Sinrakwon: Gwangju"s Home for Jajangmyeon
Posted by GwangJu (at 2012/01/09 09:00)
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Whenever I think of Korean comfort food, the first thing that comes to mind is always 자장면 (jajangmyeon). The origins of this insanely popular dish are a little sketchy, but it does appear to have its roots in China. This would explain why every single Chinese restaurant in Korea has it listed at the very top of their menus.
When a friend of mine first invited me to go with her to the "best jajangmyeon place in Gwangju", I couldn't help but be a little cautious of her claims. After doing a little more research, I found out that 신락원 (Sinrakwon) was actually one of the highest rated places among Koreans for jajangmyeon, which is what ultimately convinced me to go. We went to the well-known location in 상무 (Sangmu).
Now, if you're not a fan of jajangmyeon, all hope is not lost. The restaurant's menu is gigantic, and has all sorts of different dishes to fit anyone's tastes. To add a big plus to the situation, the menu does have English translations. We ordered the beef jajangmyeon with a small order of 탕수육 (tangsuyuk), also known as sweet and sour pork.
After we placed our orders, the waitress was quick to bring out the usual sides for jajangmyeon, including kimchi, pickled radishes, raw onions with a side of black bean sauce, and even some pickled peppers, which is something I haven’t had at too many places. Depending on when you go, or who your waitress is, you may get your complimentary dessert platter consisting of crackers and sweets before your meal. The table also gets a large pot of hot tea, which is always welcome with such a heavy meal.
The tangsuyuk came out first. The sheer size of it left me wondering if we’d even have enough room left for the main course. I can’t even begin to imagine how big the large order would have been. I’ve never been a huge fan of tangsuyuk, as the sweet sauce can sometimes be a bit much for people like me who don’t like sweets in large amounts, but the one at this restaurant was pretty good. While the sauce was still sweet, the pieces of pork were good and crispy. It was also full of lots of different types of vegetables, which really added a nice contrast to the dish.
Before I knew it, the main dish had come out. It was interesting to see that the waitress served the noodles separately from the sauce. I also noticed that the sauce was a little more brown than the usual dark variation I had grown used to. After spooning on the sauce, cutting the noodles, and mixing everything together, I finally dove in to see what everyone had been making such a big fuss about. It was absolutely delicious. I don’t even know if I can really compare this restaurant’s jajangmyeon to all of the other ones I’ve tried, as there’s something about this particular sauce that makes it different. It was incredibly beefy, and the onions were soft and caramelized, melding all of the flavors into this tasty sauce that I could eat on its own.
All in all, 신락원 (Sinrakwon) is definitely a place worth checking out if you’re looking for something a little different from the norm, or if you’re just someone who just enjoys a nice bowl of jajangmyeon like I do.
Address: 광주광역시 서구 치평동 1211-8
Phone: 062-383-6849
Website: http://www.cityfood.co.kr/h9/sinrakone
Note: This place can be somewhat difficult to find, especially since the front sign is in Chinese. Your best bet would be to look for the BoNo sign instead. It is located on a small street somewhere behind the Starbox sauna.
::: Comments :::
not sure but the post on the "new year" tea party hosted by mannam caught my attention. they received a good deal of negative press on a fairly prominent expat blog:
http://thethreewisemonkeys.com/2011/10/24/branding-korea-how-about-culture-shock-day-with-mannam-part-2/
I had a similarly WEIRD experience with them and would advise people to spend their saturday doing something other than getting molested by a shadowy, strange, "volunteer" organization ...