Review-event mushroom side at a Cheonan Korean restaurant: Hyangtaek

Lately I keep gravitating toward Korean food that's both light on the stomach and genuinely tasty for lunch. This time I got a good chance to visit Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch, a well-known spot in Buldang-dong, Cheonan.

Honestly, when I hear "healthy food" I usually picture something bland, so I didn't expect much going in — but one bite of what we ordered wiped that thought right out of my head. I left realizing healthy food really can taste this good.

Inside Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch: interior and seating

From the outside, Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch already gives off a clean, warm wood-toned vibe, and stepping inside, there's a nicely balanced mix of bar-table seating and tidy 2- and 4-person tables. Everything feels well-organized, so it's comfortable to eat alone here, and just as good for catching up with a friend over a relaxed meal.

Small decorative touches and menu signage are neatly arranged throughout the restaurant. The condiments and tableware set at each table are so cleanly laid out that it just felt hygienic and put me in a good mood before the food even arrived.

What we ordered from the Hyangtaek menu

Looking at the Hyangtaek menu, there's a good range of rice-pot dishes (sotbap), rice bowls (deopbap), and side dishes to enjoy. We ordered the signature mackerel gondre rice and eggplant doenjang rice bowl, plus the mushroom platter as a side.

If you join the Naver review event, you get the mushroom platter for free — definitely worth taking care of that!

Hyangtaek even has instructions on how to enjoy each dish, so give it a read and dig in!

Before the main dishes arrived, the side dishes (banchan) came out first, neatly arranged — and each one in the lineup was seasoned just right, not overdone.

Mackerel gondre rice: nutty and tender

The first dish we tried, mackerel gondre rice, was mouthwatering just to look at. A thick, nicely browned grilled mackerel fillet sits generously on top of gondre (thistle greens) rice, and the bones were cleanly removed, making it really easy to eat.

The fragrant, distinctive aroma of gondre pairs beautifully with the plain, clean rice, and topping it with a bite of well-grilled mackerel fills your mouth with a savory, mellow flavor. Mixing in a little of the accompanying sauce brings the seasoning to just the right level, so you can enjoy it tastily down to the last spoonful.

It's also great wrapped in the gopchang-gim (seasoned laver) that comes with it. When I mentioned it to staff, they generously gave us extra.

Eggplant doenjang rice bowl packed with umami

If you love eggplant dishes, the eggplant doenjang rice bowl will win you over for sure. Big chunks of grilled eggplant come with a special doenjang (soybean paste) sauce, and its umami flavor was truly outstanding.

Eggplant can turn mushy if cooked wrong, but here it was moist inside and softly cooked outside, giving it a really nice texture. The sweet-savory doenjang seasoning soaked all the way into the eggplant, and mixing it with the rice, I couldn't stop eating. Adding a splash of the accompanying kelp vinegar cut any richness completely, leaving a flavor that just clings to your palate — I instantly understood why this place is famous in Buldang-dong, Cheonan.

Why the free mushroom platter is crisp and chewy

The mushroom platter (hanpan beoseot) we ordered as a side was like a mushroom pancake — shiitake and enoki mushrooms grilled until golden brown, almost as if fried.

The moment you bite in, there's a crisp crunch outside while the inside keeps the mushrooms' signature chewy texture. The mushrooms' fragrance mingles with the savory oil for a richness that rivals meat. Dipped lightly in the accompanying sauce, it works great as a side dish with rice and holds up perfectly well as a clean side order.

Final verdict on lunch at Hyangtaek

Even though I ate a big lunch here, none of the ingredients were heavy or overly stimulating, so my stomach felt very comfortable. Nothing sat heavy, and digestion felt light too.

The prices are also reasonable given the quality and care put into the food, so I'm already thinking about coming back for lunch soon. If you're looking for a neat, clean Korean restaurant with rice-pot dishes or rice bowls, definitely stop by Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch, a well-known spot in Buldang-dong, Cheonan.