One of my favorite cuisines growing up in Korea was Chinese, or more precisely a type of Korean Chinese cuisine developed by the ethnic Chinese people in Korea over time. A delicious bowl of jajangmeyon (a noodle made with sweet bean sauce (chunjang)) and tangsuyuk (a deep fried pork or beef with sweet and sour sauce) absolutely made my day. When my wife Jun and I were in Korea last month, we wanted to check out at least one Chinese restaurant. A close friend of ours who shares our passion for food recommended that we check out Gyehyanggak. I was a little hesitate at first because the focus at the restaurant seemed to be authentic Chinese food from the Qing Dynasty years, not the Korean Chinese one that I used to eat. In the end, we decided to go to the restaurant with Jun’s sister, and I was glad we made the trip.

I didn’t know until my friend mentioned the restaurant but the chef Shin Gye-sook is a big deal in Chinese food research based on a cookbook from the Qing Dynasty named Suwon-Sikhan. She also became a mini celebrity after appearing in the popular Culinary Class Wars show. While there was no jajangmyeon or tangsuyuk on the menu, we had plenty to enjoy from the fairly expansive menu. It seems Dongpo pork (a type of braised pork belly) has quickly become the restaurant’s signature menu, and while I tend to like pork belly chewy, this dish’s tender texture won all of us over. Jun and I are fans of spicy Chinese dishes, and Gyehyanggak certainly didn’t disappoint in that department. Another popular dish from the menu called Laziji (spicy Sichuan chicken made by deep-frying small pieces of chicken and stir-frying them with dried red chilies) was numbingly spicy in our palate but somehow I couldn’t stop eating this, especially with a glass of Chinese Baiju. The steamed fish with minced red chilies is also not to be missed if you are looking for a deliciously spicy dish. If you want to neutralize all the spicy flavor somewhat, I highly recommend going forward the nurungji (scorched rice) stew with seafood. The stew’s soothing, aromatic flavor delivered perfect balance against the other dishes. By the way, the fried rice dish that we ordered on the side to go along with the steamed fish was also sneaky good that it would be considered a star dish on its own. Before we went to Gyehyanggak, our friend who recommended the restaurant said no matter what we do, we have to eat the candied sweet potatoes (ba si di gua) for dessert. It’s very similar to the mattang dish that I enjoyed growing up, but the caramel that was coating the potatoes was indeed so delightfully sweet that I couldn’t stop nibbling on it even after the potatoes were gone.

Getting a reservation at Gyehyanggak wasn’t as challenging as some of the other places we visited in Seoul, but it is still a popular restaurant so booking a table in advance is highly recommended. If you want to try Baiju and other alcoholic beverages from China, you are at the right place. We ordered a bottle of Baiju that very nicely paired with all the rich and spicy dishes from the dinner. The service was friendly and efficient, and I also liked the darkly lit dining space overlooking the kitchen. If you are looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant that delivers with delicious dishes that are also great for sharing with friends and family in a casual setting, Gyehyanggak is a worthy dining destination in Seoul.

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Address: 86, Dongsung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

Website: https://www.instagram.com/gaehyanggak/

Reservation via CatchTable (Korea’s online reservation app)