A Taste of China in Gwangju

Choihwaseon, literally means, “drunken flower goddess” (it’s weird, I know) and is the name of an authentic Chinese restaurant here in Gwangju, but have no fear, they still offer a small fare of Korean foods on their menu. Located near the 5.18 Gwangju Student Hall, this restaurant can easily be found, thanks to its pink name board, the menu posted on their glass walls and Chinese lanterns hanging outside.

Upon entering, you will see a lot of alcohol displayed on their walls, which proves its name. The restaurant specializes in mutton, which is cooked in many different styles. There are skewers, soup, shabu-shabu and grilled galbi style, to name a few. The mutton skewers are their main menu item, but you might also want to try their quail or chicken wing skewers.

The menu is not written in English but there are pictures to help you decide. And strangely, although it is a Chinese restaurant, the menu is not printed in Chinese either. But if you are Chinese, you should not have trouble ordering anyway, since they have Chinese-speaking staff. You might want to ask for recommendations, although it is strongly recommended that you order at least one portion of the mutton skewer. The price is rather steep, although each portion is enough to feed 2 people, so it would be best to bring a friend or two to share the meal and the bill.

The mutton is exquisite and does not leave you with bad breath. You can have a choice to have the skewers grilled in front of you or have them grilled away from you instead. Most skewer menus will give you 10 sticks per portion, which is just enough to feed two people, or one person, if you are really hungry. The restaurant serves many different kinds of beer, mostly Chinese brands, including Tsingtao. Although you might want to try another, make sure that you are not drinking on an empty stomach, or you might end up getting drunk easily, as most Chinese liquors can be as high as 40 percent alcohol by volume.

If you have been to China and eaten Chinese food, you will know that Chinese foods are delicious but super greasy. This is not the case with this restaurant but their food can be spicy, like the Kung Pao Chicken and Lazhiji (spicy fried chicken), so you might want to tell the cook to use a less amount of chili peppers. There are also malas (Chinese corn peppers) in them, which are hidden and can be hard to find, but when bitten the taste it leaves behind in your mouth can ruin the whole meal. So be careful of that too.

The staff is friendly and the location is great, as it is in the middle of Gwangju. Going to this restaurant can be an exciting, new experience. So try to take a break from the usual Korean fare and head to Sangmu. This restaurant will surely have you leaving full and satisfied.

Here are a few more pictures to whet your appetite: