Asan Korean restaurant for grilled fish and pot rice: Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo

When I eat out lately, I seem to end up having meat or noodles pretty often.

So that day, my wife and I decided to try something a little different and went out for grilled fish at a Korean restaurant near Tangjeong Station.

I had heard there was a place near Tangjeong Station that did grilled fish properly, so we headed to Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo Asan Tangjeong Branch (부산에뜬고등어 아산탕정점).

A spacious grilled-fish restaurant near Tangjeong Station

Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo Asan Tangjeong Branch is on Handeulmulbit 6-ro in Tangjeong. Once inside, it was much larger than I had expected. There were plenty of tables, so it worked well for the two of us, but it also looked like a good option for family meals or larger groups.

On a day when you want a neat, satisfying meal, a Korean restaurant near Tangjeong Station like this is especially welcome.

One grilled mackerel and one Spanish mackerel

Ordering was easy through the kiosk at the table. We ordered one grilled mackerel and one grilled Spanish mackerel. Since my wife and I were dining together, I thought it would be nice to get one of each and share.

Rather than eating just one kind of fish, alternating between two let us compare their flavors, which I liked.

For rice, we chose sotbap (rice cooked in an individual pot), which goes so well with grilled fish.

From the moment we ordered, I had a feeling this combination was already going to be a success, haha.

Self-bar side dishes and unexpected stir-fried pork

Before the food arrived, I checked out the self bar first, and there were more side dishes than I expected.

There were standard Korean side dishes, seasoned vegetable dishes, and different kinds of kimchi, so we could take only what we wanted. I especially liked the divided plates: even after loading up on different banchan (Korean side dishes), they did not get mixed together. We took small portions of the things we wanted, and this setup was nice because there was no need to get greedy and take too much.

But while looking around the self bar, I found one slightly unexpected item.

It was jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork). Being able to have stir-fried pork from a self bar at a grilled-fish restaurant was pretty fun.

When you eat only fish, you might start craving meat, so having jeyuk-bokkeum too made the meal feel especially well rounded.

Moist grilled mackerel with pot rice

Finally, the main grilled mackerel arrived. First of all, I liked that the fish was a good size. The skin was nicely browned and the flesh was plump, making it fun to lift off pieces with chopsticks. Mackerel can turn dry or tough if it is not grilled well, but the one we had that day was moist inside. I placed a generous piece over the hot pot rice and took a bite—this is a combination that is hard to get wrong.

The savory, lightly salty flavor unique to mackerel paired with the mild rice kept me eating. My wife said it was delicious with the rice too, and diligently picked apart the mackerel, haha.

Grilled Spanish mackerel, brightened with lemon

Next came the grilled Spanish mackerel. It was also grilled fish, but its flavor had a distinctly different character. While the mackerel was rich and deeply savory, the Spanish mackerel felt milder and softer.

A light squeeze of the lemon served alongside it made the fish taste even cleaner.

It was good with soy sauce or wasabi, and it also paired nicely simply placed over warm rice.

If you are visiting as a pair, I would recommend ordering one mackerel and one Spanish mackerel like we did.

Switching between the different fish flavors made the meal less repetitive right through to the end.

Stir-fried pork in the middle of a grilled-fish meal

We also ate the side dishes we had brought from the self bar along the way. The jeyuk-bokkeum, in particular, matched better than expected. At first I thought, “Stir-fried pork at a grilled-fish restaurant too?” But once I tasted it, it was just right as a rice side. A piece of fish followed by a bite of jeyuk-bokkeum definitely made the meal feel more abundant. There were wrap vegetables as well, so it would be nice to wrap the pork in them.

I thought that even if someone who loves grilled fish visits with someone who prefers other dishes, there would be no need to worry too much about the menu at this Tangjeong Korean restaurant.

A filling table with plenty of side dishes

Besides jeyuk-bokkeum, the self bar at Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo Asan Tangjeong Branch had many other side dishes. There were basics such as bean sprouts and mu-saengchae (seasoned shredded radish), plus braised tofu, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), rolled omelet, and other dishes that go well with rice.

We brought back small portions and alternated them with the fish.

When you want fish alongside other dishes

This time, we visited because my wife and I wanted grilled fish, and I was satisfied because the spread was more substantial than expected. The mackerel was savory and moist, while the Spanish mackerel was mild, so each had its own appeal. With the pot rice, assorted side dishes, and even the self-bar jeyuk-bokkeum, it felt less like simply eating a fish and more like having a complete Korean meal.

More than anything, I liked that even if someone like me who loves grilled fish visits with someone who prefers other dishes, there are several things to choose from.