Rice paper-wrapped fish kaoyu, mild spice, at Bantiannyao in Daejeon

Kaoyu is hot right now, both in China and in Korea 🔥 I missed trying it on my trip to Shanghai and had been so curious ever since — turns out a great kaoyu spot opened up in Daejeon too, haha. This is Bantiannyao Kaoyu, already a well-known name in Seoul! Kaoyu in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon — I went in with high expectations. Here's my honest review of Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch ⭐️

Location and hours of Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch

Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch 📍 2F, 13 Dunsan-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon ⏰ Daily 11:00-22:30 ✔️ Naver Reservation available ⭕️ It's right behind Galleria Timeworld in Dunsan-dong, haha.

It's on the 2nd floor of the building behind Galleria and Zara in Dunsan-dong! There's a big banner outside so it's easy to spot, haha.

Menu and prices

• Kaoyu ₩43,000
• Kaoyu flavors: qinghuajiao, honghuajiao, mala, garlic, and more
• Fish types: ningbo fish, sea bass, qingjiang fish
• Add-ons available: extra sides, ingredients, drinks
• Self-bar ₩2,000 per person (rice, soda, snacks, sauce bar)

The vibe — could this work for a Dunsan-dong company dinner?

The table setting was neat — small plates, cups, wet wipes, cutlery all already there, and you can grab more from the self-bar if needed, haha.

They're also running Naver review, Instagram, and YouTube events right now!

The place is huge!! Really clean and comfortable, no smells at all >< There are several private rooms and the space is so spacious that I'd totally recommend it as a company dinner spot in Dunsan-dong 😀

What's in the self sauce bar

There's a self-bar in the middle of the restaurant with the sauce bar, rice, soda, cutlery — everything's there.

Just like a hot pot restaurant, the sauces include chili sauce, oyster sauce, mala sauce, peanut, minced garlic, Chinese soy sauce, sesame oil, ma-yu (spicy oil), la-yu (chili oil) — all of it! There were snacks for dessert too, haha.

There's also small plates, spoons, various utensils, plus rice and rice paper, haha.

They even had Bantiannyao's own sauce-mixing tips posted, so making the sauce was easy, lol. Every combo on the list was delicious!

Adding the self-bar means the sauce bar, snacks, and rice are all included, and soda comes with it too, of course, haha. Drinks sorted too — great. Draft beer is only ₩2,500! Next time I want to come in the evening and have it with beer. I feel like kaoyu and beer would go so well together ><

Phone chargers, baby dishware, high chairs, disposable aprons — the place was really convenient to use, haha.

While waiting for the kaoyu, we grabbed sauces and rice, haha. Trying a bunch of different sauces made it so much more delicious!

What we ordered: qinghuajiao kaoyu, mild spice, ningbo fish

• Qinghuajiao kaoyu [mild spice / fish: ningbo fish]
• Vegetable-mushroom side platter
• Self-bar for two

There were so many kaoyu flavors that we went with the signature qinghuajiao kaoyu, haha. For the fish, we picked the best-seller, ningbo fish! The visual was insane, lol — it looked huge and really impressive. It tasted just like the kaoyu I'd have in China, which I loved.

It comes out mostly pre-cooked, haha. You set it over the flame, wait a bit, and staff come back to finish prepping it for you!

What's in the vegetable-mushroom side platter

Eating just fish felt a little plain, so we ordered the vegetable-mushroom side platter, haha. Cabbage, tofu, quail eggs, wood ear mushroom, enoki mushroom, meatballs, oyster mushroom, gungchae, lotus root, and even panda fen mozi (a starchy jelly noodle)!! It was so packed >< I'd absolutely recommend adding a side platter.

After the hourglass timer ran out and it started boiling, staff came over and kindly explained everything, haha.

Ningbo fish flavor and the qinghuajiao spice level

They deboned the fish and put the best parts — the belly and cheek — onto our small plates!! Ningbo fish has soft, moist flesh, but the belly and cheek had a nice chewy texture too. So so good, haha. The fish was huge so the portion was massive, and the meat was really plump, lol.

It was my first time trying this dish and it really suited my taste! If you like hot pot or mala tang, you'll definitely like this — the qinghuajiao flavor isn't heavily mala, more of a tingly sensation, so even my husband who can't handle mala well ate it happily. You can also mix the sauce to your own taste, so it's great just for the sauce flavor alone, haha.

The rice paper wrap is the real trick

After a bit of kaoyu, we added a ton of extra sides, lol. The side platter portion is huge >< and having so many varieties in it was great.

You can eat the fish just dipped in sauce, or with rice — both work great, haha. But wrapping it in rice paper is the real trick!! The sauce soaks in so well and gives it such a deep flavor — highly recommend!!

The sides were so delicious too ㅠㅠ You have to try them!! It really felt like a special hot pot experience ~~ You can keep adding sides, so if you're in a group, ordering one kaoyu and adding extra sides seems like a pretty good value option, haha.

We polished off the fish and sides, then finished with ice cream, haha. A complete meal all the way to dessert!!!

There's floss and deodorizer at the entrance too, haha.

Final thoughts

If you want something special to eat in Daejeon, or you like hot pot and mala tang, I'd totally recommend trying Bantiannyao Kaoyu!!! It's a great pick for a company dinner or friend gathering in Dunsan-dong ><. I went in with high expectations and left even more satisfied than expected, haha. There are so many flavor options that next time I want to try a different one, and try one of the sea fish options too!!