Busan Korean restaurant for yukhoe bibimbap: Hyangtaek Jeonpo

A Korean meal in Jeonpo at Hyangtaek Jeonpo Branch

I visited Hyangtaek Jeonpo Branch, a great Korean restaurant in Jeonpo, Busan! It is not far from Jeonpo’s popular spots, so it is perfect for having a meal and then wandering around the neighborhood :)

Here is the exterior of Hyangtaek!

They had photos posted out front so you could get a quick look at the menu, haha.

Luckily, there was no wait when I went, so we could sit down right away—but the restaurant stayed almost completely full 🥹

Menu and ordering

The menu came as a booklet on the table, and you call a staff member over to order!

Maybe because the weather was hot, they said they had introduced cold dishes for the first time, too: pollock and yukhoe mulhoe (chilled raw-fish soup)!! It sounded so delicious... 😭 Since the weather is turning chilly again, it might be best to ask ahead if you want it.

Otherwise, the menu was mainly neat individual rice bowls and bibimbap, plus one noodle dish! We ordered the Spanish mackerel gondre rice and yukhoe bibimbap :D

For sides, they had jeon (Korean savory pancakes) and various grilled dishes. I personally love mushroom jeon, so I ordered it—and was totally, totally satisfied!!

They also kindly had instructions on how to enjoy everything, which was a nice touch, haha.

This is the yukhoe bibimbap sauce and the egg yolk to put on top! Maybe it is because plenty of people eat yukhoe bibimbap without the yolk! Such a thoughtful touch. The mixing sauce was so good too ㅠ.ㅠ

The basic sides were gungchae (dried stem lettuce), seasoned salted seafood, and curly laver seaweed! Honestly, curly laver is delicious wrapped around absolutely anything, so I loved that it came with the meal. It was truly perfect with the gondre Spanish mackerel rice!!

The sauce on the left is for mixing into the gondre rice, and the one on the right is for dipping the mushroom jeon. The hot soup served alongside was lovely too.

Soon, this generous full spread arrived! It had such a polished feel that I think it would make a lovely date spot too. I went with my dad, and he really enjoyed it.

How was the yukhoe bibimbap?

Yukhoe bibimbap

As for the yukhoe bibimbap! It came topped with one big mound of yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), and it was so fresh that I was satisfied right away! As a yukhoe lover, I was then hugely, hugely satisfied by how much there was!

The sauce was not just regular gochujang (Korean red chili paste), either—it was so delicious mixed all through the rice ㅠ.ㅠ

How to eat the boneless Spanish mackerel gondre rice

Spanish mackerel gondre rice

The Spanish mackerel gondre rice had gondre greens spread all over the rice, with a piece of Spanish mackerel placed on top.

It was so beautifully golden and well grilled that it made my mouth water just looking at it. Plus, the mackerel was boneless, so you could gently press it with a spoon and break it up easily. (Still, there may be tiny bones, so be careful!)

Not having to pick out bones made it so convenient. Just mix it well with the soy sauce that comes with it. And wrapping it in the curly laver seaweed was the best... Personally, I loved piling the well-mixed rice onto the seaweed and adding some seasoned salted seafood on top too.

Crispy mushroom jeon platter

The mushroom jeon platter was wonderfully crisp overall, making it perfect as a side dish.

The jeon was crispy and had such a nice mushroom aroma, so everyone was happy with it. If you visit, definitely give it a try!