Fogged Window Diner · 19 stories

Steam & Rice

I write about restaurant meals around Busan and Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceHaeundae, BusanRestaurants

Haeundae Western restaurant with parking: couple set for 2, Bueokgan

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch (부엌간 해운대점) is a Western restaurant on Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, Busan, with its own parking lot right next to the building. The writer and a close friend shared the couple set: pumpkin soup, garden salad, abalone cream risotto and jambon pizza. Portions were so generous that staff offered to box up the leftover jambon pizza. Bueokgan Haeundae Branch suits two people who want easy parking and a long, relaxed meal in a pleasant setting.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanShopping

Haeundae optician for new glasses and a contact lens sale: Second Face

Second Face Sinsigaji Branch is a premium house-brand optician in the Sinsigaji (New Town) area of Jwa-dong, Haeundae, Busan, where Lindberg, Kaneko Optical (금자안경) and Kamemannen frames can all be tried on in one place. The writer brought a younger sibling who wears contact lenses every day; the sibling chose frames with staff recommendations, had an eye exam, and stocked up on contact lenses thanks to a lens sale running at the time. Verdict: Second Face Sinsigaji Branch is a good Haeundae optician for sorting out new glasses and contact lenses in a single visit.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuyeong, BusanRestaurants

Gwangalli pork BBQ with friends: extra neck and grilled cheese, Jukrim

Jukrim Sutbul Dwaeji Gui (죽림숯불돼지구이) is a charcoal pork BBQ restaurant in Gwangalli, Suyeong, Busan, where staff grill the meat for you. Three friends shared the Jukrim Handon set (255g pork belly, 200g pork neck and doenjang soybean paste stew). They added 2 more servings of the thick pork neck, which even won over the pork-belly fan, then finished with kimchi fried rice, kimchi noodles and grilling cheese from the receipt review event. The thick pork neck and crab-laced doenjang stew made Jukrim Sutbul Dwaeji Gui a standout Gwangalli BBQ spot.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, BusanRestaurants

Blind-date Korean BBQ near Kyungsung Univ., Busan: Wanbeoljip

Wanbeoljip Kyungsung University Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Nam-gu, Busan, about a 3-minute walk from Exit 1 of Gyeongseongdaebugyeongdae Station, where the kitchen grills all the meat for you. Two diners shared the small platter (500g, two cuts of their choice plus the signature pork skin) with doenjang (soybean paste) risotto and a highball, and were won over by the crispy-outside, juicy-inside pork belly and a restaurant-like setting with no worries about smelling of smoke. With no grilling to manage, Wanbeoljip Kyungsung University Branch lets you focus on conversation, making it a strong pick for a blind date or date night near Kyungsung University.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanRestaurants

Haeundae Chinese restaurant, black vinegar tangsuyuk: Bueokgan

Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch (부엌간 차이니즈 해운대점) is a modern Chinese restaurant on Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, Busan, with its own private parking lot. The writer and a younger sibling sat at a window seat and ordered poached-egg pork belly ganjjajang (dry-stir-fried black bean noodles), beef brisket jjamppong (spicy noodle soup) and black vinegar sirloin tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), and even the picky sibling approved of all three dishes. Verdict: Bueokgan Chinese Haeundae Branch breaks the idea that Chinese food has to be greasy and heavy.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, BusanRestaurants

Daeyeon-dong, Busan raw fish restaurant: raw shrimp & hoedeopbap

Sintongyeong Gyeongseongdae Branch (신통영 경성대점) is a raw fish and seafood restaurant in Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, near Kyungsung University. The writer, a regular, visited after work with a friend and ordered seasonal raw shrimp and hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl), with the shrimp heads fried as a beer snack. Alternating a piece of sweet raw shrimp with a bite of tangy hoedeopbap is the combination to order at Sintongyeong Gyeongseongdae Branch.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, BusanRestaurants

Busan couple's BBQ date, Jeju pork & five-layer belly: Daepae Maket

Daepae Maket Busan Daeyeon Branch is a thin-sliced pork belly (daepae samgyeopsal) BBQ restaurant near Daeyeon Station in Nam-gu, Busan. On a couple's date, the writer ate 5 servings of Jeju thin-sliced pork and an extra order of five-layer pork belly, then added 2 servings of Daeyeon thin pork belly to finish with fried rice, alongside the salad bar, the included fish cake soup, and the free ice cream and americano by the exit. With juicy, thick thin-sliced pork, a spacious dining room and thoughtful desserts, Daepae Maket Busan Daeyeon Branch is a place the writer plans to revisit.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanHair & beauty salons

Fairy lashes with white LED extensions in Seomyeon: Almond Eyelashes

Almond Eyelashes (아몬드속눈썹) is an LED eyelash extension salon on Beomil-ro in Busanjin, Busan, near Seomyeon. With her old extensions almost completely fallen out, the writer chose fairy lashes with added white LED extensions in a JC curl at 10mm, and the treatment was so comfortable, with no stinging, that she fell asleep. Almond Eyelashes was the right choice for anyone who wants full, voluminous lashes but has sensitive eyes.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangsan, GyeongnamRestaurants

European restaurant in Yangsan after squash: abalone risotto, Bueokgan

Bueokgan Restaurant Yangsan Oslo Park Branch is a European-style restaurant and brunch café on basement level 1 of the Oslo Park building in Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan. After playing squash, the writer and a friend shared abalone cream risotto, arugula prosciutto pizza, sweet potato fries and a Single Grapefruit drink. The writer named the abalone cream risotto, with chewy abalone and fried enoki mushrooms on top, as the top pick. Verdict: with a spacious underground car park, an arched interior and table kiosks, Bueokgan Restaurant delivered on taste, atmosphere and convenience.

Written Jun 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongnae, BusanHair & beauty salons

Dongnae hair salon: Elizabeth perm for dry semi-curly hair, Chamer

Chamer is a hair salon near Dongnae Station and Oncheon-dong in Dongnae, Busan. The writer, whose thin, extremely dry semi-curly hair had them torn between a setting perm and a layered perm, consulted team leader Ain at Chamer and chose an easy-care Elizabeth perm that gave natural, neatly defined curls without looking overdone. With parking support, drinks and snacks, and tips on drying at home, Chamer's Elizabeth perm was a very satisfying fix for frizzy semi-curly hair.

Written Jun 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanRestaurants

Dalmaji-gil pasta spot for Mom: seafood ttukbaegi pasta, Bueokgan

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch (부엌간 해운대점) is a pasta and pizza restaurant at the start of Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, Busan. On a visit with just her mom, the writer shared a set of kabocha squash soup, napa cabbage Caesar salad, seafood tomato ttukbaegi pasta (pasta served in a Korean earthenware pot), basil margherita pizza and 2 drinks, and her mom, who rarely eats rich Western food, finished even the pasta broth. With a private parking lot and easy takeaway for leftover pizza, Bueokgan Haeundae Branch is a solid choice for a meal out with parents.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuyeong, BusanBars

Locals' bar in Gwangalli, Busan: flounder & sugar tomato at Maenggu

Maenggu Pocha Gwang-an Main Branch is a retro indoor pocha (Korean tavern) near Gwangalli Beach and Geumnyeonsan Station in Suyeong, Busan. A Busan local stopped by in the evening for giant flounder sashimi with Cheongha served in an ice bucket. Too full for the seafood ramyeon, the local finished with sugar tomato and traded an order coin for a nostalgic snack. Maenggu Pocha Gwang-an Main Branch can change the mind of anyone who only eats sashimi at raw fish restaurants, and it makes a good stop after a night walk along Gwangalli Beach.

Written Jul 3, 2026Sponsored