Chef husband's picks at a Daegu Korean restaurant: Hyangtaek Seongseo

What is Hyangtaek? A Korean restaurant that packs high-end Korean food culture into a single bowl, using clean, fresh ingredients grown on our own land.

Today I visited Hyangtaek, a Korean restaurant near Seongseo Keimyung University that people rave about. Good Korean restaurants are hard to find, and finding a place near Seongseo where you can eat a neat, no-fuss meal without breaking the bank is even harder.

What's on the menu at Hyangtaek, and what does it cost?

The signature dishes at Hyangtaek Seongseo Keimyung University Branch are mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000) and eggplant doenjang rice (₩13,000). The rice bowls and bibimbap dishes are priced around ₩13,000–14,000.

• Signature: Mackerel gondre rice (samchi gondrebap) — grilled mackerel with fragrant gondre (dried mountain greens) and braised mushrooms in a light rice bowl / ₩14,000
• Signature: Eggplant doenjang rice — grilled eggplant with rich soybean paste and fragrant chives on savory rice / ₩13,000
• Yukhoe bibimbap — domestic beef tartare with sweet pear and crisp vegetables over rice / ₩14,000
• Wild herb & squid rice bowl (chamnamul ojingeo deopbap) — spicy squid, crisp bean sprouts, and fragrant wild herbs over rice / ₩13,000
• Herring roe bibim noodles (cheongeoal bibimmyeon) — herring roe and grilled beef brisket with savory perilla oil and fragrant sesame leaf / ₩13,000

There are also side dishes to share: deodeok mushroom grill, galbi platter, Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi, and mushroom platter.

Why a former Korean-cuisine chef orders only the signature dishes

We ended up at this Korean restaurant because my husband loves Korean food. And naturally, we ordered the signature dishes: the mackerel gondre rice and the eggplant doenjang rice.

My husband said, 'Even if it doesn't catch your eye, always order the signature dish at a restaurant.' 'Why? I want something else.' 'There's a reason it's called the signature.'

His point is that when a dish is named 'signature,' there's a reason for it. We've gone on a lot of food trips together, and my picks always end up disappointing me, haha. So this time I went with the signature dishes, as my husband — a former restaurant chef — insisted. The result? A success.

What makes Hyangtaek different from other Daegu rice-bowl places

• The signature dishes' special sauce
• The surprising texture of tenkatsu (tempura crumbs) mixed into the rice
• Five fresh menu items that make for a tidy, well-composed Korean meal

The special sauce at Hyangtaek

What sets this place apart isn't just the freshness of the ingredients — the special sauce served alongside was genuinely delicious. It comes in a separate small dish so you can adjust the seasoning to your taste, served neatly in a lovely ceramic bowl.

How to mix and eat the two signature bowls

You spoon on the special sauce and mix it in. It was handy that the method was explained right there.

Scoop the special sauce onto a spoonful of mackerel gondre rice and mix it in — that's how they tell you to eat it. It was delicious. Just looking at the photo now makes me hungry again, haha.

Whenever I go on a food trip, I always take a photo of the empty bowl as proof. My husband asks why I bother... but the empty bowl is the proof of how good it was!!!! If you're still undecided about where to eat Korean food near Seongseo Keimyung University, why not give Hyangtaek a try?

Inside Hyangtaek: dining room, seating and waiting times

Here's a photo of the dining room. A lot of couples came in to eat.

I arrived before 11am and got in right at opening. Not long after, people started coming in in twos and threes.

Group diners came in too, and there aren't as many seats as you'd expect, so if you arrive late you may have to wait outside. T_T Here's a shot of the kitchen from the front — clean, right?

Today's pick from this fifty-something mom going through menopause is Hyangtaek, a Korean restaurant near Seongseo Keimyung University. If you're craving Korean food, give this neat, fresh-ingredient restaurant a try.

Hyangtaek location, hours and parking

Hyangtaek Seongseo Keimyung University Branch is located at 71 Hosandong-ro 35beon-gil, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor. If you're hunting for a good Korean restaurant near Seongseo Keimyung University, definitely check the location first!

Finding the entrance to Hyangtaek: what to watch for

• On foot — Subway Line 2, Kangchang Station Exit 5
• By car — use Dalseodaero 109an-gil; if you take a wrong turn you'll end up circling around a lot, as I did
• No parking lot — park in the nearby villa alley
• Hours — closed every Sunday / Mon–Sat 11:00–20:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 15:00, 19:30