Sweet & sour pork with black vinegar sauce, Haeundae Chinese: Bueokgan

I was craving proper Chinese food after a while, so I headed to a Haeundae favorite: Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch.

The vibe was a bit different from what you'd normally picture at a Chinese restaurant. The interior was clean and stylish, with plenty of breathing room — it seemed like a good spot for a family meal, but also for a date or a get-together.

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch sits right on Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, so it's an easy stop on a drive, and there's an underground lot behind the building plus parking around the shop, which made driving there convenient too.

Location and hours of Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch

• 200 Dalmaji-gil 117beon-nagil, 1st floor, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time 15:00–16:30

An open kitchen and picture windows — a clean, atmospheric Haeundae Chinese restaurant

Walking in, the first thing that caught my eye was the open kitchen.

The layout let you see the kitchen at a glance, watching the food come together, and overall it felt like a place that was kept meticulously clean.

The tables had generous spacing, and the big windows showed a green view outside, making it feel far more relaxed than your typical Chinese restaurant. Warm lighting mixed with modern furniture gave it a surprisingly sleek feel for a Chinese spot!

Each table had a tablet ordering system set up, so I could take my time browsing the menu and order comfortably.

Zha cai (pickled mustard greens) and pickled radish came out as complimentary sides, and instead of plain water, they served cool jasmine tea, which was a nice touch.

What I ordered

• Soft-poached-egg pork belly jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles)
• Black vinegar sirloin sweet and sour pork

Soft-poached-egg pork belly jjajangmyeon

First up was the soft-poached-egg pork belly jjajangmyeon. Unlike a regular jjajangmyeon, this one came topped with both pork belly and a soft-poached egg, so the look alone was already different. Popping the yolk and mixing it into the black bean sauce with the noodles added an extra layer of nutty richness.

The deep, signature flavor of jjajangmyeon combined with the rich, savory pork belly for a pretty hearty bowl.

The noodles had a nice bounce and had soaked up the sauce well, so noodles and sauce worked really well together.

Especially once the poached egg yolk mixed into the sauce, it added a soft, nutty flavor that made for a fun twist on the usual dish.

Black vinegar sirloin sweet and sour pork

For sweet and sour pork, I ordered the black vinegar sirloin version.

The sirloin was fried to a deep golden brown and piled high with onions, served alongside a sauce made with black vinegar.

The outside was crispy and the inside had a satisfying chew, and since the sirloin cuts were thick, you really got that meaty bite. Best of all, compared to a typical sweet and sour sauce, this one had the deep flavor and subtle tang unique to black vinegar!

It was tangy without being overly sweet, which cut through the greasiness nicely. Eating it with the onions added a crunchy texture too, and I kept reaching for more.

Looking for a Haeundae Chinese restaurant worth visiting?

Overall, Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch struck me as a Haeundae Chinese restaurant favorite where you can enjoy the atmosphere just as much as the food.

The soft-poached-egg pork belly jjajangmyeon let me enjoy a familiar dish in a new way with the addition of pork belly and poached egg, and I especially liked how the black vinegar sweet and sour pork paired crispy sirloin with that black vinegar sauce.

If you're after a clean, atmospheric Chinese restaurant in Haeundae, or looking for a spot near Dalmaji-gil for a family meal, a date, or a get-together, it's worth a visit. Next time I'd like to try other menu items too, like jjamppong or cream shrimp :)