Yao Ching Chinese restaurant
Seoul, South Korea
Yao Ching is a chinese restaurant in Seoul, Korea. It was about 15 minutes drive from the Korean Transport Institute (KOTI), and they seemed to be on the outskirts of the city. I went there for a working lunch. This was good as there were 5 of us, which allowed for taking a range of dishes to share, and also because 2 of us could speak Korean 😉
Jellyfish and pickled duck egg
The first dish was a slice of beef with jellyfish and pickled duck egg. The jellyfish is the pink shredded stuff in the photo, whilst the pickled duck egg is the thing that looks very slightly like an aubergine. Actually, it was all quite good. The jellyfish did have the sort of rubbery texture you might expect, but it had a surprisingly good flavour. Even if not something I necessarily want to eat daily, it was quite good. Likewise, the pickled duck egg was quite rubbery but again a good flavour. I would have no fear of trying either one again.
Prawns with shitake mushrooms & sea urchin
The same on my plate
Next up was a dish of prawns with shitake mushrooms and sea urchin. This was very good, with lots of different flavours. Definitely worth trying if you’re anywhere that does authentic (as opposed to western-style) Chinese food.
Sweet & sour pork
The sweet and sour pork was good. It was fried in a light tempura batter, which remained crispy even with the sauce. The sweet & sour sauce was good – not too sticky and not too sweet.
Butterfly prawns in chilli sauce & kau chi dumplings
The next dishes were excellent. These were butterflied prawns in a spicy chilli sauce, and some kau chi dumplings (pork & prawn) that you can see in the background. The dumplings were excellent dipped in a soy sauce – a bit like mini steamed dim sum. Both I’d certainly take again given the opportunity 
Chicken stir-fry
Next up was a tasty chicken stir-fry with a variety of vegetables including bok choy, peas, etc. Again a very tasty dish, with a very good mix of flavours.
Stir fried vegetables & mantou
The last dish was was a range of stir-fried vegetables in a sort of chilli sauce. This was eaten with the light milk ‘bread’ called mantou. Really very good – the mantou provided a perfect foil for the vegetables, which might otherwise have been quite acidic. By this point, we were all feeling very full, but it was a good dish to end on.
Cost & conclusion: I was not the one paying for this meal. The range of different dishes and flavours were very good, and the service was prompt and efficient. I would certainly return if again in this area of Seoul.
