At the corner of 40th and Broadway, a new branch of an existing franchise opened its doors this year. A famous Chinese restaurant in Korea and with locations in Los Angeles, the franchise is expanding into Northern California. Jjampong Zizon is already entrenched in people’s minds with numerous YouTube videos of mukbangers and influencers eating excessive—pushing toward gratuitous—amounts of noodles.
Jjampong Zizon sits hidden behind the parking lot for Ohgane. It’s small, with wooden tables and chairs. A tablet replays the spicy noodle challenge issued to customers who want to take it on. When pressing the screen, customers choose from a modest number of menu items. Appetizers include different variations of pork, including sweet and spicy and sichuan, and pan-fried dumplings. Other seafood-based items like crab-fried rice are offered, but the piece de resistance is the best of both worlds: jjamjjamyeon.
Jjamjjamyeon is a combination of jajangmyeon, an originally Chinese black bean noodle dish, and jjampong, a Chinese-style Korean noodle soup made with vegetables and seafood. Jajangmyeon is primarily derived from zhájiàngmiàn—a traditional Chinese soup—and the commonalities between the two are fermented black paste, long wheat noodles and pork.
Jjampong’s origins are somewhat more unclear, enveloped in stories of migration and adaptation. One explanation of its historical origins describes Chinese immigrants from Shangdong moving to Incheon and making chow mein to fit Korean tastes. Another explanation has the move occurring from 1910 to 1945. Chinese immigrants from Shandong moved to Incheon, introducing chǎomǎmiàn. Under Japan’s occupation of Korea, the soup became champon because the soup was familiar to Japanese champon. Its exact origins are debated, but versions of this spicy seafood soup developed through the culinary exchange among Chinese immigrants, Korea and Japan.
While the original history is ambiguous at best, what remains clear is what it contains. The former used to be clear broth with wheat noodles, but now this Korean iteration is flavored with gochugaru, a traditional Korean red chili powder, offering a deep spiciness and incredible warmth in a humble soup. Oftentimes it contains an assortment of seafood such as mussels, clams, squid and more. It can also contain cabbage, onions, carrots and other vegetables.
Jjampong Zizon’s menu, though modest, feels like a direct effort to provide comfort food. The sweet-and-sour pork has a crispy coating while leaving the pork tender; the sauce on the side is sweet. The crab-fried rice is light and fluffy, not laden with moisture. The jjamjjamyeon counterbalance each other. At a level two spice, the jjampong is sufficiently fiery, and the mussels are juicy. The noodles soak up the broth well without becoming flimsy or mush; retaining the perfect level of chewiness.
Jjampong Zizon has a fast-casual appeal, and the food is generally well made, but in Oakland’s rich dining landscape, the restaurant offers nothing distinctive. The comfort is there, but abundance exists only as a call to action to customers willing to engorge themselves with noodles. As to the amount of substance in the dishes, there is very little to none. Given the richness of Korean food within Oakland itself, competently cooked comfort food does not compare to what the Bay Area can offer.
The restaurant’s biggest weakness is a mismatch between appearance and substance. The crab-fried rice has a modicum of crab flavor with little to no crab. The jjampong has an undeniable depth of flavor, but the balance between seafood and vegetables was uneven. The seafood was sparse, and the only other meat present was the chicken in the jjampong. The addition of the chicken appears to be a cost-cutting measure, to bulk up the bowl without offering the amount of seafood that would encompass a seafood soup.
On the side of the jajangmyeon, the potatoes are nice, and the noodles achieve a middle ground between chewiness and confident bite. However, the lack of substance in the sauce is substituted with largely sliced onions that appear to add more volume than what this side of jjamjjamyeon actually contains. The expectation of a great wealth of meat and potatoes is not met, a deterrent to enjoying what this Northern Californian iteration has to offer.
With over 100-plus locations in Korea and a location in Los Angeles, there’s great likelihood Jjampong Zizon will continue its growth trajectory in the Bay Area. However, given what’s available in Oakland alone, the restaurant needs to demonstrate it has more to offer.
Jjampong Zizon is located at 3905 Broadway, Oakland. Open Mon-Sun, 11:30am to 8pm. 510.447.4291. jjamppongzizonca.com
