Seomyeon seafood bar: butter shrimp & crab, Cheolpaneun Pinggyego

Where is Cheolpaneun Pinggyego Busan Main Branch?

Cheolpaneun Pinggyego (철판은 핑계고) Busan Main Branch is a teppanyaki-style bar at 35 Dongcheon-ro 85beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, 1st floor, 124 m from Seomyeon Station Exit 6. I was looking for a slightly different dinner option from the usual Seomyeon fare, and I'd heard this was a brand-new spot, so I got curious. I'd been hearing people mention it lately, so I went to check it out.

• Address: 35 Dongcheon-ro 85beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan (1st floor)
• 124 m from Seomyeon Station Exit 6
• Hours: 17:00 to 01:00
• Friday: 17:00 to 01:00
• Saturday and Sunday: 17:00 to 02:00
• Ordering by tablet at the table
• Griddle at the table

Atmosphere and the tabletop griddle

As the name suggests (cheolpan means iron griddle), the menu at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego is built around the griddle. We came right at opening time, and other customers streamed in right after us. Even though it's a new place, it felt like word had already spread.

The first thing I noticed was the griddle set into the middle of each table. For some dishes, the staff cook right at your table, so watching it is half the fun, and finished dishes stay warm while you eat.

What's on the menu at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego?

The menu has more choices than I expected: seafood griddle dishes, monjayaki (Japanese-style pan-fried batter), okonomiyaki (savory pancake), yakisoba (fried noodles), soups and sides. Crab happened to be in season, so we ordered the butter shrimp and crab.

How does the butter shrimp and crab, made with seasonal crab, taste?

The butter shrimp and crab (버터새우꽃게구이) is a seafood griddle dish with big shrimp and crab in a sauce of butter and garlic. There's also a spicy seasoned version, so you can choose by taste.

It came piled high on the griddle, so it looked pretty generous right from the start.

Dishes like this are tasty when they first arrive, but if you eat slowly while chatting, they go cold quickly. I liked that the tabletop griddle kept the temperature up.

The butter and garlic flavor added something different from plain grilled shrimp or crab, and it was fun alternating between the shrimp and the crab.

Some griddle dishes are stir-fried at your seat

The butter shrimp and crab we ordered came out already cooked, but for dishes like monjayaki, the staff stir-fry and finish them at your table. You can watch it come together right in front of you, so I wanted to try one of those next time.

How was the Hanmac draft beer at Cheolpaneun Pinggyego?

They have Hanmac draft beer, so I ordered it. The foam was creamy and it went down very smooth and clean. The carbonation doesn't hit you hard, so it's easy to drink with food, and it was even better ice cold. It also worked well between bites of seasoned dishes like griddle food.

When you're craving a warm seafood dish on a griddle rather than the usual bar snacks, and especially if you love shrimp and crab, the butter shrimp and crab is a great way to get a real feel for what Cheolpaneun Pinggyego is about.

Who is Cheolpaneun Pinggyego in Seomyeon good for?

The butter aroma with the nutty garlic flavor suited the shrimp and crab well. It was salty-savory with a rich butter taste, and eating it straight off the warm griddle meant it stayed good to the very end.

If you want something a little different in Seomyeon, or you love seafood like shrimp and crab, Cheolpaneun Pinggyego Busan Main Branch is worth a stop. Eating hot food straight off the tabletop griddle was a plus, and it's good for ordering several dishes to share. The atmosphere is relaxed, so it works for a casual get-together with friends and was fine for a date dinner too.