Real Review of Yangguofu, a Franchise Malatang Restaurant in China

Sharing Sweet Tips to Enjoy Malatang Deliciously!

Now, Malatang has established itself as a trend. "Mala" comes from the characters for numbing (痲) and spicy (辣), characterized by a spicy flavor that numbs and tingles the tongue. If you have fallen in love with the spicy taste and enjoy Mala, you will naturally compare many Malatang restaurants to find the one that suits your taste. In particular, in Korea, besides famous franchises, it is not difficult to find Malatang restaurants opened by individuals. Among them, there is a franchise headquartered in China that has entered Korea, called Yang Guo Fu Da. Yang Guo Fu opened its first store in Yeoksam and now you can also enjoy it at the Gasan and Myeongdong branches. If you are a Malatang fanatic who has tasted countless Malatang dishes in Korea, open your eyes wide and focus to see what differences there are. Can you really taste the authentic flavor of China?

The charm of Malatang is that you can fill your bowl with only what you like. In other words, it means you can be picky! Fresh vegetables, mushrooms, rice cakes, skewers, as well as various types of noodles such as corn noodles, glass noodles, and fenmuza are some of Yang Guo Fu's special features. It is also convenient that beef and lamb are available in pre-portioned selections rather than added individually. The vegetables are fresh and neatly arranged, which also adds to the cleanliness score.

If you are a true Mala enthusiast, you must be serious about the sauce too! To neutralize the spicy and numbing flavor, you can dip your food in peanut sauce, or conversely, add chili oil to intensify the flavor. There are various types such as green onions, chili oil, peanut sauce, and sesame oil, so you just need to mix and match according to your style. The editor recommends the following three sauces.

▷ Sesame Sauce: 3 spoons of sesame sauce + half a spoon of sugar + lots of chopped green onions + a little peanut powder

▷ Soy Sauce: 3 spoons of soy sauce + half a spoon of chopped green onions + half a spoon of chopped garlic + a little Thai chili

▷ Sesame Oil Garlic Sauce: 2 spoons of sesame oil + 1 spoon of chopped garlic + a little oyster sauce

After adding your favorite vegetables, noodles, skewers, and meat, you order Malatang. The menu is similar to other Malatang restaurants, including Malatang, Malaxiangguo, Guobaorou, and fried rice. The prices are reasonable. I ordered Malatang at spice level 2 along with egg fried rice as a side dish.

The way to enjoy Malatang more deliciously and fun is to use a large spoon. Holding a large spoon, which could be called a ladle, in one hand, and picking your favorite vegetables with chopsticks in the other hand to use as a small plate, you can enjoy Malatang even more.

Malatang and fried rice have arrived♡

To describe the taste of Malatang first, it is very clean compared to other Malatang franchises. The flavor of the savory peanut sauce is strong, but it was good that it was not heavy at all. I ordered the usual spicy level 2, but the spiciness was milder than expected, which was a bit disappointing. Next time, I will challenge the fiery level 3! I usually do not prefer Malatang with a strong peanut sauce flavor, but Yang Guo Fu has a clean aftertaste, so anyone can enjoy Mala without strong likes or dislikes. Therefore, it is also recommended for beginners.

On the other hand, the egg fried rice is very ordinary. Although it has a smoky flavor, it lacks the distinctive savory or salty taste. If you order it to eat with the Malatang, note that rice is available at the self-service bar for free, so you can enjoy it without extra charge.

Wait a moment! Malatang is one of the traditional dishes from China, but many people confuse it with hot pot. Simply put, hot pot is a method where you dip vegetables and meat in boiling broth to cook them like shabu-shabu, whereas Malatang is cooked all at once. When the ingredients are stir-fried, it is called Malaxiangguo.

Photo by Yoon Eun-ae

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.