Mala cilantro jjamppong and stir-fried monkfish, Haeundae: Bueokgan

When you want to enjoy something special in Chinese food

Craving Chinese food for lunch after a long while, I visited Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch, which has built a word-of-mouth reputation as a great Chinese restaurant in Haeundae. Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch serves a lot of trendy Chinese dishes, so it's the place to go when you want something a bit more special than the usual Chinese menu. We ordered several dishes and had a great time — starting with the mala cilantro jjamppong (spicy noodle soup) as our main dish, then moving on to the pyogosha and gganpung monkfish as side dishes. Mala cilantro jjamppong is exactly what it sounds like: jjamppong with mala spice and cilantro added. The pyogosha we ordered turned out to be mandu made with shiitake mushrooms, and the gganpung monkfish was made with deep-fried boneless monkfish. Everything we ordered was delicious. Each dish took a familiar flavor and added something special, giving it a trendy twist — even the basic jjamppong felt special once mala and cilantro were added. If you're looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Haeundae, I recommend visiting Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch.

What kind of place is Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch?

Wanting something special for lunch, I visited Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch. It's known for serving a range of trendy Chinese dishes, and it's already gained a reputation as one of Haeundae's best Chinese restaurants — even at lunchtime, plenty of guests were enjoying various dishes.

Hours Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch serves European-style Chinese food, so every dish comes with its own special twist. We visited on a weekday lunch and it was packed — popular enough that there was a wait, which says a lot about this Haeundae Chinese restaurant.

The menu at Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch, a Haeundae Chinese restaurant

True to its reputation as a popular Chinese restaurant in Haeundae, Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch had a great atmosphere — a modern space with plenty of tables set up. We visited for a weekday lunch and it was popular enough that guests kept streaming in, with a wait to be seated.

As a restaurant specializing in European-style Chinese cuisine, Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch had a lot of special dishes on the menu, so we focused on ordering things we hadn't tried before. As mentioned, we ordered a variety of dishes to enjoy, from the mala cilantro jjamppong to the pyogosha and the gganpung monkfish.

The dishes we ordered

Mala cilantro jjamppong

Of the three dishes we ordered, the mala cilantro jjamppong came out first. True to its name, it's jjamppong with mala spice and cilantro added. Since it's a jjamppong with mala mixed in, the moment I took the first bite I got a strong hit of mala numbing heat along with a spicy punch in the broth.

It felt totally fresh compared to a regular jjamppong, thanks to the mala and cilantro. The broth carries that mala nuance, and the deep aroma of cilantro layered on top worked really well together. If you're someone who loves both mala flavor and cilantro like we do, I highly recommend ordering this.

Pyogosha

While we were still eating the mala cilantro jjamppong, the pyogosha arrived. Pyogosha turned out to be a special mandu-style dish made with shiitake mushrooms. The moist texture of the mushroom paired with the soft shrimp filling was delicious — if you like moist, soft textures, this is a dish anyone would enjoy.

Gganpung monkfish

Last came the dish we were most looking forward to — the gganpung monkfish. This dish uses boneless monkfish deep-fried and tossed in gganpung sauce. The savory yet spicy character of the gganpung sauce was spot on. Alongside the previous two dishes, this was another one we thoroughly enjoyed.

Final thoughts

From the mala cilantro jjamppong we started with, to the pyogosha and gganpung monkfish that followed, everything was delicious. I expected good things from a European-style Chinese restaurant, but it exceeded my expectations. If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant in Haeundae, I recommend visiting Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch to enjoy some Chinese food.