Weekday evening sotbap dinner in Jung-gu, Daegu: Hyangtaek Daebong

My boyfriend and I once had mackerel gondre bap (rice cooked with gondre, a wild perilla-leaf-like herb) at the Jongno branch of Hyangtaek, and we were both so satisfied that I kept thinking about it...

I happened to have errands near Kim Kwang-seok Street and noticed there was a Hyangtaek nearby !! So this time I visited the Daebong branch of Hyangtaek 👀🖤

Where is Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, and where do you park?

The exterior

It's about a 1-minute walk from Exit 3 of Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station, near Kim Kwang-seok Street. You can check the menu and prices from outside before going in, which made it easy to decide what to order ahead of time.

There's no dedicated parking space, so I parked in a nearby alley and walked over 🅿️

Inside Hyangtaek Daebong Branch: seating for groups?

The interior

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch had several tables for 2–4 people, so it was bigger inside than I expected! There are also seats where larger groups can sit together, which would make it a great spot for a Daegu wedding-invitation gathering or other group meal ♥

Even on a weekday evening there were quite a few customers, so keep in mind there may be a wait if you visit on a weekend lunch or dinner!

Hyangtaek Daebong menu and prices: mackerel gondre rice 14,000 won, herring roe bibim noodles 13,000 won

The menu is placed right on the table. Last time I really enjoyed the mackerel gondre rice and eggplant doenjang rice bowl, and I was tempted to order the same again, but I got curious about other menu items too ^___^

• Mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000)
• Herring roe bibim noodles (₩13,000)

is what I ended up ordering ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

Right now there's a weekday receipt event giving out free hanpa mushrooms, so if you're planning to visit, jump on it quickly!!

On the table there were also friendly instructions on how to best enjoy Hyangtaek's signature dishes, mackerel gondre rice and eggplant doenjang rice bowl. I'd already had it once before, but I read through it carefully again haha

What comes with the meal: doenjang soup, jeotgal and gungchae

Before the main dish arrived, they brought out doenjang soup, mixed jeotgal, and gungchae, plus the gopchang gim and special sauce that come with the mackerel gondre rice order. They said the doenjang soup is best stirred well with a spoon before eating 🥄 Just the right savory doenjang flavor 🤎

Finally, the dishes I'd been waiting for arrived,,,★

Just like at the Jongno branch, the table setting came out looking really neat and pretty. Of course taste matters most, but when food is presented this cleanly and beautifully, it somehow looks even more appetizing 🤤

Ugh, even writing this now makes me want to go eat there again. Highly recommended in advance. Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, a must-visit restaurant near Bangcheon Market b

How to eat mackerel gondre rice: use only a third of the special sauce

The mackerel gondre rice (which I fell in love with before) is such a delicious dish — gondre as the base, topped with sesame, chives, and mushrooms, and finished with domestic mackerel that's had almost all its bones removed 🍚

Break the mackerel into bite-sized pieces and mix it well with the rice. Before adding the special sauce, try tasting the mackerel and gondre rice on their own first.

Yes, this is the taste ,,ԾㅂԾ,, It was exactly the flavor I remembered loving before, which made it taste even better this time.

If you put rice on the gopchang gim and add some jeotgal, then wrap it up and eat it in one bite, it's genuinely delicious... ugh... I wish everyone could know this taste... Personally, I started out just mixing everything together, but later found that adding only about 1/3 of the special sauce tasted the best ♥

What do herring roe bibim noodles taste like? Light, not fiery

This time I tried the herring roe bibim noodles for the first time 🐟 Bouncy noodles topped with perilla leaf and meat garnish, with a generous pile of herring roe right in the center — it looked so pretty in color (╹ڡ╹ )

Mix the noodles, toppings, and herring roe evenly together and it transforms into an appetizing bibim noodle dish.

At first, just from the look of it, I expected a fairly intense, sour-and-spicy bibim noodle flavor, but it turned out to be less intense and pleasantly light! Rather than the sauce hitting hard, the noodles and toppings blended together nicely, and above all the popping texture of the herring roe was the most memorable part ♥

From the mackerel gondre rice to the herring roe bibim noodles, everything was so good that I scraped the bowls clean without leaving a single grain of rice v

Verdict: is Hyangtaek Daebong worth it near Kim Kwang-seok Street?

⭐ Final verdict ⭐ If you're looking for a good restaurant near Kim Kwang-seok Street or Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital, I really recommend Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, where you can enjoy a clean, neatly presented table setting. It had been a while since my last visit, and it was just as satisfying as before ^___^ The herring roe bibim noodles were tasty too, but you really must try the mackerel gondre rice,,,♥