Haeundae Chinese restaurant for mild mala jjamppong: Bueokgan

An easy family meal with parking behind Haeundae Beach

After having a blast at Haeundae Beach, food was naturally the first thing on our minds. My child said they were hungry, and my stomach was starting to send signals too, so we hopped in the car and headed somewhere nearby for a meal.

For our family meal that day, we went to Bueokgan Chinese Marine City Branch (부엌간 차이니즈 마린시티점). It wasn't much of a drive from Haeundae Beach, and I liked the convenient parking right away. When you're dining out with a child, the food matters, of course, but easy parking is quietly important too, isn't it? If parking is complicated, you're already exhausted before you even eat—but we walked in without that worry that day.

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Last order: 20:30

When we opened the door, the restaurant was bigger than I expected. Oh, this place is spacious, I thought. It wasn't just a room of tables: there were seats for larger groups and private rooms too, so it looked like a nice option for gatherings.

The Dongbaekseom sea from the window

We went with our child, and the seating was comfortable enough that we had no real trouble while sitting there. More than anything, though, the view caught my heart before the food did. We sat by the window, and the sea around Dongbaekseom spread out before us. With nothing blocking the view, I kept looking outside while we ate. 👍

Looking after my child, then looking at the sea once; eating, then looking at the sea again. It felt like we were traveling. After visiting Haeundae Beach, eating something delicious, and looking out at the sea, even an ordinary family meal felt a little more special.

Ordering dishes for both child and adults

We ordered jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), poached-egg ganjajang (stir-fried black bean noodles), mala cilantro jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and tangsuyuk (Korean Chinese sweet-and-sour pork). As the dishes came out one after another, the table filled up quickly. We needed something to share with our child as well as dishes for the adults, so we chose a little of everything—and it turned out to be a pretty good selection. 👏👏👏👏

We tried the jajangmyeon first, and I liked that it wasn't as strongly seasoned as I expected. When sharing with a child, you can't help worrying if something is too salty or intense, but this jajangmyeon felt less burdensome that way.

Best of all, my child ate it well. From a mom's perspective, doesn't that already make it half a success? When you take a child out to eat and they say they won't eat, that's when you really start to break into a cold sweat. But that day, they worked quite diligently with their chopsticks, so I could eat comfortably too.

Poached-egg ganjajang and tangsuyuk

The poached-egg ganjajang had a different feel. Once I broke the egg over it and mixed it into the sauce, it became noticeably softer and richer. It still had that distinctive ganjajang flavor, but it didn't taste overly salty, so this was another good one to share as a family. We gave some jajangmyeon to our child and ate the poached-egg ganjajang ourselves, which meant everyone could enjoy what suited their taste.

And then there was the tangsuyuk. I picked up a piece as soon as it arrived, and I really liked the texture of the batter. Rather than being only crispy, it had a pleasantly chewy bite, which made it fun to eat, and the fried pork itself was tasty too. A bite of jajangmyeon, a piece of tangsuyuk, then a spoonful of jjamppong broth. Eating that way, I was full before I knew it. But there was another dish that surprised me most that day.

Mala cilantro jjamppong, even for someone who doesn't seek out mala

It was the mala cilantro jjamppong. Honestly, I don't really like mala. I don't usually eat mala-tang either, so I was a little worried from the moment we ordered it. What if that mala aroma came rushing through? But when the dish arrived, the scent wasn't as strong as I expected.

So I thought, let me just try one bite, and tasted the broth. Oh? It was better than I thought. The characteristic mala quality wasn't completely absent, but it wasn't the kind where the aroma hit you hard like I had worried it would. Even I, someone who doesn't normally eat mala-tang, could have it without feeling overwhelmed, which was quite a surprise. In the end, the person who meant to have only one bite kept eating it. Maybe I like mala after all...🤭

Since it also has cilantro, I think people who like cilantro may enjoy it even more. If you're someone like me who doesn't regularly eat mala, you might find it better than expected. Of course, mala and cilantro are such personal-preference ingredients, so I think this will depend on individual taste.

A meal where the child ate well and Mom could relax

As we tried each dish, I could see bit by bit why Bueokgan Chinese worked well for a family meal. There was jajangmyeon that wasn't difficult to share with a child, jjamppong for the adults, and tangsuyuk that several people could share. Above all, I liked that the restaurant was spacious with varied seating, making it easy to sit down and eat with a child.

When families dine out, the flavor matters, but being able to sit comfortably is quietly important too, isn't it? That day, our child ate well and we got to try a variety of dishes, so the whole meal felt very relaxed. Eating while looking at the Dongbaekseom sea from the window played a part in that too.

If you get hungry after going to Haeundae Beach like we did, it could be a nice plan to drive over for a meal and enjoy the sea view too. Especially for families with children, it was convenient that there were easy-to-share options such as jajangmyeon and poached-egg ganjajang.

Personally, the mala cilantro jjamppong stayed with me most. I didn't expect much because it isn't something I usually eat, but it was so much better than I expected once I tried it—that twist was quite fun. I suppose you really have to take a bite to know with food.

That day, we saw plenty of sea in Haeundae, drove over in no time for delicious Chinese food, sat by the window with the Dongbaekseom scenery in view, and had a very full family outing with our child. I think it would be nice for families like ours to comfortably order several dishes and share them. Thanks to our child heartily finishing the jajangmyeon, Mom got to relax and properly enjoy the tangsuyuk too. After all, the best family meal is when everyone leaves full and happy.