Name: Hong Yuan
Genre: Chinese
Price Range: 12,000 – 200,000 KRW
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Our Menu: 2 Weekend special lunch course
Total: 140,000 KRW
Reservations: Recommended
Memorable Item(s): Dimsum, Everything, really.
D: I’m pretty sure you all know this. In fact, if you know us at all… I don’t even have to mention it. But I will, because it’s the only introduction I can think of to start with.
Seung and I LOVE the Westin Chosun hotel. We’d been to every other restaurant except for Hong Yuan, so we decided to try it out. Plus, they had a great deal that weekend, and I was craving Dimsum. Sweetie, why is it that I’m always the one who is craving something?
S: I’m not sure… but I do know why you were craving dimsum here! It was so great!!! The har gao were steamed to perfection. The skins of the dumplings were not dry or overly saturated with water. The shrimp inside the translucent skin were sweet and juicy. Also, the chives gave off a nice garlicky flavor without overpowering the delicate taste of the shrimp. I think what I liked about the dim sum and the entire meal was the balance and harmony of flavors. The chefs let the ingredients speak for themselves by doing more with less. Most of the dishes contained few main ingredients which were cooked in a simple manner with basic seasonings. Kind of like our next dish which consisted of abalone, sea cucumber, large prawns and Matsutake mushrooms alongside beautifully scored cuttlefish.
S: The dish was expertly cooked. The prawns in the dish were the best I’ve had since Gary Danko in San Francisco, the fresh squid was nice and tender and the Matsutake mushrooms gave the dish a nice woodsy scent which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think you enjoyed this dish too, right Sweetie?
D: Actually, I’m not sure if I disliked any of their dishes… because they all kind of tasted alike. This one kind of tasted like our next dish… the shrimp with asparagus.
D: Aside from the gingko nuts, I mean.
S: Well the two dishes were very similar. Even the waiter told us that before we ordered it. The first one just contained the other varieties of seafood and Matsutake mushrooms. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this one as well since I love perfectly done prawns! Also, I wouldn’t say that all the dishes tasted the same. Our next one was totally different. It had a little crunch, spice and saltiness to it that the previous two dishes lacked.
D: Fine. You win. It was a nice change of pace from all of the wok tossed mushy exteriors and crunchy centers of the previous dishes… to the crispy exteriors of the chicken pieces and its soft and tender interiors. But the next dish? Well, It was… an interesting blend of textures altogether.
S: It was indeed a nice blend of textures. The tofu was slightly fried to give a crusty texture to the dish while the eggplant provided the soft smooth texture. Like most of the other dishes, both the flavors and texture of the ingredients were well balanced. The next dish also illustrated balance perfectly.
D: I actually really liked this one. Lettuce wraps are one of my favorite things to eat. I enjoy the playful, interactive feel of finger foods. It’s a nice break from all of the formalities and offensive attacks that you need to make with chopsticks and forks.
S: Actually Sweetie, you did not like this dish at all. In fact I ate your lettuce wrap since you don’t like lobster. I guess this is why we should write our reviews right after we eat, not over a year after the dining experience. Anyway, as with the shrimp, the lobster was very tender and as D stated previously, it was a nice break from chopsticks as well.
D: Hey! I have a really bad memory. We already know this. But, I do remember that the meat was quite tender in this next dish. It made for a nice chewing experience, especially with the crunchy aspect that the bokchoy brought, as well as the soft chewy nature of the mushrooms. You know… I think I really focused on texture during this dining experience because the flavors really were all very similar.
S: Actually Sweetie, you didn’t like this dish either because of the piny taste of the Matsutake mushrooms which I actually love… The meat was very tender though and the black bean sauce actually enhanced the meaty taste of the beef.
D: Oh… heh heh. .. .. I think I’ll sign off right about now. Call me when you get to the dessert, because I definitely remember those.
S: Okay… Now on to the Tang soo yook and jjajangmyeon!
S: Classic combination in Korean-Chinese food. The sweet and sour beef seemed to be battered with sweet rice flour, giving it a crispy yet mochi like texture which was quite pleasing and also the sauce was not overly sweet. It was an excellent rendition of a classic. The jajangmyeon was quite nicely done as well. The chewy noodles were paired with a luxurious jjajang sauce containing a good amount of seafood and onions. Overall, one of my favorite jjajangmyeons of all time!
D: I can’t give you too much flack here… because I admit that I stole a good portion of your precious jjajangmyun. It was actually quite good. But, you know me. A natural dessert mongrel. And oh, how convenient. Here come the sweets!
S: Did you like it?
D: YES! I like sweet tofu. I like lychee. I like sweet tofu and lychee.
S: Oh. I see. You had your mid entry weird crisis and saved your caveman speak for the end?
D: I like Mango custard. I like Sago. I like mango custard and sago!
S: Um. Sweetie. What did I say in our meeting? Focus!
D: Whoa. What happened?
S: Well, sugar to you is like what a Death eater does to Harry.
D: Correction! Quality sugar to me is like….
S: A 4.75 from us.
