16.251 Dried Lamian with Spring Onion Oil

Cycle 16 – Item 251

POST 5,730

13 (Sat) September 2025

Dried Lamian with Spring Onion Oil

4.0

at Crystal Jade Shanghai Palace

(Yongsan I’Park Mall)

-Hangangro, Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W

W had business in the mall (getting her annual “uniform” allotment from All Saints), so I tagged along to check out the hi-fi audio market in ETLand down the street.

Afterwards, we had dinner at Crystal Jade.

Forgot to take a photo of the entrance.

For the life of me, I cannot fathom why they would name private rooms in the restaurant after famous Hong Kong neighborhoods.  The chain is based in Singapore, their signature dish (xiaolongbao) is from Shanghai (in fact, the full name of the restaurant is Crystal Jade Shanghai Palace), and the food overall isn’t Cantonese (as is the cuisine in Hong Kong).  Wondering if the decision was made in ignorance or cynicism (“Nobody’s gonna notice…” – in which case, why bother at all?).

No exaggeration, every table around us had either a bowl of jjajangmyeon and/or a bowl of jjambbong and/or a plate of tangsuyuk, with maybe one other dish, such as xiaolongbao.   Though not surprised, I am thoroughly disappointed that Koreans, even to this day, come to a restaurant like Crystal Jade and insist on ordering everyday Korean-Chinese dishes that can be had at neighborhood delivery joints.  The original menu had not offered such dishes, presumably at HQ’s insistence on keeping it real – local public pressure to add them must’ve been relentless for them to acquiesce.

Shredded Crispy Duck with Pancake (2.5): subpar duck – clearly deep-fried to compensate for its inherent shortcomings – but passable with the wraps and condiments, like a poor man’s Peking Duck.

The food was mostly hit, somewhat miss.  While the intended highlight of the spread was the duck, I was most impressed by the noodles in scallion oil – far more elegant in plating compared to my initial encounter with the dish (see 3.248 La Mian in Scallion Oil) and, even better, far more balanced in flavor with the addition of fresh scallions.  Overall, we were satisfied.

Inspired, I will at long last give this a go at home.

Including tonight, GMTD has featured Crystal Jade in 18 posts at 8 locations, including 1 in Hong Kong, 6 in Korea, and 1 in the Philippines:

Hong Kong

  1. Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (2.332 Xiaolongbao)

Korea

  1. Crystal Jade Shanghai Delights (Apgujeong) (Hyundai Department Store) (3.187 Xiaolongbao) (3.213 Ddanddan Myeon) (4.260 Shanghai-Style Jjajang Myeon) (7.096 Xiaolongbao) (14.279 Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage, Mushroom & Chicken)
  2. Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (Myeong) (3.248 La Mian in Scallion Oil) (3.279 La Mian in Scallion Oil) (4.122 Xiaolongbao) (4.287 Pork & Cabbage La Mian)
  3. Crystal Jade Hot Pot Restaurant (Sogong) (3.358 Crystal Hot Pot)
  4. Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight (Songpa) (Lotte World Tower) (12.288 La Mian in Scallion Oil) (14.260 San La Tang Myeon)
  5. Crystal Jade Restaurant (Sogong) (13.189 Sautéed Egg Noodle with Seafood & Assorted Vegetable in XO Sauce)
  6. Crystal Jade Shanghai Palace (Hangangro) (I-Park Mall) (16.251 Dried Lamian with Spring Onion Oil)

Philippines

  1. Crystal Jade Dining IN (7.244 Roasted Peking Duck) (8.193 Kungpao Squid)

While Din Tai Fung spans more countries (5), it features with fewer locations (7) and far fewer posts (11) (see most recently 16.200 Lobster, “Taiwanese Style”).

(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See HANSIK)

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