Cycle 14 – Item 183
7 (Fri) July 2023
Pyongyang Naeng Myeon
3.0
-Samseong, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
w MZ
After dropping by the fair, where I met up with HZ, the sales rep for HC, who happens to be in town this week, we went out for lunch.
While wanderings the alleys across from the mall, we happened upon Gyeongpyeong Myeonok, which I’d never heard of.
Gyeongpyeong Myeonok (경평면옥) is a Korean restaurant. Specializes in mul naeng myeon, as well as other northern-style dishes.
I’m always cautious to introduce Pyongyang-style mul naeng myeon to someone who’s never tried the dish, which can seem bland, especially if not done right, even more so if the person is expecting the tangier Hamheung version.
MZ, who’s Chinese, had never tried MNM of any kind, but the idea of eating cold noodles on this scorching hot day appealed to him.
The food was legit. Judging by his facial expressions upon first bite, MZ seemed somewhat surprised by the tastes and textures of both the mandu and MNM, but in a good way – he finished his portions all the way. Even if he had no point of reference, I assured him that the spread was a respectable representation of northern cuisine.
Applying the rating rubric used in my Seoul-Searching project (see SSPYSP):
TOPPINGS: Sliced beef shank + pickled radish + pickled cucumber + boiled egg + sliced scallion.
BROTH: Mild beef flavor, nicely seasoned.
NOODLES: Nicely al dente. Smooth. Little to no buckwheat flavor.
CONCLUSION: A decent representation of modern Pyongyang-style MNM
So happy that Pyongyang-style MNM joints are so ubiquitous nowadays that I run across them at random (see for example 13.214 Mul Naeng Myeon, 13.224 Mul Naeng Myeon), even if some aren’t so great (see for example 14.149 Pyongyang Laeng Myeon).
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
(See also MUL NAENG MYEON)
(See also HANSIK)