Suwon Mandu 수원만두

An ethnic Chinese family has run this dumpling house for a long time, and jajangmyeon and jjamppong are not on the menu. The gunmandu have thick wrappers that bite firm rather than crackle like the usual Korean-Chinese fried dumpling, and the spices grow stronger as they cool, which is why they are eaten straight off the plate. Sogogi tangmyeon smells almost like pho at first, but the broth turns out peppery, clean and unmistakably Chinese. In the seafood nurungji-tang, the scorched rice has dissolved completely into the soup. Seasoning is light across the board, and anyone expecting bold Korean-Chinese flavors may find it plain.