Photo-menu teppanyaki in Seomyeon, Busan: two premium sets at Karen

Where is Karen at Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon, Busan?

Karen Lotte Department Store Busan Main Branch (카렌 롯데백화점부산본점) is a teppanyaki restaurant in the basement 1 food area of Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon. It's handy: head down while shopping, eat, then carry on.

At a department store, picking what to eat somehow takes the longest, doesn't it? When you're shopping, a heavy meal feels like too much, but grabbing something half-hearted feels like a waste. I went back to Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon for the first time in a while and found a place I was happy with, so I want to write it down. It's Karen, on basement 1 of the Lotte Department Store Seomyeon main store, so you can come straight down from shopping. It's in the food area, easy to reach, and easy to leave afterwards too.

Is Karen teppanyaki good for families with kids?

Karen has baby chairs ready, so eating out with a young child looked doable. I saw quite a few families when I visited.

I expected a department store restaurant to be convenient, but the atmosphere was better than I thought, and I was happy about that. And one plus for anyone coming with kids: the restaurant had baby chairs! I saw quite a few families, and with details like this covered, it looked like a good choice for a meal out with children.

What kind of teppanyaki restaurant is Karen?

When I looked it up before visiting, Karen turned out to be a teppanyaki restaurant with 40 years of tradition, developed mainly in Taiwan. They say there are 9 branches in Korea.

Apparently Karen isn't just a teppanyaki place but a 40-year-tradition teppanyaki specialist. It's a brand that grew mainly in Taiwan, it now runs several branches in Korea, and I hear there are 9 in the country in total!

Open griddle and chefs from Taiwan at Karen

Karen Lotte Department Store Busan Main Branch has an open griddle layout from the entrance, so you can see the cooking as it happens. Taiwanese chefs cook the teppanyaki themselves, so even the waiting time became something to watch.

Even just walking past, my eyes were drawn to it. You can see food being cooked right on the griddle, so I never got bored while waiting, and the process of the food coming out was a show in itself. One more thing that impressed me: the dishes are made by chefs from Taiwan, which made the menu feel a little more authentic. Watching them cook right at the griddle got my hopes up and made me focus on the food.

Karen's NSF certification notice

The restaurant displayed a notice saying it had received NSF certification. I think the cooking environment matters for teppanyaki, and since teppanyaki (iron-griddle cooking) means cooking in direct contact with the griddle, I was impressed that they paid attention to this.

Is Karen's photo menu easy to order from?

Karen's menu isn't just text; it comes with photos of the dishes, which made choosing easy. After some deliberation we ordered two 1-person premium sets and a cider.

I looked at the menu as soon as I sat down, and this was a plus too. Teppanyaki names can be hard to picture, but being able to choose while looking at real photos made it much easier.

What comes in Karen's 1-person premium set?

Karen's 1-person premium set came with emperor top blade, 1 king prawn, 2 scallops and 1 teppan-grilled egg. The moment I saw it, I thought it was more generous than I expected.

Once we ordered, cooking started on the griddle right in front of us, and this part was more fun than I expected. The sizzle of the meat and watching the ingredients cook on the griddle meant the wait never felt boring.

• Emperor top blade
• 1 king prawn
• 2 scallops
• 1 teppan-grilled egg

How were the emperor beef rib, king prawn and scallops?

I was happy that Karen's premium set isn't only meat or only seafood; you get both together. The top blade was nicely seared outside and moderately juicy inside.

Maybe because it's cooked right on the griddle, the top blade wasn't overly strong in flavor and let the ingredient itself come through, so it was easy to eat. One bite and I wanted rice, so my chopsticks kept going back for more.

And the king prawn, which I was personally looking forward to most! The size was decent, and since it's cooked right on the griddle, the texture was great. It stayed springy, perfect for alternating with the meat. The scallops were good too. They weren't tough, they were cooked tender, and you could taste that teppanyaki flavor.

Personally, scallops are one of the most satisfying ingredients in teppanyaki, and these beat my expectations. And the teppan-grilled egg was a quiet standout! A simple addition, but eating it together improved the balance of the whole meal. It was nice between the stronger dishes and felt like a finish to the meal.

Is Karen's premium set filling enough for a meal?

Karen's 1-person premium set was neither too filling nor too little, a fitting amount for one meal. It's easy to eat while shopping and looked good for a date or a family meal out.

Above all, with teppanyaki it's not only the taste, it's the fun of watching, which I think is a big plus. Watching it cooked in front of you and eating right away feels a little more special.

Is Karen in Lotte Department Store Seomyeon worth a return visit?

Being inside the department store makes Karen Lotte Department Store Busan Main Branch easy to reach, and it felt like more than just a meal because you get the teppanyaki performance too, so I was happy with the visit. Next time I'm at Lotte in Seomyeon, I'll probably stop by again :)