Kaoyu beginner tries mala fish and stinky tofu in Daejeon

Today, before a glamping trip with friends, I came to try something I had genuinely never eaten before! Bantiannyao Kaoyu!!

What is kaoyu?

Wondering what kaoyu even is? It's a traditional Chinese dish. Kaoyu literally means "grilled fish" in Chinese, and it originates from the traditional cuisines of Chongqing and Sichuan.

The defining feature: a whole freshwater fish is pre-grilled over charcoal or in an oven, then simmered hot-pot style with various spices, mala sauce, and vegetables — that's the classic Sichuan-style kaoyu method.

Shall we go check it out together haha! Let's go!!!

Location, hours, parking

• 📍Location: 13 Dunsan-ro 31beon-gil, 2nd floor, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
• 📍Hours | Daily 10:30–23:00
• 📍Parking | Sohyeon parking lot behind the building

The interior was really big and pleasant! There were high chairs and kids' trays too — you could feel how thoughtful the owner is, haha.

Group seating

There's also a private room, and it looked like it could fit about 12 people for group visits!

A kaoyu beginner's menu choice

The menu was really varied! There were many types of kaoyu too — honghuajiao kaoyu, tomato kaoyu, and more. But since I'm a kaoyu beginner... I went with the basic kaoyu in mala flavor! And added a vegetable-mushroom mixed side on top!

There were so many side options too, so it seems easy to eat to your own taste, hot pot style!

How's the self-bar?

The self-bar was also great to use. It had rice, drinks, and simple foods that go well as a palate cleanser mid-meal, so you could just grab as much as you needed. After a bite of spicy kaoyu, a spoon of rice and a sip of a drink cleared the palate nicely before going back in.

There were also tons of sauce varieties and plenty of drink options, so you could freely grab whatever you wanted!

The self-bar was kept super neat and organized, so it was really easy to use ㅠㅠ

First try of stinky tofu

This was my first time trying stinky tofu here... and it was truly an unbelievable flavor.... kind of like fermented pollack roe... let's just say I'm not the biggest eater when it comes to that one.

There were kind instructions for making the sauce too! Follow them exactly and it's basically deliciousness itself!!!!

They even had an event and a follow-and-verify event going on! You'd be missing out not to grab anything!!! Now let's dig in properly, shall we??

Here's the basic table setup: on the left is the mixed mushroom side we added! On the right, the special sauces my friends made in different combinations!! It's mostly built around the self-bar, so there isn't a fancy table setup — haha.

How does the basic mala kaoyu taste?

Everyone, brace yourselves — behold this massive fish........ wait, is that size even real???? I was completely blown away. The moment it hit the table, the visual — piled high with chili peppers and spices — instantly grabbed my appetite.

The fish flesh was thicker and softer than expected, so it was fun to pick apart, and the seasoning had subtly soaked all the way through, so the mild fish and the spicy broth went really well together. At first the spiciness hits hard, then as you keep eating, that distinct mala numbing, fragrant flavor lingers in your mouth!

That numbing mala flavor is seriously a rice thief... I never knew fish could be this soft and pair this well with mala...

There were so many chili peppers piled in that I thought it'd be really spicy, but it wasn't as spicy as I expected!!!

It was so good I had to zoom in and take a close-up shot!! And the broth was really something special. The clean flavor from the fish combined with the spicy seasoning gave it a deep umami taste, and I kept scooping more and more. Rice, broth, and fish together — I ate it all properly, three ways in sync...

Vegetable-mushroom mixed side

Adding vegetables or extra sides to simmer in here deepened the broth flavor even more, and made it more fun to eat. As a wood ear mushroom lover, I diligently picked those out! Ingredients that soak up seasoning well, like mushrooms or tofu noodles, were also delicious. The broth soaked right into the sides, and the more you chewed, the more spicy and salty flavor came through. Eating it with rice slightly balanced out the spiciness, and the combo was just right.

Since it's on the 2nd floor, we got to enjoy the view outside while eating, which was nice! The weather was great.... the food was great... you guys were great too.... I was happy......☆

The owner's sense of detail, in bits and pieces

I can't skip over the owner's thoughtfulness.... they had so many phone chargers set up, and the broth station was kept so clean.. so touching.. and there was a touching point in the bathroom too...

See the disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste they kept stocked... since it's Chinese food with lots of chili, they thought to let you brush your teeth after — this kind of thoughtfulness.. it's insane..

Lastly, they even had ice cream stocked, so we properly finished with dessert before leaving haha. The cookies-and-cream and green tea flavors were so good...

Final thoughts

This was my first time trying kaoyu, and it was much tastier than I expected, so I was satisfied. Being a fish dish, I thought it might turn out bland, but thanks to the spicy, tingling seasoning, I never got tired of it till the end. I usually love mala xiang guo a lot, and I think I'll come back for kaoyu whenever I get tired of that!!

The fish flesh in particular was soft and mild, which paired well with the intense seasoning, and adding sides to the broth made it taste even better the more you ate. There is that distinctive mala numbing flavor, but it's not overwhelmingly strong, so if you like mala, you'd probably really enjoy this.

It was also great being able to casually grab rice or drinks from the self-bar, and I felt this was a good menu for a group to enjoy slowly — fish plus added sides. Personally, this is the kind of place I'd think of again when craving something a bit different from typical Chinese food. If you're looking for a unique restaurant in Daejeon or craving something spicy in Dunsan-dong, it's worth a visit.

Having paid for this meal myself, I'd say I'd definitely visit again 😊