Daegu Korean restaurant meal near Keimyung: Hyangtaek

Hyangtaek Seongseo Keimyung University Branch hours and parking

Open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 to 20:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00. Last orders are at 15:00 and 19:30, and the restaurant is regularly closed every Sunday.

I visited Hyangtaek Seongseo Keimyung University Branch (향택 성서계명대점), a great Korean restaurant near Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital :) It is a very new spot that has only recently opened.

There is no separate parking lot if you are driving, so you will need to park on nearby side streets. By public transport, it is 332 m from Exit 5 of Gangchang Station.

My husband and I arrived almost right at opening time, but the restaurant was already full. It really lived up to its reputation as a popular Seongseo/Keimyung spot 👍🏻

What we ordered and the side dishes

• Spanish mackerel gondre rice ₩14,000
• Yukhoe bibimbap ₩14,000
• Opening-event one-platter galbi ₩10,000

The basic side dishes were gungchae (stem lettuce), gopchang gim (roasted seaweed), mixed salted seafood, and miso soup. The Spanish mackerel gondre rice came set up with a house special sauce, while the yukhoe bibimbap came with an egg yolk and its own sauce 🍴

How do you eat the Spanish mackerel gondre rice?

The Spanish mackerel gondre rice 🌿 (₩14,000) arrived as such a neat Korean set meal that it whetted my appetite before I even took a bite! Tear up the mackerel, then give it a quick mix with the house sauce :) The beautifully grilled mackerel had none of that fishy flavor, and the fragrant gondre greens and savory braised mushrooms came together so well with the sauce!

I had a bite with the gopchang gim side dish and another with the opening-event one-platter galbi. The Spanish mackerel gondre rice had the slightest sweetness, so it also went wonderfully with the seaweed and salted seafood.

Yukhoe bibimbap with adjustable seasoning

The yukhoe bibimbap 🍚 (₩14,000) looked like a flower of raw beef blooming over bright green lettuce 🤭 Add the egg yolk and sauce served alongside it, then mix it all up! I recommend this one because the seasoning sauce is served separately, so you can adjust it to your taste, and the overall flavor is not too strong, making it easy for anyone to enjoy.

There was so much yukhoe that every spoonful picked up a generous amount. Eating it with the gopchang gim and salted seafood gave it another kind of charm, too.

One-platter galbi, a great accompaniment

The one-platter galbi 🥩 (₩10,000) had tender, nicely grilled ribs with a subtle yet well-absorbed soy sauce marinade. The juicy, thick-grilled texture was lovely too. It was not overly salty on its own, and alongside the other mains it blended in beautifully, bringing out a sweet, rich flavor.

The opening event and a satisfying Korean set meal

The opening event runs for two weeks, with a limited quantity of one-platter galbi offered free during that period. There is also a one-platter mushroom service through the Naver receipt event.

Once I tried it, I could immediately understand why there is a wait as soon as it opens. Hyangtaek Seongseo Keimyung University Branch serves Korean food, but its interior and reinterpretations of the menu feel very current! The neatly arranged full-table meal was pretty and such a pleasure to receive, while the gentle seasoning made it easy for everyone to enjoy. The combinations of mains and sides were also so good that there was nothing disappointing about it.