FatManSeoul

Anguk-dong teems with great eateries, but among the most popular is the tiny hole-in-the-wall mandu restaurant called 천진포자 (Cheonjinpoja) where diners can munch on some of the most delicious and authentic Chinese-style mandu out there.

The restaurant itself is tiny, with only one real table supplemented by stools and a low bar hugging the walls. It’s cramped, but not short on atmosphere: carved furniture, pictures, and calligraphy from the Center of the World hang on the walls. But none of it hides the fact that this is a place for serious eating, not some prissy see-and-be-seen hangout where the food doesn’t stand up. These dumplings mean business.

The menu is limited: Do you want mandu, mandu, mandu, or mandu?

The mandu here are a little different from their Korean 왕만두 (wang mandu: “king” mandu, made with a thick, floury wrapper) cousins:

They’re fairly small, what you’d find on the streets of Shanghai (Fatman brought some Chinese friends in to confirm authenticity), and the meat fillings in particular hold a surprise – a substantive amount of rich broth lurks inside to squirt the unwary. The pork meat dumplings are velvety and deeply satisfying, with complex spices taking a supporting role to the mouth-filling glory of the meat.

The 부추야채 만두 (buchu yachae: Asian leek) rendition isn’t nearly as rich or heavy, but showcases their kitchen’s wrapper-making prowess. The leek and egg filling balances perfectly with the faintly chewy and oh-so-light mandu skins, bringing textural properties into the limelight. It’s the golden ratio of wrap to filling that only the few, the proud, the 천진포 people can produce.

The 해물만두 are no slouch either in the taste department, with each little morsel of seafood distinct enough to be toothsome and satisfying, but without sacrificing unity of flavor. The pan fried leek mandu are remarkable – a small amount of leek and egg filling is loosely wrapped in a thin mandu-skin and pressed in a greased griddle for a fabulously good combination.

The leek is fresh and vibrant, just barely held in check by the crispy skins of the mandu long enough to dip in their vinegary dipping sauce, spiced with a bit of their chili oil. Refresh your palate with the complimentary jasmine tea, and you’ve got yourself one of the best mandu deals in town. 고기 and 부추 만두 are 4000원 for a serving of 6, the 해물 are 5000원 and 지짐 부추 만두 are 6000 won per serving.

One note: The staff here is all Chinese, so not only will ordering in English be difficult, Korean can prove just as big a challenge. Still, there are menus in English and Korean on the wall, so you can always point to what you want. Seating and service is very limited, so consider carry-out if you’re short on time to wait for a table.
To find Cheonjinpoja, head north along the stone-walled road from the Anguk Building at Anguk Rotary, north of Insadong.