Hong Pan at INSPIRE Resort in Yeongjongdo was one of the best lunch spots I found during my visit, and the Hong Pan Peking duck set absolutely lived up to the hype.
I stopped by INSPIRE Resort for a day out
and ended up having lunch at Hong Pan, a seriously good Chinese restaurant.
It’s a premium Chinese restaurant
where you can try refined northern Chinese dishes
including Peking duck.
Hong Pan Peking Duck Set Location at INSPIRE Resort
Hours: Lunch 10 AM–4 PM, Dinner 5 PM–9 PM
Hong Pan is located on the second floor of Aurora,
right where the media art displays happen,
so it’s honestly one of the best spots in the resort for that.
Since it sits around the middle of the media art zone,
if the whale show starts on the hour while you’re eating,
you can just wipe your mouth, step out for a minute, and go watch it.
Or you can sit in the outdoor-style seats just outside the restaurant
and enjoy your meal while watching the whale show.
If you visit after seeing a performance at INSPIRE,
you can get 15% off,
so it’s a nice option for dinner after a show.
Upscale Chinese Dining at Hong Pan
As you’d expect from a premium Chinese restaurant,
the interior feels polished and upscale.
The tables are all generously sized,
and every seat feels roomy.
They also had plenty of high chairs ready,
which was great for families.
We were shown to a quiet table along the wall,
which I really liked.
Our baby claimed a seat too
and settled right in.
Hong Pan Menu at INSPIRE Resort
Time to check out the Hong Pan menu.
We visited on a weekend at lunchtime, and during lunch
they give you a separate dim sum brunch menu like this.
The front is in Korean and English,
and the back is in Chinese and Japanese.
This brunch menu is only available
from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM on weekdays
and from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekends,
so keep that in mind.
You can also order individual dim sum dishes,
but the lunch dim sum set seemed like a great deal
at 48,000 KRW per person, or about $35.
The full menu comes as a booklet,
and there were so many dishes that I couldn’t photograph everything.
I only snapped a few pages, including the signature Hong Pan Peking duck set
and some of the meat and seafood dishes.
I had already searched this place as a Peking duck spot before coming,
so I didn’t hesitate at all
and ordered the Peking duck set for 2 for 138,000 KRW, about $100.
Hong Pan Peking Duck Set for 2 at INSPIRE Resort
The side dishes came out first:
zhacai and peanuts dusted with a spicy seasoning.
Those peanuts were ridiculously good.
The first course was five-spice beef shank
and a wood ear mushroom salad with black vinegar.
These weren’t really my favorite flavors,
but if you’re into classic Chinese cold appetizers, you’d probably enjoy them.
Then, out of order from the menu, the steamed black cod in chili sauce came out first.
I’m not usually a huge fish person,
but this was genuinely delicious.
We scraped up every bit of the sauce and even the glass noodles.
After that dish, I knew this place could really cook.
We even pulled off a little piece of fish without sauce
for the baby,
and that got a big thumbs-up too.
Then the main dish arrived: the Peking duck.
Before carving it, they bring the whole duck to your table like this
so you can take photos first.
Once you’re done snapping pictures, they take it back, and then—
a little later, it comes back beautifully carved.
They serve it with thin pancakes,
julienned cucumber, and sauce on the side.
The skin was crisp and delicious,
so of course I tried that first.
It was a properly roasted, crackly, flavorful Peking duck.
The duck was also a decent size for two people,
so it was definitely filling.
The baby started getting bored next to us,
so I tore off a little of the pancake to share,
and that went over well too.
The Hong Pan Peking duck set felt just a little understated at that point,
so we added an order of sweet and sour pork.
And honestly, that was such a good call.
The tangsuyuk was amazing.
Even the lychee and bell peppers in the dish were delicious.
I would’ve regretted not ordering it.
Next time, instead of the set,
I kind of want to order a bunch of à la carte dishes.
It feels like the whole kitchen is strong here.
This next dish was also included in the set:
stir-fried duck served in lettuce wraps.
You wrap the finely chopped duck stir-fry in lettuce
with the crispy fried topping and eat it like that.
I’m not exactly sure what the fried garnish was,
but it was thin and crisp,
and it added a nice crunch to a dish that could otherwise feel a little soft.
The duck seasoning itself was pretty tasty too,
but by then we were already getting full,
so I think I would’ve appreciated it even more earlier in the meal.
At this point,
the baby officially hit the patience limit.
Maybe a full course meal with a baby really is ambitious.
The last savory dish was Yangzhou-style fried rice.
It first came out in one pot,
then they took it back and portioned it neatly
into two bowls for us.
It had plenty of shrimp and meat,
the seasoning was spot on,
and the wok-fried texture was excellent.
I was already so full I could barely move,
but I still kept going back for another spoonful.
We were about to get up after the fried rice,
but a staff member told us dessert was still coming, so we sat back down.
It was a melon ball aloe jelly dessert,
served in a chilled, Melona-like sweet melon broth with chunks of melon inside.
It was refreshing and clean,
a perfect final bite to end the meal.
Aside from the early appetizer-style dishes,
I thought everything else was genuinely delicious overall.
The next time I’m back at INSPIRE Resort,
this is absolutely one of the places I’d want to return to for a meal.
If you’re looking for a good restaurant at INSPIRE, I definitely recommend Hong Pan.
I’m also adding this valet parking partner card info from INSPIRE
in case it helps.