Haeundae Chinese restaurant, late dinner & smashed cucumber: Bueokgan

Where is Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch?

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch (부엌간 차이니즈 해운대점) is a Chinese restaurant on the first floor of a building full of restaurants, up along Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae. We got there late in the evening and this is where we ended up. We parked in the private lot, took the elevator up and walked into the first-floor Chinese restaurant. There is also a Bueokgan restaurant on the 2nd floor, so one building offers a few different kinds of meals.

What is the atmosphere like?

A vintage corridor leads in from the entrance, and the interior calls to mind Hong Kong in the movie In the Mood for Love. Before you even enter, the entrance is a corridor full of a curious mood.

Even in a narrow corridor, the neat vintage interior brings up a strange, moody feeling. It feels like walking into a scene from a movie.

Then you meet the open kitchen. It feels as if the kitchen is welcoming the guests. If that was intentional, this is a Chinese restaurant with philosophy right from the design.

Even though it was late in the evening, quite a few diners were eating. The moment we walked in, I got the impression of a Haeundae Chinese restaurant with a different mood from your average neighborhood Chinese place.

The interior recalls Hong Kong of that era in In the Mood for Love. Low lights in warm tones and the Chinese music playing in the restaurant combined to give a fresh feeling while eating.

Seating and side dishes

The tables ranged from seats for two to spots where several people can sit together. It works for couples and is a comfortable space for a family meal too.

The side dishes were pickled radish (danmuji) and zha cai (pickled mustard stem). They gently whet the appetite before a Chinese meal. If you want to eat in a slightly different setting from an ordinary meal, this Dalmaji-gil spot is a good stop.

While I was soaking up the mood like that, the food arrived.

Is the jjajangmyeon okay for a child?

The jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) had udon-thick noodles and a sweetish sauce with plenty of meat and onion, and my child ate it well. We started with the jjajangmyeon the kid ordered. The noodles are plumper than usual jjajangmyeon, like udon noodles, which caught my eye. When I actually ate them they were chewy with real bite, a different texture from the jjajangmyeon I usually have. The sauce had plenty of meat and onion, and the sweet-yet-salty flavor worked well.

Above all, I liked that my child ate it well. On a family outing you need at least one dish the kid can eat without fuss, and the jjajangmyeon played that role. If you come to this Dalmaji-gil restaurant with a child, it is a safe thing to order.

Is the seafood jjamppong very spicy?

The seafood jjamppong (spicy noodle soup) leans toward a rich broth where seafood and meat stock come together rather than sharp heat. The generous amount of seafood was impressive. Tasting the broth first, I could feel the flavor drawn out of the seafood, followed by the weighty richness of meat stock underneath. It's a different direction from jjamppong that competes on spiciness alone.

It has some kick, but it was more about enjoying the deeply extracted broth than a sharp spiciness taking the lead. Thanks to the seafood and stock combination, you eat the noodles and then keep going for the broth. Hmm... it made me think the theme of Bueokgan Chinese is mellow over stimulating. If you like this kind of jjamppong, it is worth ordering when hunting for a good Chinese restaurant in Haeundae.

How is the octopus rice bowl with poached egg?

Bueokgan Chinese's octopus rice bowl with poached egg was mild despite its red look, with big pieces of octopus and the poached egg as the highlights. If a Chinese restaurant has a Chinese-style bibimbap or yakki rice bowl, I'll usually order that. This time too, the menu had a Chinese rice bowl, so I ordered it.

Judging by the red sauce on top, I thought it would be very spicy, but when I ate it, it was milder than expected. Plenty of big octopus pieces were in there, and the chew was great with rice.

The poached egg on top is a highlight of this dish too. As instructed, I broke the yolk lightly and mixed it evenly through the rice and sauce. With the softness of the egg added to the chewy octopus, the sauce tasted smoother too.

• Packed with octopus: pass.
• Making the poached egg the highlight: pass.
• A dish I like.

What is pai huang gua?

Pai huang gua is a Chinese side dish of cucumber smashed and then seasoned; at Bueokgan Chinese it came tangy, with onion. Looking through the side options, I ordered pai huang gua too. So the smashed cucumber I used to eat at lamb skewer places is called pai huang gua...

It had onion mixed in and the tangy taste refreshed the mouth. Unlike cucumber cut neatly with a knife, smashed cucumber soaks up the seasoning well and has a unique texture. Eaten between rich dishes like jjajangmyeon and jjamppong, it was great for resetting the palate. It seemed like it would also go well served cold on a hot summer day.

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch: a Haeundae Chinese restaurant full of atmosphere

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch was a place where you can enjoy jjajangmyeon, jjamppong and rice bowls in an atmosphere reminiscent of Hong Kong films. From the thick-noodle jjajangmyeon to the jjamppong with seafood and meat stock and the octopus bowl mixed with a poached egg, every dish had its own character. Adding pai huang gua on the side was fun too.

It was a dinner where both the atmosphere and the food satisfied. Next time I'd like to visit with more time and try the other main dishes. If you want a different kind of Chinese meal on Dalmaji-gil, it is worth a stop. I recommend it to anyone looking for a Chinese restaurant in Haeundae.