Ilyilhyang 1st 일일향 1호점

Ililhyang Branch 1 is a Chinese restaurant in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, centered on shared dishes, seafood preparations, noodles, and rice. Its eohyang-donggo consists of thick shiitake mushrooms filled with minced shrimp and pork, fried, and coated with a doubanjiang-based sauce. The mushroom stays substantial around the springy filling, while garlic, sweetness, salt, and chile give the sauce a pronounced character. Plain rice provides a useful counterpoint to that concentrated seasoning. Cuttlefish jjamppong combines noodles, seafood, and vegetables in a broth carrying the aroma of ingredients cooked over high heat. The cuttlefish supplies the main textural feature, with firm pieces distributed through the soup. Jjajangmyeon takes a milder direction, whereas mala tangmyeon emphasizes chile heat and numbing spice. The mala bowl may seem comparatively spare in solid toppings, so its appeal rests more on the broth and seasoning than on abundance. The menu also covers tangsuyuk, jeongabok with assorted seafood and vegetables, shark-fin soup, gochu-japchae, steamed fish, and set courses that sequence several of these dishes. Wood-ear mushrooms appear among the accompanying items. Menbosha adds toast and shrimp to the selection, although individual servings have varied in oiliness and the doneness of the shrimp filling. Cold appetizers have also produced mixed impressions when seafood aroma was strong. The interior extends across two floors and includes a main dining area with round tables as well as multiple private rooms. Several rooms can seat groups of roughly ten, and the round-table format allows large plates to be rotated and divided without crowding one side of the table. The setting consequently supports both a meal built around one signature plate such as eohyang-donggo and a longer sequence of soup, fried dishes, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and rice.