Haeundae Chinese restaurant that beats Incheon's Chinatown: Bueokgan

On a 2-night, 3-day Busan trip with my boyfriend, I found the Chinese restaurant of my life. Since it was a trip, I wanted a place with a Busan sea view, a great mood, and food that was actually good. We raved so much that I've decided: from now on, whenever I'm in Busan, Chinese food means here! It's Bueokgan Chinese Marine City Branch (부엌간 차이니즈 마린시티점), an upscale Chinese restaurant that adds Bueokgan's own sensibility and care to traditional cooking methods, with real attention to interior, space, service and detail ◟( ˘ ³˘)◞ ♡

Where do you park at Bueokgan Chinese Marine City?

You can park free for 90 minutes in the Adelis officetel (아델리스) parking lot, and street parking in front of the restaurant is also possible. Just put "Adelis Officetel" into your navigation.

• If you park at Adelis, pick up a parking ticket
• Get the ticket stamped when you pay after your meal
• Show the stamped ticket on your way out

Hours are daily 11:00-22:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00. Last orders are at 15:00 and 20:30.

Here's the outside! We parked at Adelis and it was a quick walk!!

Bueokgan is on the 2nd floor, and there's a dedicated elevator, so getting up was easy! Note to self: after parking, walk out and look for the building with Subyeon Choego Dwaeji Gukbap (pork and rice soup), then take the dedicated elevator to the 2nd floor!

Interior and service at Bueokgan Chinese Marine City

The inside is clean and elegant, styled with real taste. The moment I walked in, I couldn't help saying "wow." The staff member was a foreigner, very gentlemanly and with great Korean, haha. He asked how many of us there were and kindly showed us to our seats.

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the food being made, and the room is prettily decorated with fine ceramics and plants here and there. It would be perfect for taking your parents, a blind date, or a date.

Sea-view window seats and night yachts

There are also window seats where you can see the Busan sea at a glance!! It was cool in the evening, so they had the windows wide open, and the sea breeze coming in was so nice.

The ceiling lights are big sky lanterns. From the interior to the lighting, everything is so prettily done that the mood is the best.

Yachts also pass by outside, and once night fell they sparkled so prettily, haha. Chinese food with a Haeundae sea view... just imagining it is the best, really.

What did the two of us order?

We ordered the poached-egg five-layer pork ganjajang (black bean noodles), the spicy poached-egg octopus rice bowl, and the whole-garlic yuringi (fried chicken in soy-vinegar sauce)! The food didn't take long to come out (Chinese restaurant, of course), and at last order the chef himself came out to explain that last order was coming up. Little touches of consideration and thoughtfulness like that made it a happy meal.

Let me go through each dish, which looks like top quality just by sight!

Poached-egg five-layer pork ganjajang: the jjajangmyeon of my life

Bueokgan's poached-egg five-layer pork ganjajang is made by slowly simmering thick pork, onion and napa cabbage over low heat. At a Chinese restaurant you have to eat jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), right?! There are many jjajangmyeon places these days, but really good ones are hard to find ㅠㅠ Today I found one. The sweetness that comes up as the onion and cabbage are cooked is so good.

The sauce and noodles are both perfect, and when you pop the springy poached egg on top and eat it together, it's simply the jjajangmyeon of my life.

Spicy poached-egg octopus rice bowl: wok fire and real Chinese flavor

Bueokgan's octopus rice bowl adds a special Chinese-style seasoning, so you strongly taste "this is real Chinese food!!" I've had plenty of Chinese rice bowls here and there, but this is the place that truly brings out the wok fire and the Chinese flavor. Octopus and vegetables stir-fried in spicy chili oil, topped with a poached egg, make it wonderfully tender.

Whole-garlic yuringi: won over even someone who doesn't eat garlic

Bueokgan's whole-garlic yuringi has fresh lettuce spread underneath, piled with thick, crispy fried chicken and lots of whole garlic!! I don't normally eat garlic, but that day I ate so much that I went from a bear to a human (a Korean myth reference).

The soy sauce and vinegar based sauce isn't strong but brings out the chicken flavor just right. It's fresh and so good!! Enjoy the juicy drumstick meat and crispy whole garlic.

The portions are huge too!! The two of us nearly died from bursting stomachs, lol.

An Incheon local's verdict on Bueokgan Chinese: would I come back?

At Bueokgan Chinese Marine City Branch, every dish, the interior and the service, the whole atmosphere the restaurant creates, felt really good. I'm from Incheon and have been to lots of Chinatown restaurants, but this has simply become number one. Thanks to Bueokgan, I want to travel to Busan again.

120% I'd come back: a high-end Chinese restaurant with real taste