Haeundae Chinese restaurant after an Ananti checkout: Bueokgan

After checking out of Villa D'Ananti, we headed over to Haeundae for a meal and decided to look for a Chinese restaurant there. Bueokgan Chinese in Marine City has an incredible view of Haeundae — I'd been before and remembered loving it, so this time I brought my parents along too, and everyone praised both the food and the atmosphere.

Bueokgan Chinese Marine City Branch: hours and parking

Bueokgan Chinese

• Address: 51 Marine City 3-ro, 2nd floor, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00 - 22:00
• Break time: 15:30 - 17:00
• Last order: 20:30

Parking around Marine City is always a concern when looking for somewhere to eat in Haeundae, but there's a shopping complex parking lot right below Bueokgan Chinese, so we didn't have to worry at all. It's free for 1.5 hours, which meant we could enjoy the meal without rushing.

Haeundae ocean-view window seats with the windows opened

Bueokgan Chinese looks right out over Haeundae's ocean view. The day had gotten a little cooler so they opened the windows, which made the view feel even prettier. Between that and the nice weather, the ocean view was gorgeous — if you're wondering where to take your parents for Chinese food in Busan, this is a place worth booking ahead for.

How Bueokgan works as a family gathering spot with a private room

The interior of Bueokgan Chinese is upscale, with the kind of elegant atmosphere you'd expect from a Marine City restaurant in Haeundae. There are also private rooms, making it a great Chinese restaurant to enjoy the Haeundae ocean view during a family trip to Busan. Room bookings seem to fill up fast on weekends. It would also work well for a family birthday, 60th or 70th birthday celebration. These days small-scale first-birthday (doljanchi) parties are common too, and this place seems like it would work well for a cozy family doljanchi in a private room.

The side dishes were simple — pickled radish and jjachai (Chinese pickled mustard greens) — and the jjachai had just the right tang and crunch, so I kept reaching for more.

The owner-recommended three-dish set, starting with tangsuyuk

While we were debating what to order, the owner recommended the three-dish set — she suggested ordering the set plus a couple of rice dishes to share, which would be plenty for everyone. The three-dish set is tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), eohyang gaji (Sichuan-style eggplant), gochu japchae (spicy stir-fried vegetables), and paihyangkwa. First up was the tangsuyuk — crispy on the outside, moist inside, fried cleanly and properly. Tangsuyuk really is one of those dishes almost everyone loves.

Paihyangkwa: candied fruit fritters

I wasn't sure what paihyangkwa was, so I checked the menu and it turned out to be smashed cucumber. It's served cold and crunchy, like a pickle, and even though I'm not usually big on cucumber, this version was refreshing and tasty enough that I kept reaching for more.

Eohyang gaji: braised eggplant in savory sauce

I love eggplant and fry it at home fairly often, but the eohyang gaji at this Haeundae restaurant was proper Chinese-style fried eggplant. The batter was thin and crispy, meeting the tender eggplant underneath, and the eggplant's juices burst in my mouth — it was so good I felt like I could finish a whole plate by myself.

Gochu japchae with pork belly

Unusually, the gochu japchae at Bueokgan Chinese included pork belly and fresh vegetables, with a smoky char that made it even more appetizing. The pork belly was sliced thin and stir-fried, pairing really well with the crunchy vegetables. The portion was bigger than expected too — I finally understood why the owner recommended the three-dish set.

Rice dishes: jjamppong rice at Bueokgan

For the rice dish, we debated between jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and jjamppong rice, and my sister's choice was jjamppong rice. It was packed with beef brisket, which gave it great flavor, and being a rice version, you could really taste the jjamppong flavor and smoky char. It was spicier than expected too — nicely fiery and delicious. Even though I'm not great with spicy food, I finished the jjamppong rice happily.

Poached-egg ganjajang and gochu ganjajang, shared as a double portion

The poached-egg ganjajang (black bean noodles) was mild and the kind of dish everyone likes. Since there's a double portion option, we ordered that so we could share both dishes, and both looked great on arrival. With the spicy ganjajang, I braced myself the moment it came out, thinking it might be too spicy, but it wasn't — it just had a bit more texture to it. Everyone mixed it together and it was still tasty, just slightly spicy. If I ever want jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) with a bit of a kick, I'd order the spicy ganjajang. Between the interior, the view, and everything else, Bueokgan Chinese in Haeundae was perfect — it's a place I'd love to come back to once my baby is a bit older.