Marine City Haeundae Korean restaurant with a kid: Deodo Gejang

On the second day of our Haeundae trip, we wanted home-style Korean food, so we went looking for a good spot in Marine City, Haeundae.

Deodo Gejang's hours and parking

Deodo Gejang Daily 11:00–21:00 Last order 20:00

37 Marine City 3-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan (Ondle Hanil Ordu building), South Korea. Parking is in the building's basement lot — register your car number when you pay.

There were people waiting at the entrance, but our family had booked ahead.

This is a Marine City, Haeundae restaurant with a wait at lunchtime. We came looking for somewhere delicious and healthy to eat with our kid, who loves Korean food. The dining room is spacious with plenty of tables.

Grilled fish and yellow crab jang nutritious pot rice set for two, ₩48,000

Grilled fish and yellow crab jang nutritious pot rice set for two, ₩48,000

We ordered the set menu with stone pot rice, soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang), and grilled fish. Even adding a bowl of rice for our kid, the total came to about ₩50,000. In this era of high prices, the main dish and side dish spread was generous, and the price felt reasonable.

Soy-marinated crab — plump yellow crab

A big plate arrived piled high with crab.

You can choose between seasoned (spicy) or soy-marinated crab — my husband likes soy, so we went with that. It came already prepped in the kitchen, so we didn't have to cut it ourselves at the table, which was convenient.

The meat was packed in all the way to the tips of the legs. This was fresh yellow crab, plump with meat, made into gejang (marinated crab). You could really taste the crab's natural sweetness, and the soy seasoning was just the right strength.

The meat was so substantial that squeezing it out and eating it with rice was genuinely delicious. Somehow it tasted even better eating it in Busan. This is what luxury feels like. The crab meat was firm and springy — probably the best soy crab I've had recently.

Three grilled fish

Three grilled fish came out.

This was a perfect side dish for picking apart and giving to my kid. It was salty in a good way and the flesh was tender, just right as a side with rice.

Maybe because the fish was fresh, the flesh didn't fall apart and had a nice springy bite. I'd recommend the grilled fish too if you're visiting with kids. The seasoning was just right, so we didn't even need to dip it in the soy sauce that came alongside.

Soup and side dishes our kid loved

There was crab in the doenjang soup too, giving it a clean, savory depth.

Korean food really is about the side dishes. This was the soup our kid mixed into rice and ate with real enthusiasm.

Pan-fried jeon, and gim (seaweed)

Fried tofu, seaweed soup, and vinegared cucumber

The fried tofu especially was a perfect side dish for a kid. Overall the seasoning wasn't heavy — mild and gentle enough that the side dishes were delicious on their own. Our kid loved the seaweed soup that came with the meal too, enough to finish mine as well. The vinegared cucumber was exactly my style, so I happily ate that one myself.

Bean sprouts, stir-fried aged kimchi, and potato macaroni salad

Our kid ate the stir-fried aged kimchi so well we got a refill. The potato macaroni salad had a nutty flavor she liked too.

Nutritious stone pot rice, finished with scorched rice

Stone pot rice topped with sweet pumpkin, ginkgo nuts, and shiitake mushrooms.

With black rice mixed in too, it felt like it must be even better for you. Good restaurants really do start with the rice itself — freshly cooked rice with that glossy sheen is delicious on its own. Eating it together with the good rice, clean side dishes, grilled fish, and soy crab, I felt like our travel fatigue melted away and my body was being nourished.

We scooped the rice out into a bowl, poured in hot water, and made scorched rice (nurungji) to finish.

Eating it hot after the meal felt refreshing, like it settled everything in your stomach. Koreans really do love a clean, satisfying finish like that. If you're in Marine City, Haeundae, Busan looking for a hearty, healthy meal made with good ingredients, I'd recommend visiting Deodo Gejang for the crab.