Dunsan-dong hotpot with level 1 kaoyu and free noodles: Bantiannyao

Today I visited Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch, a fish hotpot spot in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon! I always noticed the sign every time I passed Galleria, so I was curious — finally made it over!

Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch: hours and parking in Dunsan-dong

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:30
• Parking available ⭕️

Walking inside, it felt like a fancy Chinese restaurant~? There's a huge, wide hall plus private rooms and tons of tables, so it's great for gatherings or work dinners too!

How to order kaoyu: mala broth, ningbo fish, spice level 1

Kaoyu at Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch is a customizable fish hotpot — broth, fish, and toppings all chosen to your taste — and they really had a huge variety of ingredients ready! We went with the best-seller, mala kaoyu, chose ningbo fish, and added a vegetable-mushroom sarigi (extra ingredient set).

I heard the YouTube subscription event service switched to Newjeans-myeon noodles, so I subscribed and got the noodle sarigi too! haha We also added the self-bar for 2 people!

Since it was our first visit I thought choosing might be hard, but just going with the popular picks made it easy! hahaha And it's really a huge portion for two, so I'd recommend adding sarigi later rather than all at once haha.

They also had a new menu item, mala garlic kaoyu, and as a garlic lover it's a shame I found it too late ㅠㅠㅠ Bantiannyao Kaoyu also sells dimsum, and the assorted dimsum was such a good price at ₩7,800! haha

Every table had its own induction stove so we could cook right there, and the tables were spacious enough that even ordering lots of extra toppings never felt cramped haha.

What's on the self-bar: ₩2,500 draft beer, rice, drinks and ice cream

There were aprons ready at the self-bar area of Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch.

Draft beer was a great price too at just ₩2,500, and the self-bar had rice and drinks ready as well! haha

They even had ice cream ready for after the meal, which was seriously the best!

My own garlic sauce recipe from the Bantiannyao sauce bar

The sauce bar had a great variety too, so it was nice being able to mix your own to taste! haha If it's your first visit, there's a recipe written out so it's easy to just follow along hahaha.

I made a Geonhui sauce and a garlic sauce — this next one is my own recipe: minced garlic + oyster sauce + sugar + vinegar + sesame oil + scallion + chili, mixed together, and honestly... the umami is insane lol. It especially goes so well with the fish, a tangy and pungent sauce, so definitely try it! haha This one's not even on the official recipe list, it's just something I make every time I go to a hotpot place haha.

The self-bar also had snacks, so kids would probably love it too haha.

How spicy is spice level 1 mala kaoyu?

Once we sat down, our kaoyu order arrived! lol Fish piled high with chili peppers~~ it looked spicy at first glance, but ordering level 1 made it not spicy at all! haha About as spicy as Shin Ramyun, which was just right, and the fish pieces were so big just looking at it was filling. Let it boil away~~

Vegetable and mushroom side set and the free Newjeans-myeon noodles

I ordered the vegetable-mushroom sarigi, and I highly recommend it!! It had vegetables, fish balls, all kinds of mushrooms, lotus root, and even panda fensi (glass noodles) — honestly this sarigi alone would've been filling haha.

And then the free Newjeans-myeon on top..🤍 Newjeans-myeon and the fensi noodles are must-orders... order them even if you're full. lolololololol

Toss in the sarigi and let it bubble away! haha The staff were genuinely kind — we were wondering if the broth seemed a bit low, thinking we should ask for more, but they brought some over before we even asked!

What is ningbo fish like? The staff even debone it for you

Since it was my first time with kaoyu, while I was wondering how to eat it, they came and deboned the fish for us themselves! lol Actually I'd never even heard of ningbo fish before, but this fish was genuinely so soft and tender and delicious! I was worried a freshwater fish might have a muddy smell, but there was no smell at all, no fishiness, and the bones were removed cleanly so it was easy to eat!

The fish pieces were so big, making it really easy to eat! lol Put some garlic sauce on top and it's mind-blowing.

The tofu I love was in the sarigi set too, and it soaked up the mala broth so well it was delicious! haha I think I sucked up too much of the broth though... kept adding more broth... but it never got watered down even with constant refills, which I loved!

And why is the panda fensi so chewy here? Every panda fensi I've had at other mala tang places has been mushy, but this one was genuinely chewy and delicious, and the Newjeans-myeon dipped straight in sesame sauce is number one...🤍

Handy extras at the table and final verdict on Bantiannyao

They had dental floss, hair ties, all the way to hand cream ready, and the restroom had mouthwash and toothbrushes too, so it was great for freshening up after eating haha. I love fish dishes, and this kind of fish hotpot was a whole new world! haha If you love fish and hotpot, I highly recommend Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch, a Dunsan-dong restaurant you'll be very satisfied with!