Mutan Apgujeong Main Branch Ganjjajang

Post by Chiefeater Luke Soon

No trip to Seoul is complete without a bowl of jajangmyeon, Korea’s black bean noodle comfort food. This one arrived the way I like it best: as ganjjajang at the Mutan Apgujeong Main Branch. The sauce comes in its own bowl rather than ladled over the noodles, and it’s stir-fried to order with less water and more wok heat, so it’s thicker, glossier and more intense than everyday jajang. It all came on a wooden tray, neatly laid out, with the noodles in one bowl and the sauce in another.

The sauce was the strongest part. It had big, chunky cuts of onion that kept some bite and sweetness, cubes of pork belly with the fat rendered and the edges caramelised, bits of zucchini and spring onion, and a deep, glossy chunjang base that leaned savoury rather than sugary. A tidy pile of julienned cucumber on top added freshness. The noodles were thick and chewy, with a good springy pull. A fried egg with a bright orange, still-runny yolk sat on top, a touch borrowed from the Busan tradition, where ganjjajang almost always comes with an egg. Break the yolk, tip the sauce over and toss hard.

The sides were classic Korean-Chinese: roasted peanuts, spicy zha cai (pickled mustard tuber) with sesame, bright yellow danmuji and a little kimchi. Danmuji with jajangmyeon is non-negotiable, and it was here.

The trouble is that Gangnam already has a benchmark. Search for famous jajangmyeon in Gangnam and one name comes up first: Mutan (무탄), just off Apgujeong Station, with a 4.8 rating from more than 4,000 reviews on Google. Mutan calls itself a “funstaurant” and has turned jajangmyeon into a showpiece. Its signature steak truffle jajangmyeon, at around ₩28,000, comes topped with tender slices of beef tenderloin and a shower of shaved truffle, and there are queues at the door to prove it. Measured against that kind of ambition, this bowl was satisfying but not special. The sauce was rich but a little one-note, without the smoky wok depth that lifts the best ganjjajang, and there was nothing to make you sit up.

It’s a solid, comforting bowl that does the basics right, and the runny egg and the separate sauce are nice touches. If you’re in Gangnam and want to see how far jajangmyeon can go, though, head to Apgujeong and join the Mutan queue. Chiefeater Luke Soon rates it 6 out of 10.

Must try: Ganjjajang with the fried egg; ask for extra danmuji
For comparison: Mutan Apgujeong Main Branch (무탄 압구정본점), 22 Nonhyeon-ro 176-gil, Gangnam-gu, near Apgujeong Station Exit 2. Open 11am to 10pm with no break time. Walk-ins join a waitlist; private rooms can be booked for six or more.

Business Hours

Open Daily
11:00 am to 10:00 pm