Dalmaji-gil Chinese restaurant for a post-yoga refuel: Bueokgan

When you think of places for a family meal, the usual suspects are a Korean restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a barbecue place or a raw fish joint. Today I went to one of the nicest-feeling and tastiest Chinese restaurants in Haeundae: Bueokgan Chinese (부엌간 차이니즈) on Dalmaji-gil.

What are the hours and parking at Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch?

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch is open every day from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 16:30 and last order at 20:30. For parking, there's room for 2 cars in the lot behind the building and 4 cars in the lot beside the main entrance. Otherwise, you can park along the roadside.

• Hours: daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Parking: 2 spaces in the lot behind the building, 4 beside the main entrance, plus roadside parking

Bueokgan Chinese sits in a standalone building on a corner of Dalmaji-gil, sharing the building with Bueokgan Italian restaurant. There's a lot for 2 cars behind the building and space for 4 more on the left of the entrance. You can also park along the roadside in front, so it works well for group gatherings too.

What's the entrance like at Bueokgan Chinese after yoga?

I'd done yoga in the morning and was totally drained, so I stopped by the nearby Bueokgan Chinese to get my energy back. The moment you step in, you see some moody lettering.

I never lived in that era, but the atmospheric entrance somehow reminds me of a Hong Kong movie. You walk past it and into the restaurant.

What's the bubble lamp interior like for a family meal?

Inside Bueokgan Chinese, George Nelson bubble lamps steal the show. They fill the whole restaurant, softly lighting the dim room and setting the mood. Thanks to the upscale lighting that lifts the space, it feels calm and comfortable, perfect for a family meal on a special day.

It's a clean, tidy space that would also suit a date or a friendly meal with friends. I can imagine how nice it would look with the lighting in the evening, too. This is Bueokgan Chinese, a Haeundae Chinese restaurant.

What did we order at Bueokgan Chinese?

At Bueokgan Chinese we ordered the signature poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang (dry-style black bean noodles), the beef brisket jjamppong (spicy seafood-style noodle soup) and the black vinegar tenderloin tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork). We sat at a window seat where the sun came in nicely and picked our menu.

The jajangmyeon and jjamppong were brought to our table quickly. They came with crunchy danmuji (yellow pickled radish), jjasai (pickled mustard stem) that you'd miss at a Chinese restaurant, and refreshing cold tea.

How does the poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang taste?

Bueokgan Chinese's poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang is packed with big chunks of pork belly. A poached egg sits right on top, so you just mix it in with your chopsticks. I ate the chewy noodles with sweet onions stir-fried until they were still crunchy, plus plenty of other ingredients. It isn't very sweet, but the rich, deep flavor wrapped in the softness of the egg makes the savory umami just burst.

Is the beef brisket jjamppong very spicy?

The beef brisket jjamppong wasn't very spicy, but it was a back-to-basics jjamppong with a cool, kicky broth you can't stop sipping. The spicy broth with tender sliced beef brisket is loaded with napa cabbage, onion and wood ear mushrooms, so fishing out the ingredients is fun too, and the spicy broth wiped out any greasiness.

My dining partner said Bueokgan Chinese is their favorite of the Chinese restaurants they've tried recently.

What style is the black vinegar tenderloin tangsuyuk?

Bueokgan Chinese's tangsuyuk is a black vinegar tenderloin version, closer to the chewy glutinous-rice-batter style. They use black vinegar said to be brought in from China, so the sweet and sour flavor is deep. It's magic: even a sauce with nothing but onions in it, you end up scraping the plate clean. It's a dish you'd feel the lack of if you skipped it at a Chinese meal.

Having a plump piece of tangsuyuk between bites of jajangmyeon and jjamppong is another joy of eating at a Chinese restaurant, so you can't miss it. I'm happy to have found a great place on Dalmaji-gil for eating with a group.