Gwangalli sashimi restaurant lunch with name-tagged fish: Geumrang

Geumrang Hoetjip Gwangalli Main Branch: location, hours and parking

Geumrang Hoetjip Gwangalli Main Branch (금랑횟집) is in the Marine Rich building at 17-5 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan (Millak-dong 110-42), and it is open daily 11:30–22:30. If you use the Waterside Park public parking lot or the Waterside Children's Park public parking lot, you get 2 hours of free parking.

• Restroom: separate men's and women's inside the restaurant
• Reservations and groups welcome ⭕
• Wi-Fi available

You get a full view of Gwangandaegyo Bridge straight ahead, so both the atmosphere and the view are excellent. From abalone porridge to mixed seafood, sea bream skin (masukawa), gonowata, spicy fish stew and roe rice, it was a satisfying course with no misses. There is also a free sashimi refill, and one free bottle of soju if you join the review event.

It is in the building right in front of the waterside park, so it was easy to find. Use the Waterside Park public parking lot or the Waterside Children's Park public parking lot right in front of the building and you get 2 hours of parking support.

Geumrang Hoetjip has been in the same spot for 15 years, and the place was clean and well kept overall. There is a clean restroom inside, separate for men and women, so you don't have to go out of the building during your meal.

How much are the hansang sashimi courses at Geumrang Hoetjip?

There are four hansang (full table set) courses, from Bada Hansang at ₩40,000 per person up to Geumrang Hansang at ₩80,000, and the signature is Subyeon Hansang at ₩60,000. The lunch special is ₩26,000 per person.

Hansang course prices per person

• Geumrang Hansang ₩80,000: wild sashimi, whole rockfish spicy stew or clear stew, steamed abalone, merou steak, gonowata (sea cucumber innards), live octopus tangtangi, soy-marinated shrimp, mixed seafood, seaweed soup, seasonal dishes, butter-grilled scallops, sushi, fried shrimp, teppan dishes, roe rice (2 refills of small sashimi plate)
• Subyeon Hansang ₩60,000 (signature): wild mixed sashimi, steamed abalone, merou steak, gonowata, live octopus tangtangi, soy-marinated shrimp, mixed seafood, seaweed soup, seasonal dishes, butter-grilled scallops, sushi, fried shrimp, teppan dishes, roe rice, spicy fish stew or clear stew (1 refill of small sashimi plate)
• Gwangan Hansang ₩50,000: farmed + wild mixed sashimi, live octopus tangtangi, soy-marinated shrimp, mixed seafood, seaweed soup, seasonal dishes, butter-grilled scallops, fried shrimp, grilled Pacific saury, teppan dishes, roe rice, spicy fish stew or clear stew (1 refill of small sashimi plate)
• Bada Hansang ₩40,000: mixed sashimi of farmed fish, mixed seafood, seaweed soup, seasonal dishes, butter-grilled scallops, sushi, fried shrimp, grilled Pacific saury, teppan dishes, roe rice, spicy fish stew or clear stew (no refill)

Lunch special and rice dishes

• Lunch special ₩26,000 per person: sashimi, hoedeopbap, octopus chohoe (vinegared octopus), sea squirt, steamed egg, seasoned dishes, spicy fish stew, assorted side dishes (stew included for 2 or more)
• Hoedeopbap (sashimi rice bowl) ₩18,000
• Mulhoe (cold spicy raw fish soup) ₩22,000
• Soju and beer ₩5,000

Should you book a window seat at Geumrang Hoetjip?

The window seats are popular, so if you plan to visit, I recommend reserving a specific window-side table in advance. Besides the hall seating, there are also private rooms suited to group gatherings and company dinners.

Sitting by the window, you get a floor-to-ceiling view with Gwangandaegyo Bridge and the open sea straight ahead, with nothing in the way.

In the daytime you see the blue sea and the bridge just as they are, and sitting at the window definitely felt different.

What order does the Subyeon Hansang lunch course come in?

The Subyeon Hansang at Geumrang Hoetjip started with buckwheat mulhoe noodles and abalone porridge, then went on to mixed seafood and skidashi (small starter dishes), the main sashimi platter, spicy fish stew, grilled dishes, and finally kimchi roe rice.

Buckwheat mulhoe noodles (cold raw fish noodle soup)

Put the buckwheat noodles into the mulhoe broth that comes as a default and mix, and you get cool, spicy-sweet mulhoe noodles.

Abalone porridge

Once you sit down, nutty abalone porridge comes out first to warm up your stomach.

Mixed seafood: sea cucumber, abalone, spoon worm and sea squirt

The main mixed seafood plate was generously packed with sea cucumber, spoon worm, crunchy raw abalone, and rock sea squirt full of the scent of the sea. The side dishes that came with it were taco wasabi, steamed shrimp, chewy seaweed and steamed abalone.

And that's not all: warm seaweed soup, butter-grilled scallops, golden kimchi jeon (savory pancake), smoked salmon salad and soft steamed egg filled the table.

Next came live octopus tangtangi (chopped raw octopus) fresh enough to wriggle, and well-seasoned soy-marinated shrimp. The octopus was sprinkled with seaweed flakes and sesame oil, so it was easy to eat. Then boiled octopus, and of course the indispensable corn cheese.

Sipping a drink with seafood while looking at the Gwangandaegyo view, we couldn't not order soju, so each of us ordered the soju we wanted and enjoyed it.

By the way, if you join the Geumrang Hoetjip review event, you can get one free bottle of soju.

Just when the side dishes seemed like the end: the main seasonal sashimi platter with name tags

The main sashimi platter of the Subyeon Hansang comes out separately after the seafood and skidashi. The seafood and skidashi portions were so generous that I was already full and thought that was really the end, but a staff member laughed and said that couldn't be right, then brought out the real main sashimi plate.

Each cut on the platter had a name tag showing which fish it was, so I could eat knowing exactly what I had. Along with flatfish, large flatfish, rockfish and amberjack (milchi), there was sea bream skin (masukawa, hibiki style), the skin lightly blanched to keep it chewy.

The sashimi was sliced thick and large, so the texture came through, and it tasted clean with no fishy smell.

Gonowata (sea cucumber innards) and make-your-own sushi

The gonowata (sea cucumber innards) served alongside is rich and nutty with a strong flavor, and goes well when you dip the sashimi in generously. Sushi rice is served separately too, so it was fun to put wasabi and fresh sashimi on it and make DIY sushi on the spot.

The staff told us how to eat it: dip the sashimi heavily in gonowata, or put it on gim (seaweed) and wrap it up with pickled ginger, soy sauce and sushi rice, and it's delicious.

Soju couldn't be left out here either, so we clinked glasses again.

Spicy fish stew, grilled fish and kimchi albap to finish

The spicy fish stew at Geumrang Hoetjip comes with a burner around the time you're finishing the sashimi.

The stew had a sharp, deep broth, and since there was sashimi left over, they moved it to a small plate for us. After that, more grilled dishes came: thick merou steak, mild grilled flounder and crispy fried corn.

Kimchi albap (fish roe rice)

Last came kimchi roe rice popping in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot). From start to the closing rice, the order and portions of the course lacked nothing, and it filled me up to bursting for lunch.

Geumrang Hoetjip Subyeon Hansang: final verdict

Geumrang Hoetjip is a place where you can enjoy a generous course of high-quality seafood and sashimi while looking at the Gwangandaegyo view. From the abalone porridge to the mixed seafood, the thick main sashimi, and the spicy stew and roe rice, the lineup was so full that I felt properly treated to a lunch.

If you are looking for a restaurant near Gwangalli or the waterside park with a good view and a proper sashimi course, I recommend visiting Geumrang Hoetjip.