Jane C.
Yelp
Our search for black bean noodles in Atlanta is over! Man Chun Hong sits in a small, nondescript complex on Buford Highway, but we were somewhat wowed once we got inside. Not only was there soft jazz playing, but the decor was bright and clean, along with a walled-in display of wine bottles at the entryway. It's a far cry from most Chinese-Korean establishments I've been in, where black bean stains from years of historical meals decorate the walls, booths, and menus. The dining room has a glass window that looks into the kitchen, allowing curious minds to see their meals being prepared.
Chinese-Korean food can be considered a select cuisine unto itself, originating from ethic Chinese once immigrating to Korea and developing their own hybrid dishes. One of these is the epic jjajangmyun, or black bean noodles. There are a few varieties of jjajangmyun offered at Man Chun Hong (regular, spicy, seafood, and a 'special' type that I didn't even get to ask about), but most of them seemed to contain pork. Thankfully, the server offered a vegetarian version that was chockablock with diced onions, zucchini, and carrot. Though meatless, the taste was outstanding, especially when paired with the fresh noodles. It should also be noted that the noodles are green because of the spinach incorporated into the dough. For diners averse to any verdant fare, I promise you won't taste it. It simply adds a pop of color (and hidden nutrients) into an already incredible dish.
Jjampong is another dish that's commonly ordered at Chinese-Korean restaurants. Jjampong is a spicy noodle soup, which comes with a variety of seafood, such as shrimp and mussels. My husband couldn't decide between this and black bean noodles, so he went with the helpful combination bowl, which serves up a smaller portion of both in a specially divided bowl. In the interest of frankness, I feel the need to share that after trying both, he proclaimed the black bean noodles to be "far supreme".
The single dud of our meal was the garlic string beans. I love to order these at Chinese restaurants to get a little more green in our meal. In my mind, I imagined snappy green (or long) beans with a savory and possibly spicy sauce. Instead, we got a plate of unfortunately flaccid string beans, mixed with an impossibly generous portion of onions. The taste of ginger muted any other flavors here and we didn't bother packing these to go since these were too overdone to last another reheat.
That aside, we enjoyed our meal quite a bit. These were the best jjajangmyun dishes we'd sampled since arriving in Atlanta a few years ago, and the service was excellent. Water glasses were never left half empty before someone else came along for refills and they were nice about giving us a side of kimchee when we asked for it.