Back to Seoul. When last seen there, we were eating a casual lunch at Gwangjang Market. As I noted in that post, there is no better food in the world for hot weather than mul naengmyeon, the chilled noodle soup featuring buckwheat noodles and a delicate broth made with beef and dongchimi (radish water kimchi). Nampo Myeonok is famous for their Pyongyang-style mul naengmyeon, having been serving it in Seoul since 1972. This was high on our agenda for our first meal in Seoul on this trip (as I also noted in that Gwangjang Market post, my Seoul reports are going to go up out of sequence). We took the subway to Euljiro and made our way to the restaurant through lanes full of restaurants and people of all ages outside and inside them. This aspect of Seoul in the evenings is one of my favourite urban experiences in the world; the energy of the city (and its love of food and drink) is on full display.

Nampo Myeonok has been recognized in the Michelin Guide since 2017 (they’re in the “Selected Restaurants: Good Cooking”). As a result they are quite popular with tourists. Many tourists, however, judging by comments on review sites, are not prepared for Pyeongyang-style naengmyeon. If you read the reviews you’ll see many complaints about bland, flavourless broth. Now, while I would call the broth subtle rather than bland or flavourless, you should know that this is not a bug but a feature of Pyeongyang-style naengmyeon and is what makes it particularly prized by Korean diners. You can add more assertive flavour via the mustard and vinegar on the table, though aficionados will recommend a light touch with both. Of course, if you order other things (as well) you won’t have this issue.

We started with an order of mandu (dumplings) split between us. These were rather good. And then the mains arrived. Both boys got an order of galbitang—which is their favourite Korean soup/stew—and were well pleased with it. From my taste of it I would say it was a good example but nothing exceptional. The missus and I shared an order each of their bibim naengmyeon (spicy chilled noodles without broth) and mul naengmyeon. Both were, we thought, pretty good but again nothing exceptional compared to other versions we’ve had in Seoul (the versions we ate at Woo Lae Oak in 2024 come to mind as clearly superior).

The energy of the restaurant is that of most popular restaurants in Seoul. That is to say, the place was bustling with a steady stream of people going in and out—some, like us, just out for dinner; some stopping in after work—with loud/boisterous conversation all around. Quite different from the average Japanese restaurant (or at least the ones we ate at in Tokyo and Kyoto in the week and a half before we arrived in Seoul).

For a look at the restaurant and everything we ate, click on an image below to launch a larger slideshow. Scroll down to see how much this meal cost and to see what’s coming next.

Service was in the usual Korean restaurant mode: efficient but not particularly warm. Price? The total came to 72,000 won or just about $52. I notice now that there is no charge listed on the check for the bottle of soju I drank with a little bit of assistance from the missus. It’s possible it was included as a “service” with the meal. All in all, a pleasant meal, not one I would dissuade anyone from but also not one I would urge anyone to go out of their way to experience.

Okay, coming next from Seoul will be a meal heavier in meat than either of the two I’ve yet reported on were. I’ll also have a report from Delhi soon; not sure what order the two will go up in.