As you may know I am a huge fan of Hong Kong and the Cantonese style of food. However despite our reasonably close proximity to China, Seoul is kinda lacking in good Cantonese food. I first tried a branch of Cheung Kee when there was a branch in Itaewon, sadly it is now a Quiznos. So when I saw they had a branch near Myeongdong, an area I visit frequently but often have trouble finding places to eat in, I knew it would be the perfect place to go for lunch after a spot of Christmas shopping.
This branch of Cheung Kee is a lot larger than the Itaewon branch, probably to accommodate all the local office workers. Once seated you are given some complimentary tea to enjoy while you peruse the menu. There is a paper menu on each of the tables which offers all the noodles dishes, plus a larger book style menu which has more of the main style dishes like fried egg plant hotpot and sweet and sour pork. While they looked fantastic they were a bit pricey for the both of us to consider for lunch (around 30,000), but if you came with a couple of people I’m sure you could take full advantage of it.
One dish I knew I wanted to try was the wonton noodles. They have several varieties including shrimp, beef, and pork but I opted for Shrimp Wonton Noodles (5,500). They come in two sizes (small 5,500) and (large 8,500). We went for the smaller size so we could order a couple of side dishes instead. The broth was super clean and simple and reminded me a lot of the bowls I have enjoyed at Hong Kong noodle shops in the past. My bowl came with three shrimp dumplings which were tasty but not a knock out. However the egg noodles were such a treat, it saddens me they aren’t widely available here as they are one of my favourite kinds of noodle.
One of my other favourite Cantonese noodle dishes is Lomein. Again they have a couple of different styles and we ordered the Hot and Sweet sauce Pork Lomein (9,500) it also came with a side of dumplings. These egg noodles were topped with chunks of pork in a super moreish BBQ sauce. The dumplings were also quite large and stuffed with plenty of pork. On the table is a soy sauce and vinegar for you to dip them in, though it is nothing to write home about.
I wanted to try a few of their sides so we got the Choisam (4,500). This chinese broccoli was smothered in a tasty oyster sauce, and added a great flavour to the noodles, and made us feel a bit healthier. We also ordered the Wonton & Pork Dumplings (7,500 for 7). These babies came in a bowl of soup. This was actually a mis-order by my hubby as I was hoping for the yummy fried ones I had spied at the next table. They were good but since we already had eaten these with our noodles, something crispy would have been preferable.
Overall I liked our lunch, and was happy to know that Cheung Kee still remained in the city. The noodle dishes are fairly cheap and make a tasty simple lunch or dinner. If you are a fan of Cantonese food its worth swinging by, especially if you are in the area.
Cheung Kee is located at 33 Dadong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Eljiro 1 station (line 2). Come out of exit 2 and walk straight. Take the second road on the left and walk straight and you will see Cheung Kee just ahead on the corner. For more information you can call them on 02-538-3913. They are open from 11:30am -10:00pm and closed on Sundays.