[L’Escape] Palais de Chine - Crispy Cheese Youlinji, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, Latangmian, a Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant. Discount / valet parking information.

백원장 rating ★★★★☆

Hello.

This is Dr. Baek from Leu Dental Clinic at Sinsa Station.

About two years ago, I visited this Chinese restaurant, and I went back on Christmas Day 2025 for a day trip.

In the two years that passed, there was one big change: L’Escape Hotel became part of Marriott.

They even joined The Luxury Collection... though I don’t think it’s on the same level as Josun Palace...

Anyway, this is my review from that commemorative visit.

Personally, I like the chili shrimp at L’Escape’s Palais de Chine.

The visual with the gim topping is pretty, and I like that fried shrimp with a sweet and crunchy flavor. haha

Today, I ordered mostly the dishes my wife prefers.

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Palais de Chine

It’s the building right next to the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store, right?

Personally, I like the Palais de Chine lounge—the space attached to the 6th-floor Palais de Chine.

L’Escape Hotel provides a partnered free valet parking service only when you use the shops inside the hotel. Since you can’t always visit the restaurant every time... I recommend using the lounge. Coffee is around 10,000 won, so it’s fairly affordable, and if you have Club Josun, you can even get a discount, which is a big plus.

Please be sure to check in advance whether your credit card qualifies for valet service. I received the free benefit with my Heritage Smart Card, but it didn’t work with Hyundai American Express. Since each brand is Mastercard and Amex... it seems Amex-based cards aren’t supported.

The sign for THE LUXURY COLLECTION was displayed there as well.

Unlike Josun Palace, which aims to be the best in Korea, L’Escape has a somewhat unfinished feel.....

I do wonder whether this small hotel can maintain Luxury Collection status for long...

The lobby concierge is so small...!...

There was just one staff member standing there... hmm, Luxury Collection... it felt a little awkward.

There was some decoration in one corner to create a Christmas atmosphere, but the quality... what is this.....

The Shinsegae right next door is much betterㅠㅠ

It would probably be fine if they were given Autograph Collection........ I think design hotels aren’t bad either.

Anyway, after taking the elevator up, the 6th floor is Palais de Chine.

They’ve decorated it quite Chinese-style, but for some reason it felt a bit old compared with my last visit—sadly (!?)

Since it was Christmas Day evening, there were hardly any places open.

Basically just Dorim at Plaza Hotel and here at Palais de Chine...?

We actually visited, and there was quite a bit of seating available, so it was nicer than expected because it was fairly quiet.

Maybe because this hotel appeared in the Marriott Bonvoy app, we saw a few foreign guests too.

I visited on 12/25, and the only disappointment was that official Marriott joining started from 12/29, so I couldn’t earn points.

There’s a nice bar, and the interesting part was that many Chinese liquors were displayed.

I could also see wine inside. They handled quite a wide range of alcohol.

The view I captured after sitting down!

They were running a wine special event, and even when ordering by the glass, the cost was notable, running into the tens of thousands of won.

The menu was quite thick, so I couldn’t photograph everything.

At the front, there were seasonal dishes, and they were selling crispy cheese Youlinji, which was unusual, so I ordered it.

It said it was a fall-limited item, but it was still available on Christmas Day haha.

We had gone there for Youlinji, but this was the only type of Youlinji on the menu.

The dishes came out fairly quickly together.

I said, “Please bring them as they’re ready,” and the meal came out before the dishes... secret, lol.

Crispy Cheese Youlinji (45,000 won)

This was the dish that felt the freshest among what we ordered today.

It felt a bit like ordering chicken from BBQ? There was quite a lot of topping on the chicken. haha

There was a generous amount of cheese powder, and I found it interesting that dollops of cream cheese were placed on top.

The crispy chicken-like texture was impressive!!

Personally, I thought the cream cheese wasn’t greasy at all and actually paired quite well...ㅎㅎ

I liked the combination of warm fried chicken and cold cream cheese^^ㅋㅋ

But after I almost finished one portion by myself, it did start to feel a bit heavy...

Latangmian (30,000 won)

We asked them to split the latangmian so it would be easier for two people to eat, and they served it in two bowls.

There were plenty of visible shrimp and sea cucumber, so it looked nice.

The noodles looked chewy!

There were clams and squid too~

The flavor was like a refined Nagasaki champon—the broth had a quietly deep taste that I liked.

Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (28,000 won)

My wife wanted to order this, so we did.

I don’t really like eggplant... but she said it was tasty when mixed with rice, so we even ordered rice.

Rice is billed separately at 3,000 won.

I’m not sure why this black sauce is so tasty, but!!

Personally, I think the old Jisamseon I had at some point was better...

This dish cost it some points....

We ate well again today.!!!

Conclusion

Palais de Chine after a long time.

If possible, order the signature menu items.

It really has been a long time since I visited Palais de Chine.

I think I’ve been there maybe three times in my life... and this time was after two years, on Christmas Day no less. ^^

I visited without a reservation as a walk-in, and I was glad they welcomed us so readily.

In a way, that may mean it isn’t the main Chinese restaurant to choose for a special occasion... but still, it’s a five-star hotel.

Congratulations on becoming affiliated with The Luxury Collection! That said, delivering the required quality could be a bit demanding.

Putting the hotel aside... Palais de Chine remained a space that still carried the same feeling it had before.

It had a strong Chinese atmosphere, and the menu felt a bit aged.

I personally liked the special seasonal Youlinji. The latangmian was good too, but the eggplant with garlic sauce wasn’t quite to my taste. It may be somewhat unfamiliar to Koreans, so I recommend ordering mainly the signature dishes.

Taste: ★★★★☆

Value for money: ★★★☆☆

Accessibility: ★★★★☆

Facilities: ★★★★☆

Parking: Valet parking available.

As mentioned earlier, if you want to get a credit card discount for valet parking, make sure to check before you go. It seems Amex isn’t part of the partnership, so you might end up paying the fee. Mastercard seems to work.

If you have most premium credit cards, you can get a 10% discount. When I visited, it hadn’t yet joined Marriott, so I used The First Edition 1 to get a 10% discount and earned triple mileage as a special promotion. I think... if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Shinhan Card, you might get a discount. You could probably earn 5x points too~

Personally, I think I’m more drawn to the lounge next door than to Palais de Chine ^^; It’s quiet and feels like my own little hideout with excellent value for money. . .ㅎㅎ Anyway, this was my long-overdue visit review.

Thank you for reading my self-paid restaurant review again today,

I’ll continue to become a memorable restaurant curator with carefully selected posts. :)

This was Dr. Baek from Leu Dental Clinic at Sinsa Station.

Thank you.!!