Namcheon-dong Japanese diner: karaage & ketchup-face egg, Daidokoro

When you're out and about in Busan, sometimes you want a meal that's a little different from the usual, right? That day I was craving Japanese home-style food, so I went to Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch (다이도코로 광안리본점) in Namcheon-dong.

Even before going in, the cat characters and cute atmosphere caught my eye, and once inside, there was quite a lot to look at besides the food.

What's on the menu at Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch?

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch serves Japanese home-style food like karaage (Japanese fried chicken), curry and udon as full set meals. Big menu photos at the alley entrance let you get a rough idea of the food before you go in.

The sets come as full trays, and there were so many familiar Japanese home-style dishes that I spent a good while studying the menu.

There were cat characters all over the place. At first I thought it was just a cute sign, but the further inside I went, the more the mood carried through down to every little prop.

What are the atmosphere and the wait like at Daidokoro?

The restaurant is a cozy, warm wood-toned space packed with cat character props. It felt more relaxed than a typical Japanese restaurant, and small figures, pictures and character items on the walls and shelves naturally drew my eyes while I waited for the food.

When it's full, you wait as directed at the entrance. When I went, guests kept eating at the tables inside, so it felt like a place that many people hunting for lunch near Geumnyeonsan Station stop by.

The restaurant didn't feel very small, and the tables were spaced reasonably. Best of all, the decorations were all different, so even in the same restaurant the mood changed a bit depending on where I took photos.

What comes in the karaage set?

I had a set centered on chicken karaage: a plate of karaage with fried egg rice, soup and sauce. The first thing I thought when the food landed on the table was, "There's really a lot going on here."

A big plate was piled high with karaage, served with cabbage, lemon and several sides. Add the rice topped with a fried egg, the soup and the sauce, and eating them one by one felt like a properly full meal.

The fried egg wasn't just placed there. It had a face drawn on it in ketchup, so I grabbed my camera as soon as the food came out. Little touches like this suited Daidokoro's mood perfectly.

How was the karaage at Daidokoro?

The karaage was the first thing I reached for, of course.

The pieces were fried slightly bigger than bite-size, and the coating didn't feel thick. I picked up a piece and found it crispy outside with tender chicken inside. A little lemon refreshed my mouth, so I kept reaching for more.

Sauce came on the side too, so I switched between eating it plain and dipping it, and even the same karaage tasted a little different each way.

Warm udon topped with tempura

The warm udon that came with the set had a big piece of tempura on top, and it had real presence from the first look. With the udon added, the meal was completely full.

I broke the tempura up bit by bit and ate it with the broth, and the textures were fun: crispy parts versus parts gone soft from soaking up the broth. The noodles slurped down nicely with the broth too, and after a few pieces of menbosha (shrimp toast), a sip of warm broth went well with it.

It wasn't a meal of just one dish. I could alternate a bite of karaage, a bite of rice and a sip of udon broth, so it never got boring until the end.

Who is Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch good for?

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch suits anyone who wants a Japanese home-style set and a look at cat character props in one visit. Looking around again after the meal, it felt less like a place where you eat and leave and more like one where you enjoy the atmosphere too. With cat characters and Japanese-style props everywhere, there were plenty of photo spots if you like cute spaces.

What I liked most that day was getting karaage, egg rice and warm udon all at once. I love tasting a bit of everything in a full-tray meal, so I finished feeling satisfied.

If you want a meal a little different from your usual near Gwangalli, or lunch near Geumnyeonsan Station, this is a good place to stop for a Japanese home-style set.