Taste Test: Real-Deal Jjajangmyeon Hidden Inside a Jjamppong Restaurant

(SPOT.ph) I've come to the conclusion that Filipinos either love or hate jjajangmyeon—there's no in-between. Most people who don't like the instant kind may have tried it once or twice before ultimately deciding that this Korean black bean noodles isn't up to their taste—but let me tell you that homemade jjajangmyeon tastes nothing like the instant. Homemade jjajangmyeon is a game changer and I tried King Jjampong, one of the more popular jjajangmyeon spots online to see if it's worth the trip to Makati... or skip it and make it yourself at home.

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This hidden Korean restaurant will make you love jjajangmyeon:

King Jjamppong reigns in the same Lasema building where you can find New Lasema Spa, the famous Korean spa or jjimjilbang in Makati City. Although the Korean-Chinese eatery is relatively new in the scene as it only opened in 2021, it's becoming one of the highly recommended jjajangmyeon spots in the Metro.

On the King Jjamppong menu, they have four jjajangmyeon options to choose from: Jja Jang Myeon (P400), Spicy Jja Jang Myeon (450), Samsun Jja Jang Myeon (P450), Kan Jja Jang (P450), and Jaengban Jja Jang (P800). I ended up going for the basic Jja Jang Myeon which has their signature black bean sauce, noodles made from scratch, pork bits, onions, and vegetables.

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This came with refillable sides of pickled daikon (a common palate cleanser when eating jjajangmyeon), rings of white onion, tart and crisp kimchi, and a dollop of gochujang. They also serve a pitcher of water, a mug, chopsticks, and a spoon—which came in handy when I needed to scoop the black bean sauce that eventually settled at the bottom of the bowl.

What does King Jjamppong's classic jjajangmyeon taste like?

Our first impression was that the Jja Jang Myeon is served in a gigantic bowl—huge enough that you will need to hold it in two hands.  Sure it looks intimidatingly big, but don't let its size fool you because as the servers will tell you, a regular bowl is good enough for one person. Say you've skipped one or two meals before dining, that's when you'll need to upgrade to a larger bowl for an additional P50.

Another thing we can say about its appearance is that a generous amount of black bean sauce covers the entire surface of the bowl, completely concealing the noodles underneath it. When I was halfway through the dish, it was only then that I realized the sauce-to-noodle ratio was imbalanced, so learn from my mistake: Make sure to keep mixing the noodles in the glistening, translucent black bean sauce before taking bites.

The taste of King Jjamppong's black bean sauce is on the sweeter side than it is umami, but it's not cloying sweet that you would want to add anything salty to it. Since there was no "umay" factor, which is another instant jjajangmyeon it would not come as a surprise if you wouldn't be able to finish the first serving of daikon. 

The sauce came with bits of pork, onions, and leafy vegetables which added a meaty flavor, and at the same time, it also added heft. The noodles, which I'm told were made in-house, are soft and chewy but with bite.

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The final verdict: Is this jjajangmyeon worth it?

I would definitely recommend King Jjamppong's Jja Jjang Myeon to anyone curious as to what the real-deal dish tastes like—or to anyone who has hastily decided against the Korean noodles just because they didn't like the instant version.

After all, King Jjamppong's jjajangmyeon tastes completely different from the earthier instant version—nor does it have that grainy texture from the powdered black bean paste that people often find offputting in instant jjajangmyeon. 

To be clear, I'm not dissing the jjajangmyeon you can whip up in three to five minutes—the instant version, specifically Nongshim's Chapagetti, has and will always have a special place in my heart and in my midnight snack stash. Still, if you were to ask me if I would go all the way to Makati for a bowl of King Jjamppong's jjajangmyeon again? My answer is a resounding yes—and I'd order it with Tangsuyuk (P800/medium, P1,000/large) which is a Korean-style sweet and sour pork that Koreans typically eat with black bean noodles for the full K-food experience.

Heck, I could even make it a whole day immersion in Korean culture and eat the jjajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork after a relaxing spa and bath session at New Lasema Spa and Jjimjilbang which is in the same building. King Jjampong is open from Monday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

King Jjamppong is at Lasema building G/F Unit 105 8846 Sampaloc, corner Estrella Street, Makati City. For more information, check out King Jjamppong's Facebook page.

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