I’ve never been to Korea; but there are a lot of Korean immigrants in Metro Manila, and, as a result, many Korean restaurants. Having recently watched “Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody” on Netflix, I learned about jjajangmyeon, one of the most popular noodle dishes in South Korea (originally brought over by Chinese immigrants there). Since the only popular Korean noodle dish I had been aware of at the time was japchae, I searched for what is considered here as authentic “real deal” jjajangmyeon; and ordered some to finally try out (from a well-regarded restaurant owned and run by Korean immigrants). In the Netflix film, it looked so intensely flavourful given the very dark, viscous looking sauce.
Well, it tasted relatively bland; certainly nothing how I expected it to be. I’m thinking now that perhaps it’s been “toned down” for Philippine palates. Will research further, and ask one of my Korean friends who owns/runs restaurants here and in Seoul. Hopefully, there’s more to this dish than what I experienced tonight.
Jjajangmyeon is more of a comfort food - it’s supposed to be sweet and savory, not intensely flavored. Even though the sauce is based on fermented black bean sauce, there’s no funkiness at all. Based on the picture alone, I can’t immediately pick out if there was anything wrong with it (other than the noodle looking a little thicker than normal, and if you thought it was bland, it may have been just underseasoned). But it is a dish that is pretty difficult to get exactly right. Did you have it at a place that serves Korean food generally, or at one that specializes in Korean-Chinese food? Jjajangmyeon is something that I would only order at the latter type of establishments.
From the other dishes on the menu, it would be Chinese-Korean. I wrote “relatively bland” considering its appearance. It wasn’t bad; just, not having had it before, I was expecting it to be more intensely flavourful, especially given the descriptions in the Netflix film. I’ll try out a couple of more versions here that are reputedly authentic as well. If they’re all pretty close in taste, well, then, at least, I know I’ve tried the real deal (or close enough to it until I get myself to Korea anyway).
Seconding Sams comment. It’s a dish that relies on the subtlety rather than it’s punch. 3-4 years into my life here in Korea and i’m still not terribly convinced by it, but for my wifes family it’s a deep deep crave…
My favorite of the korean-chinese dishes is Jjamppong, which i think you should try.
Oh, ok, I just checked around here, and that brand is locally available. I may or may not bother to try it out, considering the general feedback I’ve been getting about the subject dish.
It’s not usually spicy or strikingly flavorful, but more of a filling, umami-rich dish. Typically comes with pickled radish, and kimchi, as a contrast.
I don’t think it’s particularly worth seeking out, to be honest haha. Usually it’s more of a cheap, takeout/delivery food.
There are other noodle dishes that are more flavorful, like spicy bibim naeng-myun, where there could be more room for skill in the proteins (seafood, for example) that are mixed in, and in the quality of vegetables used. And perhaps some would use more refined broths, and others more refined/sourced grains for the noodles. But jjajangmyeon is sorta like the spaghetti from Jollibee in being a mass market, rarely specialized dish. I wouldn’t have high expectations, especially for a wino foodie like yourself.
im not sure if your picture was after you mixed the noodles with the dish and possibly low light conditions. should be a bit oilier looking. and darker black sauce. you could make at home. the best places and all places usually would make their own noodles that look a bit whiter than the picture. its black bean sauce at the base. food to be paired with tangsuyook (beef or pork), kangpoongi (chicken or shrimp) or dumplings.
