Busan shabu kalguksu with water spinach instead of minari: Yunujae

These days whenever my husband and I eat out, even ordering one side dish or a drink makes him gasp at how crazy prices have gotten. So when I heard there was a place in Munhyeon-dong where you could eat until you burst for a good price, I had to check it out.

For ₩11,000 you get rich broth, mushrooms galore, quality meat, house-made kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and even a porridge finish, all in one meal — that's Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu, a Munhyeon-dong restaurant. The price was so low I worried about the taste and quality, but my husband and I left truly satisfied. Here's the full review, from waiting tips to the actual flavor to little extras worth adding.

Where is Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu, and where do you park?

Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is located on the 1st floor of Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza, 26 Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan. My husband and I went by public transit, and it was easy to reach that way too.

For parking, Yunujae gives 2 hours validated, so it's convenient for anyone driving too. It's the commercial parking lot in the basement of Daerim City Plaza.

What time should you go to skip the lunch wait in Munhyeon-dong?

When we went at lunchtime the restaurant was packed with customers, and there's a continuous wait during the lunch peak, 11am to 2pm. I'd recommend going for an early or late lunch instead.

Most customers are local Munhyeon residents — plenty of couples on dates, but even more families eating out with kids. I think that's because the food is easy on the stomach and the price is so reasonable.

The self-serve corner has extra broth, diced radish kimchi, and napa cabbage kimchi ready to go.

Since it's such a popular spot for family dinners, they had plenty of baby chairs set up.

Only two choices at Yunujae: white broth or red broth

We debated between white shabu and red shabu and went with the red shabu, mild flavor. The mild red shabu was genuinely delicious — next time I want to try the spicy version. At the table next to us someone ordered the seafood pajeon (savory seafood pancake), and I overheard them say the pajeon here is insane... next time I'm definitely ordering that too.

• 1. Oyster mushrooms + minari (water dropwort)
• 2. Sirloin
• 3. House-made kalguksu noodles
• 4. Porridge

Man! This is Munhyeon-dong's omakase... The first thing that came out was the mild red broth, packed with oyster mushrooms, and instead of the usual minari, we got water spinach that day — personally I think water spinach suits it even better.

It's 70g of sirloin per serving, so ordering two servings gave us 140g of sirloin.

Why an extra kalguksu noodle portion is a must at Yunujae

House-made kalguksu noodles. When we heard the table next to us say

the kalguksu is so good, let's add more noodles,