangmyeon. There is also a variation of this dish in the Japanese port city of Nagasaki!
These two noodle dishes are usually enjoyed together with a plate of tangsuyuk, or fried pork slices. As such, most jjajangmyeon restaurants usually offer set menus for the noodle dish together with tangsuyuk at a discounted price.
Hongkong Banjeom is also conveniently located at many places around Seoul. There are franchises located at hotspots such as Myeongdong, Hongdae and Sinchon. Prices are also very competitive, with both noodle dishes coming in at less than 5,000KRW each, and tangsuyuk at 9,500KRW for a plate big enough for at least 2 people.
How to get to the Sinchon outlet:
Take the subway to Sinchon Station on Line 2 and head towards Exit 3. After exiting the station, walk straight for about 100m until you reach a major 4-way intersection, turn right and walk straight for 20m. The store is located on the 2nd floor of Gyeong-o Building on the left.
- Address: Seodaemun-gu, Myeongmul-gil 19, Gyeong-o Building 2nd Floor
- Subway: Sinchon Station, Line 2, Exit 3
- Opening Hours: 1100 ~ 2230
- Website: http://www.zzambbong.com
- Contact Number: +82 02-549-3864
- Email: NA
How to get to the Myeongdong outlet:
Take the subway to Myeongdong Station on Line 4 and head towards Exit 8. Turn left upon exiting the station and walk along the busy shopping street for about 200m and you should see the store on the right.
- Address: 32-1 Myeongdong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Subway: Myeongdong Station, Line 4, Exit 8
- Opening Hours: 1100 ~ 2230
- Website: http://www.zzambbong.com
- Contact Number: +82 02-778-0410
- Email: NA
Words From A Korea Insider 