Buldang-dong Korean restaurant weekday lunch, smoky deodeok: Hyangtaek

This Korean restaurant opened recently, and every time I walked past it was packed — I kept telling myself I had to try this Buldang-dong hotspot, Hyangtaek. With rave reviews popping up everywhere, I finally carved out time for a weekday lunch visit.

What does Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch look like from outside?

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch is a Korean restaurant that recently opened in Buldang-dong, Cheonan. The tiled-roof eave detail above the sign caught my eye right away.

I'd always wondered why it was so busy whenever I passed by, and once I actually visited, I got it.

Inside Hyangtaek: an open kitchen you can see from every table

Inside, there's an open kitchen right by the entrance, so you can watch the food being made. It was packed during the weekday lunch peak, and tables only opened up a little after 1pm.

When I first arrived it was so crowded I could barely take interior photos. Once things thinned out a bit after 1pm, I was finally able to snap some shots. With the open kitchen by the entrance, you could watch the cooking happen right in front of you, and the wood-toned interior had a line on the wall reading, "We pursue fresh Korean food culture using ingredients grown and raised on our own land."

There was also a sign about a review event: visit on a weekday and get a free hanpan mushroom platter! By the counter hung a cotton cloth printed with "Hyangtaek," and the teal ceramic bowls added a nice pop of color. The tables were spaced generously too, so you could eat comfortably without worrying about the next table over.

Hyangtaek menu and prices, from 14,000-won mackerel gondre rice to the hanpan mushroom platter

Hyangtaek's menu includes mackerel gondre rice for ₩14,000, eggplant doenjang rice bowl for ₩13,000, grilled deodeok and mushroom for ₩9,000, and more. The menu even introduces Sindongjin rice, which gave off a real sense of care about ingredients.

There was a good variety of rice dishes — mackerel gondre rice, eggplant doenjang bowl, yukhoe bibimbap, and shiso mustard-leaf squid rice bowl — plus sides like grilled deodeok mushroom and the hanpan mushroom platter.

There was also a sign titled "How to enjoy Hyangtaek," kindly explaining: 1. Mix the toppings evenly into the rice, 2. Add the gopchang gim (seasoned laver strips) and mixed jeotgal (seasoned seafood), and 3. Add the special sauce little by little to match your amount of rice. Haha. I really wanted the hanpan mushroom platter today, but held off worrying the portion would be too much.

I ordered three dishes: mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000), eggplant doenjang rice bowl (₩13,000), and grilled deodeok and mushroom (₩9,000). Drinks — Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, and Sprite — were each ₩2,000, which seemed like a nice pairing with the meal.

What the food tastes like: smoky grilled deodeok and mushroom is the pick at Hyangtaek

Of the three dishes I tried at Hyangtaek, my clear favorite was the grilled deodeok and mushroom. Overall, everything gave off a very healthy, clean Korean-food feel.

They kindly explained how to eat it, and following those instructions, I mixed everything up and enjoyed it thoroughly.

My clear favorite was the deodeok and mushroom — the smoky char was so strong that eating the deodeok and mushrooms felt almost like eating jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork)?! The mackerel gondre rice had a subtle gondre herb aroma with well-seasoned, savory mackerel, while the eggplant doenjang bowl had soft grilled eggplant with the deep, earthy flavor of doenjang (fermented soybean paste) coming through.

Both dishes had deep flavor without being harsh or overly seasoned, which kept my spoon going back for more. Wrapping bites in the gopchang gim and mixed jeotgal added a whole different flavor to enjoy, and it was perfect for sharing with the person I went with.

The staff were all friendly too, so I left in a good mood. It really felt like the flavors of the ingredients themselves were allowed to shine without anything overly harsh —

I'd especially recommend it to anyone looking for a hearty meal that's easy on the stomach. Next time I plan to try the herring roe bibim noodles, the hanpan galbi, and the hanpan mushroom platter, haha. If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant in Buldang-dong, give Hyangtaek a try!