Donguidae Station Chinese restaurant: japchae rice set with a kid

What kind of Chinese restaurant is Surabanjeom Gaya Branch near Donguidae Station?

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch (수라반점 가야점) is the Chinese restaurant near Donguidae Station I recommend if you want jjamppong with a proper smoky wok flavor. You can choose toppings like beef brisket, soft tofu or seafood, and there are set menus and à la carte dishes too. A real hidden neighborhood gem.

I've had the jjamppong here many times and it's never inconsistent. Always good! Actually, it's gotten even better lately. Maybe there's a new recipe, but it tastes better. If you spend ₩15,000 or more, parking is covered too.

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch hours and parking

• Address: 143 Eomgwang-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan
• Hours: 11:00 - 21:00
• Closed: every Monday
• Parking: 1 hour at Taeyang parking lot (for meals of ₩15,000 or more)

What are the interior and seats like at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch?

The tables are fairly spacious inside. The place runs deep, so there are more tables than you'd expect. There are plenty of cooks in the kitchen too, so food comes out fast and tables turn over quickly.

Is the Surabanjeom Gaya Branch menu good for a drink with your meal?

The menu has drinking-snack sets too. Even though I visited at lunchtime, some people were having a drink with their meal. A Chinese restaurant is really great for that: good value and tasty!!

The stars of a Chinese menu are the main dishes and the meal dishes. Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has a huge range of jjamppong, too. Pick the ingredients you like and you'll probably enjoy it even more!

Lunch set: japchae rice + jjamppong + mini tangsuyuk

At lunchtime, the set menu is what people order most at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch. We ordered japchae rice + jjamppong + mini tangsuyuk. The menu is varied, and the extra charges for swapping items are clearly explained, so working out the bill was easy.

There's also cold jjamppong and Chinese-style cold noodles. I'm curious about the cold jjamppong, so that's what I'll try next time, haha. A large portion is +₩1,000. The toppings neatly arranged on top look so pretty.

The self-bar and free rice at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch

I like that Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has a separate self-bar. You can refill kimchi, pickled radish, onions and more there.

Baby spoons, small plates and other tableware can be picked up at the self-bar too. It's more convenient because you can grab them without asking for each one.

Free rice! Part of the charm of this Chinese restaurant near Dongui University is that rice is free. If you want a spoonful of rice mixed into your jjamppong or jjajang (black bean noodles), the rice is on the house.

Everything's neatly arranged, isn't it? The chili flakes are so fine and pretty, haha.

Since I ordered japchae rice, I fetched kimchi today too. Kimchi goes well with rice dishes.

A Chinese restaurant that's easy with kids

At Surabanjeom Gaya Branch, the staff brought the kid's tableware first. Such thoughtful staff!

I planned to feed my child rice + tangsuyuk, so I fetched the free rice first. Ta-da, the table was packed with food.

How is the japchae rice at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch?

The japchae rice at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch was unexpectedly delicious. The japchae and the jjajang sauce go together beautifully. There's a very slight spicy aftertaste that makes it even better... it's my pick for next time too.

The jjamppong broth that came with the japchae rice was full of meat and onion pieces, a broth that moved me!!

Mini glutinous tangsuyuk at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch: pour or dip?

This is the tangsuyuk from the set. It's mini, but the portion is decent.

Dipped in the sweet-and-sour sauce, the tangsuyuk goes really well. The tangsuyuk at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch is the glutinous rice batter kind, and the sauce has an old-school feel, so it's totally my taste. I'm a pourer (sauce on top).

Good meat is honestly delicious even just dipped in salt.

I tried dipping it once. The sauce comes separately instead of poured over, maybe to look after the dippers. I'm a pourer and my friend is a dipper, so I soaked mine in advance and ate it, hahaha.

I cut it up with scissors and ate comfortably. The meat had a lovely bright pink color and was really good quality. That must be why the tangsuyuk was so tasty.

Basic jjamppong at Surabanjeom Gaya Branch: smoky flavor and spice level

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has many kinds of jjamppong, but I just picked the basic one. Its signature is the generous amount of onion stir-fried with a smoky wok flavor.

It's packed with meat, seafood and onion. With such good ingredients stuffed in, how could it not be tasty? Best of all, it isn't too spicy. It was a jjamppong I enjoyed without any stomach trouble. Rich, smoky jjamppong!! + a spoonful of rice stirred in at the end is the icing on the cake, top satisfaction, haha.

Overall verdict on Surabanjeom Gaya Branch

Surabanjeom Gaya Branch has parking, tasty food and friendly staff. The self-bar is well run, and rice is even free, so you can have a very good-value meal. It's also appealing that you can choose your favorite toppings for the basic jjajang and jjamppong. The tangsuyuk is really good too, so try it together in a set menu. I ate well and left happy.