Jeonpo bar in Busan for soju, 11 kushikatsu and Christmas vibes: 12.24

I was trying to decide what to eat for dinner in Jeonpo, and that evening I settled on good bar food and a glass of soju. Jeonpo has so many great restaurants and bars that every time I go I end up agonizing over where to pick. This time I was in the mood for something a little different, so I went to 12.24.

12.24 Seomyeon Branch (12.24 서면점) 1F, 225 Jeonpo-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea (부산 부산진구 전포대로 225 1층) Daily 17:00 – 02:00 the next day No dedicated parking Reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, groups welcome, Wi-Fi, takeout

A Jeonpo izakaya that feels like Christmas

Just like the name 12.24 suggests, the whole place is completely Christmas~ And Christmas just puts you in a good mood, right~ The moment I walked in here, my mood lifted too~ The interior is so pretty and totally lives up to the name 12.24, so I thought it would be a perfect fit for a Seomyeon date course!!

Ordering tomato motsunabe and assorted kushikatsu

Looking over the menu, what caught my eye was the tomato motsunabe (Japanese offal hot pot). A nabe with tomato in it — I was curious what that would taste like, and I figured if I added kushikatsu (breaded deep-fried skewers) it would be the perfect soju pairing. So that's what I ordered that evening, along with a glass of soju.

• Tomato motsunabe ₩25,000
• Assorted kushikatsu, 11 pieces ₩19,000

The basic side dishes come out first~ Why is it that cabbage served like that at home would taste like nothing, but at a Seomyeon izakaya like this it's so good??

Tangy, savory and slightly spicy tomato motsunabe

The tomato motsunabe came out first. As soon as I saw the pot, the red tomato sitting right in the center caught my eye. Inside there's motsu (offal) along with tofu, vegetables and mushrooms, and on top there are garlic chips and various toppings, so the look is a bit different from a typical nabe.

At first I wondered whether the tomato flavor would be too strong, but once the ingredients went in and it bubbled away, the flavors came together better than I expected. You get that distinctive tang of tomato first, and then the savory richness of the motsu comes in behind it.

There's a slight kick of spice to it as well, the kind of flavor that keeps you going back for another spoonful of broth. The tofu was especially good. Once the broth had simmered enough, I fished out the tofu, and the soft tofu had soaked up the broth so it was perfect as a drinking snack.

And of course you can't have a hot broth like this without soju haha. A spoonful of broth, a shot of soju. My menu choice that evening was a success right from the start.

11 assorted kushikatsu to pick through one by one

Nabe alone felt like it would leave me wanting, so I ordered the 11-piece assorted kushikatsu. It's 19,000 won. Several kinds come neatly lined up on one plate, so it was fun picking through them one at a time.

The golden-fried coating is crispy, and since the fillings are all different, there's fun in tasting this and that. I'm the type who likes assorted menus where you get lots of things at once, so this was right up my alley.

Hot nabe and crispy kushikatsu, together

More than anything, what I loved that evening was the combination of tomato motsunabe and kushikatsu. You're eating the hot, tangy-spicy nabe, then you bite into a crispy kushikatsu and the texture in your mouth changes completely. If you keep eating only a soupy dish it can get a bit monotonous, but with kushikatsu in between, it never got boring right to the end. If you come as a pair, ordering one nabe and one kushikatsu plate to share seems like a solid setup.

I'd originally planned on just a quick dinner, but once the food arrived and the soju started flowing, the conversation naturally stretched on. One of the things I care most about when choosing a bar in Jeonpo is whether the atmosphere lets you talk comfortably over the food, and this evening was great for eating slowly and having a drink.

It feels good for meeting a friend for dinner, and also fine for a couple to eat something tasty and talk. So I thought people looking for a dinner spot on a Seomyeon date might want to keep it in mind too. If you're planning a date course that goes from a café in Jeonpo to dinner somewhere with a nice atmosphere, a warm nabe and kushikatsu with a glass of soju wouldn't be a bad way to go.

This time at 12.24 I had the tomato motsunabe at 25,000 won, the 11-piece assorted kushikatsu at 19,000 won, and soju to go with it.

Personally, the dish that stuck with me most that evening was the tomato motsunabe. The broth, with the tang of tomato plus the savory richness of the motsu, had a different feel from a typical nabe, which was fun, and once the tofu and vegetables soaked up the broth it was great as a drinking snack.

The kushikatsu let you pick through several kinds one by one, so it was a good thing to order alongside the nabe. If you're looking for a place in Jeonpo to have dinner and a drink, 12.24: hot tomato motsunabe, crispy kushikatsu, and a glass of soju. Between eating and talking like this, the evening flew by :) It's a place worth remembering for a day you're hunting for a good bar in Jeonpo, or for a Seomyeon date spot where you can talk in comfort.