Haeundae date restaurant: abalone risotto with fried enoki, Bueokgan

A date back in Dalmaji, Haeundae, where we lived as newlyweds

We went on a date to Dalmaji in Haeundae, where we spent our newlywed days, for the first time in a long while. It's still so, so lovely... Right next to Hillstate Weve, where we used to live, there's a multi-use F&B building called Bueokgan (부엌간)!! We went with curiosity and high hopes, and this is the story of how we were genuinely moved at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch.

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch hours and parking

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch is at 200 Dalmaji-gil 117beon-na-gil, 2nd floor, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, and it's open every day from 11:00 to 21:00. Break time is 15:00-16:30, and last order is at 20:30.

The Bueokgan building is a multi-use space where you can enjoy a bakery, a Chinese restaurant and a European restaurant all in one building. The Bueokgan shops are stacked floor by floor inside a gorgeous big building, so it seems great for enjoying a full-course outing. The building itself has such a European feel that it was really exciting!

For parking, you can fit about 3-4 cars on the roadside in front of the building, and there's a parking lot behind it, so keep that in mind when you park!

Atmosphere and seating at the 2nd-floor restaurant

The Bueokgan Haeundae Branch restaurant is on the 2nd floor, so we took the elevator up. It felt like the space was divided into an ivory-toned area with sunlit big windows and an area with a classic mood, and with so many tables it looked great for group visits too!

We grabbed a seat by the big windows first!! The space was so pretty that I was in max happiness mode before we even ate~!!! We loved the lush green view so much that it seems perfect as a date course, and probably the best spot for a brunch get-together too.

Even the basic table setting at Bueokgan looks luxurious ♥ You can also admire the pretty flowers that hit all the right notes, so it's a really good place to visit for an anniversary!!

How to order and choosing from the menu

Every table at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch has a tablet, so ordering is easy. The honey pie (꿀파이) offered as a review event has lots of reviews saying it's super tasty, so I recommend joining in!

The menu at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch is so varied and rich~!! The set menus look great too, so I think ordering a set is the better deal! Everything looked so delicious that choosing took some agonizing, but here's what we picked this day!

• Sweet potato fries
• Abalone cream risotto
• Lasagna

How do the rice-flour-coated sweet potato fries taste?

The sweet potato fries at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch are coated in rice flour, so they looked doubly crunchy. The fries and our drinks were ready in no time, and from the color to the aroma... and the plating too, everything was perfect, so my expectations went up even more from this point.

I love sweet potato so much that I always order it if a restaurant has sweet potato fries, and Bueokgan Haeundae Branch's fries!! Seriously good! Dip them in ketchup~! and oh, how delicious... Nutty, crunchy and sweet..... all in one flavor....

Feeling great, we clinked glasses (cheers~) and waited for the next dish!

Bueokgan's abalone cream risotto: fried enoki is the masterstroke

The abalone cream risotto at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch has abalone and clams in a rich abalone-innards sauce and cream, topped with fried enoki mushrooms. Honestly, this abalone cream risotto was the thing I was looking forward to most even before we visited. And seeing how it looked, I thought, we ordered so well..

The aroma of the abalone cream risotto was... just dreamy!! The harmony of abalone and clams was the real deal.. and putting fried enoki on top was truly a masterstroke.

After the first bite, 3 seconds of silence..... It was so nutty and my mouth was full of abalone flavor, the kind of taste that makes your eyes go wide!! The abalone and clams had a firm chew, so even the texture was perfect.

The crispy fried enoki was nuttiness incarnate. Put it on the risotto and eat it in one bite, and it's heaven! I'm 100000% willing to come back just for the abalone cream risotto.

Even the homemade pickles were fresh and tangy, and I thought, ah, this place really knows what it's doing~!

Bueokgan's lasagna: how much cheese?

The lasagna at Bueokgan Haeundae Branch uses house-simmered ragù sauce and has a huge amount of cheese. It uses wide lasagna sheets, so the portion is substantial too. With the lasagna out, our table was finally complete!

Lasagna is another dish I really love, so we ordered it!! It tasted every bit as good as it looked.

Delicious things deserve one more close-up...!!!

When I cut it into bite-size pieces, there was so much cheese that it poured out like a waterfall, a perfect sight.. Cheese lovers, run there right now, seriously.. When I go for a bite, it's 80% cheese.. such generosity.. I love you, Bueokgan Haeundae Branch!

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch as a Dalmaji date course: how was it?

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch was 100% satisfying for spending happy time with someone you love while enjoying an open view and lush green, pretty vibes. A pretty, delicious spot that's hard to find in Haeundae, you could say...! I definitely recommend visiting at least once :)