I was asked recently how I decide what restaurant or food to feature since I don’t post everything I eat like some food bloggers. The answer is pretty simple: I feature one of the 200+ restaurants that I visited this past summer but only if it made an impression on me—collectively with their food, service, and history. For example, yesterday, I had a massive craving for jjajangmyeon, so I made the trek over to Jegi-dong only to find a popular place closed. Disappointed, actually angered, this made me think of Younghwaroo in/near Seochon Village and their spicy jjajangmyeon. But they’re on the other side of town, so that was out of the question and thus this feature.

Looking back, it was a memorable experience at Younghwaroo because I remember their gochu jjajangmyeon numbing my senses, which led to mild euphoria and profuse sweating (thanks to the Cheongyang peppers). Nonetheless, it had a very addicting quality to it so the entire bowl was cleared in minutes. The tangsuyuk was solid; tangy sweet sauce with crispy, meaty pork pieces. Put together, it was a highly satisfying meal that ranks with the best of them. The spicy jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk were 9,000 and 18,000 won, respectively.

Korean-Chinese restaurants have a bad reputation for being on the unhygienic side. You won’t have that problem here. Allowed to observe and record kitchen operations, the staff are pretty meticulous when it comes to food safety and sanitation. That’s one of the reasons they’ve been around for 50 years.

Food: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Service: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Ambiance: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Value: ★★★½ out of 5 stars

Younghawroo 영화루

Noha-dong 25-1, Jongro-gu (종로구 누하동 25-1 )

Phone: 02-738-1218

Hours: Open every day 11:00 am ~ 9:30 pm, break time 3:00 ~ 5:00 pm

Click here for an interactive map: http://naver.me/5qs5UnAW