Busan eel restaurant with full vs half hitsumabushi: Shunsaikubo

Today's story is about Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong, a place I visited while looking for good eel rice bowls in Busan. Shunsaikubo has been featured in the Blue Ribbon Survey, Master of Living (생활의 달인), and even the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand, so it's famous as a Hwamyeong-dong go-to spot!

Where is Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong, and what are the hours?

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is located at 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, on the 1st floor of Geumsaem Building. It's open daily from 11:30 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:30, and last orders at 14:20 and 20:20.

• 📍 Hwamyeong-dong favorite 'Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong'
• 🕖 Hours: Daily 11:30-21:00 / Break time 15:00-17:30 / Last order 14:20, 20:20
• 📍 Address: 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, South Korea (Geumsaem Building 1F)
• ✔️ Open as usual during Chuseok holiday except Sept 25 (Fri), the day of Chuseok itself!

Is there a wait, or should you reserve?

For reference, Michelin's Bib Gourmand is one of the Michelin Guide's criteria for restaurants that serve great food at reasonable prices. Maybe that's why there were so many guests here for eel rice bowls that day too, haha. (On weekday evenings, a wait line forms fast starting around 5:45pm. Since it's a well-known restaurant, I'd recommend booking ahead through Catch Table.)

Where to park near Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong

You can use Hwamyeong Public Parking Lot for Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong. It's at 2126 Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu, Busan, South Korea, and costs ₩1,200 per hour. It's within walking distance of the restaurant, and you get 1 hour of parking support when you order over ₩50,000, so it's fine to visit by car too.

Inside Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong: atmosphere and private room

Walking in, the whole place had a clean, upscale feel. True to its identity as an eel rice bowl specialist, the interior was calm and tidy, and it made for a good dining atmosphere. There was also a room space toward the back. It seemed like a great option to book ahead for the room if you're dining with family or treating someone like your parents. With such a polished vibe, it felt like a good place to visit when you want to make eating eel rice bowl in Busan feel a bit special. 😊

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong menu and prices

Main menu / kids' menu

Drink-pairing menu / side menu

Alcohol and beverages

I heard Shunsaikubo uses top-grade freshwater eel for its rice bowls, so I was excited even before ordering. The signature dish is, of course, hitsumabushi! Besides the eel rice bowls, there's a kids' menu too, so families visiting with children can eat comfortably, haha. We ordered the main hitsumabushi, and since you can choose between full and half portion, we could pick the amount that suited us.

📋 Order Hitsumabushi (full) ₩39,000 Hitsumabushi (half) ₩27,500

Before the food came out, I carefully read the instructions on the table for how to enjoy hitsumabushi best, haha. Since there are several ways to eat it beyond just having it as a plain eel rice bowl, my anticipation shot up even before the first bite!

Full vs half hitsumabushi: what's the difference?

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong's hitsumabushi comes in a full portion for ₩39,000 and a half portion for ₩27,500. The top one is the full portion, the bottom one is the half. The full portion comes in a deeper, bigger bowl, and there's also more eel. Men will probably want the full portion, and women who want to really enjoy the eel should go full too; if you're someone who says 'I don't eat that much,' the half portion should be plenty. ☺️

What comes with the hitsumabushi set, and how to eat it

The hitsumabushi set includes three things: an appetizer salad, pre-meal Japanese-style tempura, and a post-meal dessert. (Same for both full and half portions.)

Appetizer salad

The appetizer salad that came out first had a subtle tangy flavor along with a nutty note that came through nicely. The vegetables were fresh too, and it was perfect for whetting the appetite before the main meal.

Japanese-style fried starter

The pre-meal tempura had three components: sweet pumpkin, lotus root, and eggplant! The crispy batter stood out, and it paired really well with the light soy sauce and curry salt served alongside. Curry salt in particular seemed like an unexpected combo at first, but it turned out surprisingly delicious, haha.

The hitsumabushi itself

And finally, the star of the show — hitsumabushi! The photo I took is of the half portion, and I really liked that it comes out as a neat individual set for each person.

They said all the side dishes except the chawanmushi (savory egg custard) are refillable. The chawanmushi had a springy yet soft texture that I loved, and there were mushrooms inside too, adding a nice bite. I also picked up some umami like from bonito flakes, and it was delicious. 👍🏻

From here on, let me show you in detail 🥢 the best way to enjoy hitsumabushi!

1) Eat the first quarter plain, just eel and rice

After dividing the hitsumabushi into four, I scooped out one quarter and ate the eel and rice plain. The soft, nutty flavor of the eel combined with the slightly sweet sauce, and since the rice was seasoned too, it had that irresistible, addictive taste.

2) Mix in the dashimaki tamago for una-tama

I scooped out about half of the dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette) and mixed it with the eel and rice. Eaten alone, the tamago is quite a sweet omelette, but mixed with the eel and rice, the sweetness mellowed out a bit and the whole thing felt softer overall, haha.

3) Add the yakumi: scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes, wasabi

I tried it with scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes, and wasabi added in, and personally this was my favorite combination! 😆 The perilla leaf's fragrance in particular complemented the eel without overpowering it, and the little kick of wasabi on top really cut through what could otherwise be a rich, heavy eel flavor.

4) Pour over the ochazuke dashi

I added ochazuke dashi (savory tea broth) to the combination from step 3 and ate it soupy-style — this was also really tasty. It felt a little unfamiliar at first, but once I tried it, it was savory and clean, almost like eating the crispy scorched rice water after a pot of rice, haha.

Plus a light sprinkle of sansho pepper

The staff also suggested sprinkling on a little sansho pepper when the eel starts to feel a bit rich. I tried just a light dusting, and the eel's nutty flavor paired surprisingly well with the sansho's distinctive aroma. If you're someone who enjoys sansho pepper in dishes like chueotang (loach soup), this combination is definitely worth trying!

Dessert after the meal

The dessert that came out last was green tea pudding. It had a springy yet soft texture, with matcha sauce and milk pudding blending together, and personally it tasted a lot like the matcha latte we usually drink. After a hearty eel rice bowl meal, finishing with this sweet, soft pudding was the perfect palate cleanser. ☺️

Full or half? The verdict on Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong

Overall, the food set was neat and tidy, and there were so many ways to enjoy the flavor depending on how you ate it, so it seems like even first-timers with eel rice bowl in Busan could have a fun meal. I especially liked being able to choose between the full and half portion, and it also seemed like a good spot for a clean, proper meal for a family outing or treating your parents. If you want to try a proper hitsumabushi in Busan, this place is worth the visit!