Busan Eomgwang-ro Chinese restaurant: smoky fried rice at Surabanjeom

We went out for a weekend family lunch at Surabanjeom (수라반점), a popular Chinese restaurant in Gaya-dong. This was already our third visit! This time we had jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) and mini tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), plus fried rice, which I ordered for the first time.

We arrived around 12, and customers kept coming in while delivery orders never stopped. Here's what we ordered and how each dish tasted.

Where is Surabanjeom Gaya Branch? Parking and opening hours

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch (수라반점 가야점) is at 143 Eomgwang-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan.

The restaurant has regular tables, which works well for family meals, and baby chairs are available too, so it was easy to visit with a child.

There's a self-serve corner for side dishes,

and I loved that bowls of rice are free.

For parking, they give you a Taeyang parking lot ticket when your table orders ₩15,000 or more. If you're coming by car, check the order amount for the parking benefit. Hours are 11 AM to 9 PM, Tuesday through Sunday, and closed on Mondays.

Two-person set: jjajangmyeon, fried rice and mini tangsuyuk

This time at Surabanjeom we ordered the two-person set of jjajangmyeon, fried rice and mini tangsuyuk.

Last time we had jjajangmyeon, jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and tangsuyuk. This time I added fried rice, a first for me, so we got to enjoy a wider mix of dishes.

Jjajangmyeon is the default order at any Chinese restaurant, right? Noodles with jjajang sauce make a filling meal, and it's easy to share with other dishes.

Since we also ordered fried rice, we could alternate between jjajangmyeon and fried rice. Even the same jjajang sauce feels different on noodles than mixed into rice, so I was glad we ordered both.

How is the fried rice? Fluffy grains with a smoky wok aroma

The new dish this visit was the fried rice. The grains were stir-fried fluffy and separate, and I liked the light smoky wok aroma as I ate. It wasn't mushy at all, so the texture was good too.

The fried rice came with jjajang sauce and jjamppong broth. I ate the rice with the jjajang sauce and sipped the jjamppong broth in between to refresh my mouth, which was a great combination.

Another plus: when you can't decide between jjajangmyeon and fried rice, ordering both lets you enjoy two different flavors. It took until my third visit to try the fried rice, and next time I want to order it with other dishes again.

Mini tangsuyuk, delicious last time too

Tangsuyuk is the dish you can't skip at a Chinese restaurant, just like jjajangmyeon. We ordered Surabanjeom's tangsuyuk last visit too, and this time we had the mini tangsuyuk included in the two-person set.

The fun of tangsuyuk is the crispy batter with sauce, and it goes well with both jjajangmyeon and fried rice. When noodles and rice alone feel a bit lacking, adding tangsuyuk makes the meal feel richer.

If you want to try several dishes at once, a set menu is a better idea than ordering each item separately. It was a good setup for sharing as a family.

Overall verdict on Surabanjeom Gaya Branch

This was my third visit to Surabanjeom, a popular Chinese restaurant in Gaya-dong. Last time we had jjajangmyeon, jjamppong and tangsuyuk; this time we tried the two-person set of jjajangmyeon, fried rice and mini tangsuyuk.

The fried rice I tried for the first time had a fluffy texture and a smoky aroma, and I was happy that it came with jjajang sauce and jjamppong broth. Adding jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk let us taste a bit of everything.

Even at weekend lunchtime, Surabanjeom had steady dine-in customers and delivery orders. If you're looking for a Chinese restaurant in Gaya-dong where you can enjoy jjajangmyeon, fried rice and tangsuyuk together, give it a try. And remember, orders of ₩15,000 or more get you a Taeyang parking lot ticket.