Yeonje Korean restaurant for sujebi and bossam: Sinseon Myeonga

What was it like having sujebi with a child in Yeonsan-dong?

My wife, who loves sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), our two-year-old daughter, and I visited Sinseon Myeonga (신선면가) in Yeonsan-dong, Busan. We missed lunchtime and arrived at around 3:30 p.m. Along with kalguksu and sujebi, there were rice dishes and bossam, so I thought it would be a reasonable place to choose food to share with our child.

Where is the parking lot and how do you enter?

Sinseon Myeonga is at 26 Jungang-daero 1150beon-gil, 1F, Unit 103, Yeonje-gu, Busan. We drove there, and there was a parking lot behind the restaurant that customers could use.

The barrier at the parking-lot entrance did not recognize vehicles automatically. After arriving, I called the restaurant and the owner opened the barrier.

There was a standing sign in front of the restaurant with its signature dishes and prices. It introduced a dried-anchovy kalguksu and tasting bossam set, as well as a bossam meal set, and stated that every menu item was available for takeout.

Are there high chairs inside?

The interior was more spacious and tidy than I expected. It had wood-toned tables and chairs, and the bright lighting made for a comfortable meal.

The inner area had an open kitchen, so we could see food being prepared. A high chair was available, which let us seat our daughter and eat a little more comfortably.

What did we order and how much did it cost?

We ordered the sujebi and tasting bossam set and bulgogi bibimbap, with tofu kimchi and a bottle of Cass beer on the side. The food prices at the time of our visit were as follows.

• Sujebi and tasting bossam set: ₩12,400
• Bulgogi bibimbap with Suhyangmi and Icheon Imgeumnim rice blend: ₩9,500
• Tofu kimchi: ₩8,000

Bags of Icheon rice and Suhyangmi rice used by the restaurant were displayed on one side. I was curious because the bulgogi bibimbap we ordered also used rice blended from those two varieties.

While we waited, they served us a small tasting portion of sundae (Korean sausage). It was an unexpected service that day, and it was soft enough that our daughter enjoyed it too.

How was the sujebi and tasting bossam set?

The sujebi and tasting bossam set felt substantial because we could have hot sujebi along with meat. The sujebi was chewy, and it paired well with the bossam.

The bossam was tender rather than dry, so it was easy to eat. It was also good with the tofu and kimchi from the separately ordered tofu kimchi.

My wife made wraps and said the meat was tender. I cut small pieces of the tender parts for our daughter too, and she ate almost all of the bossam.

As it was a late lunch and early dinner, we also had a beer.

Were the bulgogi bibimbap and tofu kimchi good alongside it?

The bulgogi bibimbap I had came with fluffy, separate grains of rice. Mixing the ingredients evenly made it filling enough on its own.

The tofu kimchi was the familiar combination of warm tofu and kimchi. It worked well as a side between the main dishes, and the tofu made it easy for the family to share with our child.

What dessert was available after the meal?

At the time of our visit, chilled Birak Sikhye was available for each diner to take one can after finishing their meal. The mini yakgwa was sold out, but we finished the meal with the sikhye.

What I liked about this meal was that we could each choose sujebi or a rice dish, while sharing the bossam and tofu with our child. With a high chair available, we were able to have a comfortable late lunch with our two-year-old.