Sharing three salads with friends in Jung-gu, Busan: PARENTS Coffee &

Sometimes for lunch you don't want anything too heavy — you crave something packed with vegetables like a salad or a poke bowl. This time I went with friends to PARENTS Coffee & Salad Jungang-dong Branch in Jungang-dong, Busan.

Jungang-dong has a lot of traffic and foot traffic, so I was a bit worried about parking, but there's a public parking lot right in front of the store, so it was more convenient than expected.

Lunch salad hunting in Jungang-dong, Busan

Instead of ordering just one thing, we decided to order several menus and share them that day.

We ordered three things: red grape ricotta cheese & mini naan, grilled mushroom arugula, and a chicken wrap. At first I thought a salad-heavy order might not be enough, but once the food arrived, it was more generous than I expected. The vegetables in particular were plentiful, which made it good for sharing among several people, and even though it was just salad, it filled me up more than I thought it would.

I think the most important thing about a salad is the condition of the vegetables, and overall this felt very fresh. The vegetables were crisp, with no wilted or mushy feel, and there was a good variety, so I didn't get tired of it even eating a whole bowl. If you're looking for a light lunch spot in Jungang-dong, this kind of menu could be a good option.

Grilled mushroom arugula combo at a Jung-gu, Busan salad spot

Of everything I ate that day, the grilled mushroom arugula stood out the most. The mushrooms were plumper than I expected, so the texture really came through when I chewed, and the clean flavor of the grilled mushrooms paired really well with the aroma of the arugula.

Arugula's scent can be a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but paired with the mushrooms it all came together nicely, and I really enjoyed it. Most of all, the mushrooms weren't just a few thin slices — they were plump enough to give a satisfying bite.

The red grape ricotta cheese mini naan was delicious too

The red grape ricotta cheese & mini naan felt a bit unusual just from the name. The salad has red grapes and ricotta cheese together, and I especially liked the flavor of the ricotta cheese.

The cheese wasn't too strong or heavy — it blended in smoothly, and the fresh taste of the red grapes added in between made the combination work better than I expected. Plus you could eat it with mini naan on the side, which gave it a different feel from a plain vegetable salad. Sharing several dishes with friends meant each one had its own distinct flavor, which made the meal more fun.

It was a salad, but the fullness lasted a long time

How long the fullness lasted after eating was also pretty impressive. We started eating around 4:50 PM and finished around 5, but my stomach still felt full when I started exercising at 7:40 PM. I usually exercise regularly, so that day too I walked and then tried running on the treadmill — the first 6 minutes or so were fine, but once I started running, my stomach felt a bit queasy and my body felt heavy. I usually run about 5km, but that day I couldn't even manage 3km before I had to stop. Of course there could be several reasons — my condition that day, how much I ate, and so on — but I was a bit surprised at how long the fullness lasted after thinking I'd eaten something light like a salad.

The salad with red grapes and ricotta cheese in particular was definitely more filling than a plain vegetable-only salad, since it came with cheese and mini naan too. So I thought if you eat this for lunch, you'd probably think about snacks less throughout the afternoon.

Chicken wrap ordered alongside instead of poke in Jungang-dong

Since salad alone felt like it might not be quite enough, we also ordered a chicken wrap. It felt fuller than expected once we got it, and looking inside, there was a generous amount of chicken tenders.

Vegetables like red cabbage and whole lettuce leaves were included too, and the tortilla was packed generously with fillings, so every bite had chicken and vegetables together. The tortilla wasn't too stiff or dry — it was on the moist side — and the white cream sauce paired smoothly with the chicken. I usually feel a bit let down if a chicken wrap is light on chicken, but this one had plenty of chicken tenders, so it felt satisfying.

We didn't eat the salads right away that day — it sat for about 2-3 hours before we ate — but even after that much time, the tortilla wasn't too soggy and the fillings held up well, so it was still tasty. It probably would have been even better eaten right away, but it held up better than expected even after some time had passed since packaging.

A good lunch pick if you're looking for restaurants in Jung-gu, Busan

This time we ordered three menus with friends and shared them, and overall the portions were more generous than expected, which was satisfying. The salads in particular weren't the type with just a small amount of vegetables — they were packed with a variety of vegetables, so even the salads alone filled us up quite well. The grilled mushroom arugula had a great texture from the plump mushrooms, and the red grape ricotta cheese stood out for its cheese flavor, each with its own charm. Adding the chicken wrap on top made it plenty for three people to share.

If you're having lunch in Jungang-dong and want something that isn't too heavy but also don't want to settle for something too simple, this place is worth a visit. I tried sharing several menus this time, and next time I'm curious to try the other poke menus too.