Chungking Mama 청킹마마

Neon signs, mahjong decor and Hong Kong film posters fill this second-floor room, part of a building themed as an airport where each floor is a trip abroad. It sits 150m from Jonggak Station. Numbing red mala tang and wonton noodles, plump shrimp wontons under a heap of scallions, anchor the menu, with tangy tomato noodle soup, fish-fragrant eggplant and orange chicken alongside. For drinking, orange shrimp pairs with the house Chungking Mama ale, which carries a faint kaoliang liquor note and is poured into bowls in Hong Kong street-stall style. Food is served late, rare for this part of Jongno.