Gaehwa & Mung Bean Noodle In Seoul

Gaehwa is a Chinese restaurant located in Myeongdong district of Seoul.  They serve one popular dish in the area — Mung Bean Noodles.

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Gaehwa was a recommendation from a local I met in Seoul.  She went to school in Irvine, California, and moved back to Seoul after graduation.  We met for a cup of coffee in Starbucks and she suggested I try out the restaurant.  I’m a pretty adventurous eater, so I was all for it.  However, she didn’t disclosed how it would look.

Gaehwa was opened in the morning, so I decided to give it a try one morning.  I walked over from my hotel and grabbed a seat on the first floor; the restaurant is a two stories.  I was hung-over, so sitting upstairs was a little too much work for me.  I went through the menu, but I had my mind-set on the mung bean noodles like how I have my mind-set on “only one drink.”

[irp]

The waiter wrote it down.  She put my order in with the kitchen and yelled at her coworker and then disappeared for a few moments.  I’m not sure what she said but it didn’t some anything out of the ordinary.  Do I understand Korean?  No, but I understand Asian speaking tones.  The loud decibel is usually a sign of endearment unless it’s accompanied with a knife,

After 15 minutes, the mung bean noodles arrived at my table.  The noodles were covered with a black paste, which I assumed was the mung bean.  However, it looked really bad protein diarrhea that gets all over the toilet bowl.  Yes, it’s pretty graphic, but that’s what it looked like.  It look like Mr. Clean had his job cut out for him.

I took a big whiff of the bowl.  You’re probably having visuals now.  You’re probably thinking it smells like walking into a bathroom after someone took a major dump.  However, it actually smelled tasty.  There was a comforting smell to it like the smell of weed.  Okay.  That could be a bad example if you don’t like that smell.  I don’t know.  Think of something pleasant.

The noodle’s texture was à la dente.  It soaked up the mung bean very well.  The chewy noodles tasted sweet when it was mixed with the mung bean paste.  The mung bean had a nice comforting taste to it since it came out hot.  The overall taste wasn’t bad and it seems like one of those dishes where I would have to eat more than once to appreciate.

Lastly, Gaehwa is a good stop in the morning.  The restaurant’s menu isn’t too expensive and the food is prepare fresh.  It’s filled with male Korean corporate slaves grabbing breakfast in the morning cause carb loading is essential for a night of drinking.

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