Cheonan Korean restaurant, 5pm dinner with parents: Hyangtaek

Some days you eat out but still crave Korean food, right?!

Today was one of those days for me, so I had dinner with my parents at Hyangtaek (향택) in Buldang-dong.

The exterior is pretty — that lighting color is honestly my personal favorite hahaha.

It gave off the vibe of a Korean restaurant you'd find in places like Jeonju, Gyeongju, or Insadong, the kind foreign visitors flock to. Finding it right in the middle of Buldang-dong felt refreshingly new.

Inside Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch: is there a wait at 5pm?

Just like the outside suggested, the interior of Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch was spacious and never felt cramped. We went right at 5pm, the moment break time ended, and there was no wait at all.

I loved that there was an outlet under every table, so I didn't have to hand my phone over at the counter — my phone got to "eat" too, so to speak.

We got lucky and walked in during a quiet stretch, so I could photograph the whole interior hahaha. Going right when the 5pm break time ended meant no wait at all~

It's been a while since I saw a table set with the spoons and chopsticks already out instead of tucked in a drawer! There were napkins and a menu on the table, along with a guide on how to eat each dish for the best flavor.

What we ordered at Hyangtaek and what it cost

We ordered mackerel gondre rice (삼치곤드레밥) for ₩14,000, perilla squid rice bowl (참나물오징어덮밥) for ₩13,000, herring roe bibim noodles (청어알비빔면) for ₩13,000, and seasoned deodeok skewers (더덕양념구이) for ₩9,000!

After we ordered, they set the table with seasoning sauce matched to each dish, fresh gim (seaweed sheets), pickled gungchae, and jeotgal (salted seafood)! We chatted for 5 to 10 minutes while we waited for the long-awaited dishes to arrive.

The mackerel gondre rice came out~ then the herring roe bibim noodles~ and the perilla squid rice bowl too!

Before digging in, we checked the how-to-eat guide one more time haha.

Mackerel gondre rice, 14,000 won: a mild bowl with no fishy smell

Thankfully, the mackerel in Hyangtaek's mackerel gondre rice wasn't fishy at all, and the rice had a fragrant, mild flavor with a faint hint of gondre (dried mountain herb) and oil throughout. I liked that you could mix in as much seasoning sauce as you wanted as you ate!

If you want a fish rice bowl for lunch or dinner without worrying about the smell clinging to your clothes, this one's a good pick!! Being mackerel, it was plump and tender as expected (I already love mackerel, hehe).

Since the rice was mildly seasoned, it went well whether we topped it with jeotgal or pickled gungchae, or ate it alongside the deodeok skewers we ordered as a side (the seasoning matched well with the banchan).

Chamnamul squid rice bowl, 13,000 won: extra rice on request

I personally loved the aroma of the chamnamul (perilla-scented herb) in the squid rice bowl. Who knew stir-fried squid and chamnamul would pair so well~ They gave us a generous amount of chamnamul, but the seasoning was assertive enough that we asked if we could get a bit more rice, and

they gave us more!! Hahaha, thank you. While eating, I noticed a mushroom pancake side dish on the menu — I bet that white mushroom pancake would go really well with the red-seasoned squid bowl.

My tip: pair a red rice bowl with a mild side, and a white rice bowl with a spicy side! (I included the chopsticks in the photo so you can get a sense of the portion size haha.)

Herring roe bibim noodles, 13,000 won: the most unusual dish

Herring roe bibim noodles! Unfamiliar and intriguing just from the name! My mom was curious, so she ordered it.

We were surprised to see roe as big as a fist piled on top of the noodles hahaha. I never expected herring roe this large?! There was also meat underneath the roe — meat and roe together...? The most unusual dish of the meal!

As for the taste! This isn't a kimchi-based bibim noodle — and it's not spicy! It looks red, but it tastes more soy-sauce based. No fishy taste, just a fun, popping texture. There was so much roe packed in that some was still left even after we finished all the noodles! I think it would've been fine with a noodle refill too!

There was so much roe left that we ended up scooping it onto the mild mackerel gondre rice hahaha. If you order a few different bowls like we did, definitely swap and try each other's — every dish has its own distinct character, so comparing them as you eat is half the fun. My mom has a knack (a hobby?) for recreating dishes at home after eating out, so she already filed these away in her memory today, hahaha.

Is Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch worth it? Parking and Cheonan Love Card

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch has parking right above the building, and even in Buldang-dong it's free for 2 hours, so we could eat without worrying about it. They also accept the Cheonan Love Card!

Eating at Hyangtaek today, I liked that the flavors weren't common ones, and the portions weren't small either, so we left full. It would've been even better if the seasoning sauce were adjustable per person for the other dishes too, not just the mackerel gondre rice. I was grateful to enjoy Korean-style rice bowls in a friendly, clean space. Hope this helps you plan a good meal!