Baby chair and receipt-review beef service at a Busan shabu kalguksu

An awkward meal in Munhyeon-dong — why shabu kalguksu

Finding a place to eat in Munhyeon-dong can be oddly tricky sometimes. Eating something simple feels a bit lacking, but going all out for meat or a proper meal out feels like too much. So this time I went to Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu.

I originally just wanted warm soup and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), but it turns out this place is a bit different from a typical kalguksu restaurant — you eat shabu-shabu first, then add kalguksu noodles, and finish with fried rice. I liked that you get to enjoy three courses in order in one meal, so I decided to visit.

Location and parking

Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is on the 1st floor of Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza in Munhyeon-dong. The address is 26 Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea, near the Munhyeon intersection, so it wasn't hard to find. You can use the building's basement parking, and 2 hours of parking support is available.

There's a review event too — write a receipt review and get a free serving of beef!!! Make sure to grab it!!!!

Is it okay to bring kids?

A baby chair is ready, and takeout and delivery are both available, so it's pretty convenient for families. Best of all, the single ₩11,000 menu per person covers shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and fried rice.

I liked that the menu wasn't complicated even when several people visited together. With a baby chair available, it's also good for visiting with kids.

The menu — a single ₩11,000 course per person

Yunujae's signature dish is the single shabu kalguksu menu. Both the red broth and white broth are ₩11,000 per person, and the basic set includes sirloin beef, vegetables, kalguksu noodles, and fried rice at the end. Even without adding extra items, the portion turned out to be quite filling.

I wanted something a bit spicy, so I ordered the white broth spicy. (Spicy means chili is added. If you can't handle spice, avoid it. I didn't want to find out either, TT)

Eating order — from shabu to kalguksu

The beef, minari (water celery), and mushrooms all come out fresh. The way to eat it is simple — just add everything in and boil it. I liked that each table has the cooking order, method, and heat level all explained, so it was easy to follow.

Add the beef and vegetables and boil right away. Once it boils, turn the heat down and eat it like shabu-shabu. The beef, lightly cooked and dipped in soy sauce with wasabi, went really well together, and as the vegetables cooked into the broth, the flavor got deeper and deeper.

If it ended here, it would just be shabu-shabu, but the fun at Yunujae was just beginning. Once you've eaten a good amount of the beef, you move on to adding the kalguksu noodles. Maybe because the noodles are house-made, the texture itself stayed chewy without going soft. Eating them with the now-richer broth was genuinely delicious.

The finishing touch: fried rice

Honestly, I thought I'd be full enough after the kalguksu, but once I finished the noodles, I got curious about the finishing-touch fried rice. It's made by adding fried rice ingredients to the broth left over after the kalguksu, and the flavors of the shabu and kalguksu eaten before soak into the fried rice too, making for a hearty finish all the way through.

The fried rice... has kimchi in it and is genuinely delicious. Among all the shabu fried rice I've tried, this is one of the best!!!! Recommended!!!

Eating in order — shabu, then kalguksu, then fried rice — felt hearty and satisfying. The portion wasn't excessive, just the right amount to leave you deliciously full.

Good for some days, not for others

I chose Yunujae's kalguksu place because I wanted warm soup and a filling meal with healthy items like meat and vegetables. It was exactly the right fit for that kind of day.

If you're looking for a place to eat with family in Munhyeon-dong, or a hearty lunch spot with easy parking, this could be a good choice. On the other hand, if you just want a light bowl of kalguksu and to leave quickly, the menu composition itself might feel like a bit much.

If you're looking for a place to eat in Munhyeon-dong, Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu — where you can enjoy shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and fried rice all in one hearty meal — is worth a visit.