Woo Lae Oak (literally ‘House of Return’), is known for its signature Pyongyang-style naengmyeon, or cold buckwheat noodles. The restaurant was founded in 1946 by the Jang family, who fled to South Korea after the Second World War. The family has since grown the brand and expanded internationally, opening a branch in the US that has received esteemed diners including Barack Obama.

Pyongyang naengmyeon is a dish with a long history, and it became world-famous after being put on the menu for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the April 2018 Inter-Korean Summit. Since then, naengmyeon has become the face of North Korean cuisine, cold noodles which have perhaps become a symbol of warming diplomatic relations between the two sides.

After sampling a number of renditions of Pyongyang naengmyeon, Woo Lae Oak’s is the best I taste – the noodles are springy, and the rich and nutty flavour of buckwheat pairs perfectly with its light yet umami-heavy meat broth. Besides this signature dish, Kyung-bin and I are tempted by Woo Lae Oak’s delicious beef bulgogi (grilled marinated beef). ‘The most obvious differences between North and South Korean-style barbecue is that we don’t grill vegetables with the meat in the north,’ the manager explains as she cooks succulent pieces of beef shoulder and shank for us.