Cycle 4 – Item 308

9 (Sat) November 2013

Mul Naeng Myeon

3.5

at Samwon Garden

-Sinsa, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

Arriving safely from my trip to Cairo, I had mul naeng myeon for dinner, as per homecoming protocol.  We went to Samwon Garden, one of our favorite restaurants.

Officially, Samwon Garden doesn’t specify any regional denomination for their MNM.  In a prior post, I referred to it as “Seoul style,” reflecting something of a comprise position between the classic Pyongyang and Hamheung styles, in the broth – beefy yet sweetish -and in the noodles – buckwheat yet chewy.  But that would describe the MNM at Woo Lae Oak and Kangseo Myun Oak , which both proclaim to be guardians of the flame.  Whatever, close enough.  As I’ve concluded before, they’re all just vague echoes of a dish that once existed up north but has since divergently evolved into different forms up north and here in the south.

In any case, the Samwon Garden MNM represents mainstream perfection.  If I had to introduce MNM to a foreigner for the first time, Samwon Garden is where I’d go.  Not entirely my thing, as I tend to prefer drier broth and doughier noodles, but still excellent.

(See also MUL NAENG MYEON)

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)