Buldang-dong Cheonan restaurant: herring roe bibim noodles, Hyangtaek

Last time I traveled to Gyeongju, I paid my own way to visit Hyangtaek Gyeongju. It was so good — and now there's a Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch?? I had to do an opening run haha.

Parked on the roadside nearby and headed in!!

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch has this mix of modern and old-school charm. And there were menu items I never even saw in Gyeongju??

What the restaurant and seating are like at 11am opening

Doing an 11am opening run paid off haha — maybe because it's new, but the place was spotless. I loved it the moment I walked in. Lots of solo seats too, perfect for eating alone!!

I happened to notice baby dishware and a high chair. Seems great for a whole family to come eat together!! What a thoughtful restaurant..

What we ordered and what it cost

Mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000), which I loved last time, and herring roe bibim noodles (₩13,000), which was sold out last time so I couldn't try it

Last time there was only hanpan galbi and hanpan mushroom, but now there's even deodeok mushroom grill and Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi?? I had galbi last time, so this time I ordered the Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi (₩9,000)!

Weekends and holidays don't count, but on weekdays writing a review gets you a free hanpan mushroom!!

While waiting for the food, I read through Hyangtaek's 'how to eat it right' guide

The side dishes: bibim jeotgal (seasoned salted seafood) and gopchang gim

A closer look at the side dishes

This bibim jeotgal (mixed salted seafood) that the eating guide recommends. This banchan they give as a standard side is genuinely delicious. The mackerel rice bowl also comes with gopchang gim (seaweed strips) and soy sauce!!

The mackerel rice bowl comes with dried seaweed and soy sauce, while the herring roe bibim noodles just come with a light broth!!

We also ordered a cola, and funnily enough, it filled a single can exactly!!

All the dishes came out quickly!! Mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000), herring roe bibim noodles (₩13,000), Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi (₩9,000)

With the side dishes added, the portion looked pretty~ big for two people to eat,,

Mackerel gondre rice, 14,000 won

The mackerel gondre rice I loved so~~ much last time. Savory yet light, so delicious. Sesame, gondre (dried aster greens), scallion, mushroom — all healthy Korean-style ingredients!!

Can you see the thickness of that mackerel? Genuinely thick, and pure clean flavor. The gondre and mushroom and all the ingredients pair so well with the mackerel.

Mix it all up and top it with dried seaweed and a dab of soy sauce..!! That's the best way to eat it

Herring roe bibim noodles, 13,000 won

The dish I'd been wanting to try since last time

When I spread out the herring roe, there was so much of it?? Are they really allowed to pile on that much herring roe??

And underneath, it's all wet and juicy!! There's some kind of sauce or liquid so you can mix it up nice and moist haha

Once fully mixed it looks like this~?? Not fishy at all, the umami just explodes, and it's clean and delicious — kind of like eating samgyeopsal + bibim noodles?? The meat and noodle combo was so good..

Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi, 9,000 won

The chicken bulgogi had this rich oily aroma rising off it. It pulled apart so smoothly and tenderly!! There was even some crunchy cartilage-like bite, so the texture was top-tier

It's definitely a bit salty, so wrapping it in seaweed worked really well

Final verdict after a meal for two

We wondered if the portion would be too much~? But the two of us cleaned every plate haha. Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch — I strongly. recommend. it as a must-try restaurant in Buldang-dong, Cheonan.

• If you like clean, light rice bowls, try the mackerel gondre rice or eggplant rice bowl
• If you like a meat + bibim noodle combo, please please try the herring roe bibim noodles