[Seoul] It wasn’t that easy finding these Chinese-style dumplings shop at 214 Apgujeong-ro, a discrete eatery hidden among different shophouses.
Sandong Gyojakwan 山東餃子館 a simple shop with seats limited to four to give tables is also an entry to Michelin Guide with a “Bib Gourmand”, under the category “Chinese cuisine”.
Helmed by Chinese-Korean Chef Dan Byeong-ho, Sandong Gyojakwan specialises in Chinese-style dumplings – both boiled and steamed.
At early as age 10, he learned from his parents the art of making dumplings. To this day, he makes his dumplings fresh from scratch daily, from the filling up to the wrapper.
Take note that there isn’t an English menu, only a board with Korean words. Even though I spoke Mandarin, I had some difficulty understanding Chef Dan’s accent when he came to help with the orders.
Dumpling fans can order from one of the three styles – pan-fried, steamed and boiled, all with varying thickness of the skin. (For reference, 煎 refers to pan-fried, 蒸 steamed, and 水 boiled.)
Each basket is priced from 7,000 to 8,000 Won (SGD8.20 to SGD9.30). Some of the Koreans found it slightly on the expensive side, especially when prices were raised due to increase popularity.
Under the Chef’s recommendation, I ordered the Steamed Dumplings (as he also didn’t allow me to order the Pan-Fried, which I didn’t quite understand why.)
The dumplings were considered quite tasty, with thin skin and fresh meat and vegetables fillings that still reminded moist.
An additional bonus was the vinegary chilli-oil that you could dip the dumplings into.
Too hungry for just dumplings? Add a refreshing Chinese Fried Rice, Five-Spice Beef Salad or the XO Shrimp if you enjoy your seafood spicy.
They also have assorted stir-fried delicacies and other Korean-Chinese staples. Food was slightly on the saltier side, but considered manageable when compared to the average Chinese eatery.
Estimate dent to your wallet starts at 7000 up to 12,000 Won per dish.
Sandong Gyojakwan 산동교자관
214 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2 514 2608
Opening Hours: 12pm – 2:30pm; 5:30pm – 9pm (Mon – Sat), Sun
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