Weekday lunch sashimi course in Gwangalli, Busan: Geumrang Hoetjip

Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli: a weekday lunch with my mother

I wanted to have a healthy sashimi meal with mom while looking out at Gwangan Bridge, so we went to Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli. This place is open for both lunch and dinner, and since the bridge view has a different charm by day and by night, honestly any time seems like a good time to visit.

Where to park at Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli

When visiting Geumrang Hoetjip, the sashimi course restaurant in Gwangalli, you can park at the nearby "Gwangalli Subyeon Park public parking lot" or "Suybeon Children's Park public parking lot." Two hours of free parking is available.

Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli has held its spot for a long time, so we didn't agonize much over where to go — we just came straight here.

The interior was clean and pleasant, with the air conditioning blasting.

I was surprised how many other guests were also there for a lunch sashimi course, just like us. Even on a weekday lunch, sashimi course specialist Geumrang Hoetjip is popular.

Geumrang Hoetjip has a wide-open view of Gwangan Bridge. That refreshing scenery makes the sashimi taste even better.

What comes with the ₩60,000 seaside hansang course?

The seaside hansang we ordered comes with a wide variety of dishes: wild assorted sashimi, steamed abalone, merou steak, gonowada, octopus tangtangi, soy-marinated shrimp, assorted seafood, seaweed soup, buttered scallop, fried shrimp, egg rice, spicy fish stew, and more. You can also get one refill of sashimi on a small plate. A sashimi refill — what an appealing condition.

First out came mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and buckwheat noodles, an appetizer where you mix the mild noodles into the spicy sauce. There's quite a lot of fish already in it, so satisfaction was high from the start.

After that came a spread of steamed abalone, sea squirt, gaebul (spoon worm), sea cucumber, boiled octopus, abalone porridge, and more. The sashimi hasn't even arrived yet and the table is already groaning under the weight of food.

This soft steamed abalone in particular just melts in your mouth.

Then another new round of dishes arrived — soy-marinated shrimp, steamed egg, cheese-grilled scallop, octopus tangtangi, seaweed soup — and wow, I wondered if they were really allowed to give us this much. My favorite, octopus tangtangi, showed up too, and my appetite kicked right into gear.

The main plate: wild milchi mullet, red seabream, flounder and sea bass

The main dish of the seaside hansang at Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli finally arrived — the assorted sashimi.

It's impressive that each fish is sliced with a different sashimi technique to bring out its own texture. I suppose that's expected from a Blue Ribbon restaurant that's held this spot for 15 years.

On the day we visited, they served wild-caught live sashimi of four fish: milchi, red seabream, flounder, and sea bass.

The best bite of the meal: seared red seabream (hibiki)

It was hard to say which was tastiest — every single piece was impressive — but if I had to pick one, it's the "red seabream hibiki." The skin is lightly seared over fire, so you get a savory, smoky note from the skin along with clean, mild flesh.

How could sashimi eaten while looking at the ocean view of Gwangan Bridge not be delicious? The atmosphere is great, and so is the taste.

They serve this "gonowada" (fermented sea cucumber entrails) almost like a sauce, and dipping the sashimi into its salty, savory depth felt like fireworks going off in my head — an instantly luxurious burst of umami.

Of course, it's also excellent dipped in ssamjang, soy sauce, or wasabi.

Chatting away with mom over the seaside hansang sashimi course at Geumrang Hoetjip, it was so satisfying that ₩60,000 felt like a bargain.

Sashimi refill and the finish: fish roe rice and spicy fish stew

Once you finish the assorted sashimi that comes with the course, they bring out a sashimi refill on a small plate like this. A sashimi refill — is that really something only possible here in Gwangalli, Busan?

We were full, but we made sure not to waste a single bite of that high-quality wild sashimi protein.

By the time we were finishing the sashimi, they brought out sweet corn fritters, braised flounder, merou steak with a savory creamy sauce, and egg rice packed full of fish roe. We were surprised that the rice had more roe than actual rice.

You can choose either spicy fish stew or clear fish stew — we went with the spicy one. That signature hearty, spicy Busan-style stew flavor is a work of art.

The stew is packed full of fish flesh. If you still have room, ordering an extra bowl of rice to go with the stew is highly recommended.

Why Geumrang Hoetjip keeps its Blue Ribbon rating

Geumrang Hoetjip has held its spot for 15 years. This one meal made it immediately clear why it earned a Blue Ribbon rating as a genuinely great restaurant. If you want to enjoy quality sashimi and seafood while looking out at Gwangan Bridge, I recommend visiting Geumrang Hoetjip in Gwangalli.