Seomyeon, Busan teppanyaki: rib finger steak and bean sprouts at Karen

Sizzling right in front of you: teppanyaki at Lotte Seomyeon

Where is Karen at Lotte Department Store Busan?

Karen is a teppanyaki (iron-griddle cooking) restaurant in the basement food court of Lotte Department Store's Busan Main Branch in Seomyeon. Head down to the basement of Lotte Department Store and the food court is right there.

I had stopped by Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon and was looking for somewhere to eat when Karen caught my eye.

You sit in front of the griddle and eat while watching the cooking, which I loved. It was a handy stop in the middle of shopping, so here is my review of Karen, a Seomyeon Lotte Department Store find.

• Mon–Fri: 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Sat–Sun: 10:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

What is the atmosphere like at Karen?

When you walk into Karen, you first see the huge griddle and the seats lined up along it. The sizzling sound stopped me in my tracks.

The huge griddle was the first thing I noticed when I arrived. Seats run along it, and inside, the chefs were busily making food.

Sitting down, I could see up close as they grilled the ingredients and cut them into bite-size pieces. You might expect to order and look at your phone, but here your eyes drift to the griddle naturally.

Hearing everything sizzle made me want to eat right away.

What is on the menu at Karen?

Karen's menu has single meat and seafood dishes plus sets that combine several ingredients. I thought about it in front of the menu for a bit, then chose the premium set this time.

The menu was more varied than I expected. There were several meats, from chicken and emperor rib finger steak to top blade steak, teppan pork neck and kimchi pork belly. There were also fish and king prawn and scallop dishes, so seafood lovers have choices too, plus sets that let you try several ingredients together. I wavered between just meat or meat and seafood, and in the end enjoyed the premium set.

How is teppanyaki made in front of you?

At Karen, the chef grills big cuts like top blade and rib finger steak on the griddle and cuts them into bite-size pieces. Next to them, vegetables are stir-fried and everything comes together on one plate.

Once the meat went on the griddle, I started watching in earnest. It was impressive to see the big cut grilled and then sliced into bite-size pieces.

Meat was cooking on one side and vegetables were being stir-fried on the other, and the chef's hands were really fast.

Watching the ingredients on the griddle turn into a finished plate before I knew it, the waiting time never got boring.

If you are looking for teppanyaki in Seomyeon, Busan, being able to watch the cooking up close like this seems like part of Karen's charm.

How do you eat the teppanyaki meat at Karen?

At Karen, the premium set's meat goes well with bean sprouts in one bite, so you get meat and vegetables together. The sprouts came in generous amounts, which made them easy to add now and then.

I ate the meat from the plate with bean sprouts. Putting a little sprouts on a piece of meat let me enjoy meat and vegetables at once, which I liked. With so many sprouts, they were also nice to add in between when I'd been eating only meat.

Sometimes I put meat on top of rice, sometimes I added vegetables, mixing it however suited my taste.

The food came divided on the plate, which made it easy to eat, and even within a single menu item I could combine several ingredients, so the meal never felt monotonous.

How were the seafood and egg dishes at Karen?

Karen's premium set also came with a shrimp and scallop plate with sauce and a tomato egg dish. Alternating them with the meat made the table quite abundant.

The plate of shrimp and scallops looked appetizing too. Eating the seafood with sauce alternately with the meat, I was glad I had ordered a varied menu.

The dish with egg and tomato caught my eye with its mix of yellow and red. It was nice to take a spoonful now and then between bites of meat.

As plates filled the table one by one, it became quite a spread. If you visit with others, you could pick different dishes and share a little of each. Enjoying meat and seafood together made me curious about trying other combinations next time.

Is Karen filling as a meal?

Along with the main dish, Karen serves rice, soup, cabbage salad and vegetables, so it is a filling meal. It felt like a proper meal rather than getting by on snacks while shopping.

With rice, soup, cabbage salad and vegetables alongside the main dish, it was a filling meal.

I took a spoonful of rice, added some meat, and sipped the warm soup in between, eating slowly.

When shopping, I sometimes skip a meal for a quick snack, but this day felt like a proper meal.

Is Karen okay to visit alone?

Since the seats face the griddle, Karen looked fine for dining alone. This Seomyeon Lotte Department Store favorite is easy to drop into along your shopping route, and watching dishes come together in front of you is fun too. When I want a filling meal in Seomyeon, I would like to come back and try other teppanyaki dishes.