Busan brunch with carrot soup and focaccia: Odd Bird Oliver

I met up with a friend in the morning for the first time in ages, and we headed to Jeonpo for a late breakfast/brunch! I’d wanted to try Odd Bird Oliver for a while because I kept hearing its focaccia was so good. People say the pasta is great too, and I wanted a sandwich, and I was curious about a simple soup too, haha.

After thinking about it for ages, we ended up ordering the carrot soup and a sandwich. I totally agree that the focaccia is delicious!

I was especially surprised to hear that they make not only the bread but also the jambon and cheese in the sandwiches themselves. They definitely had less of that processed taste, which I liked.

Odd Bird Oliver location and hours

Odd Bird Oliver is on the first floor at 33 Dongseong-ro 15beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan. It is about 158 m from Jeonpo Station Exit 4, so it is an easy walk after getting off the subway.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a break from 4 to 6 p.m. Last orders are at 3 p.m. for lunch and 8 p.m. for dinner. It is closed every Tuesday.

Temporary closures and holiday hours may vary, so it is best to check before visiting.

Jeonpo brunch with house-made bread and cheese

Even the name Odd Bird is unusual, right?

An “odd bird” means an unusual person, an eccentric, or a quirky character, and they say the name reflects their eccentric determination when it comes to food.

They make their own bread and cheese every day and simmer their sauces themselves for a long time, so the name actually suited the place rather well. Since it opens from 9 a.m., it was also great for a late breakfast with a friend like we did.

A sandwich or soup with a cup of coffee felt exactly like the kind of great Jeonpo brunch spot I had in mind!

The focaccia sandwich and carrot soup we ordered

There were seriously so many things I wanted to eat. We went back and forth over pasta, a focaccia sandwich, and soup, and in the end we...

ordered the Bismarck Focaccia Sandwich for ₩16,000 and Butter Carrot Soup & Focaccia for ₩10,000. My friend chose 100% pressed apple juice, while I got a hot Americano.

The Bismarck Focaccia Sandwich comes with focaccia baked fresh daily, house-made jambon, ricotta, and a poached egg. Even the carrot soup description was fun, haha.

It was described as “carrot soup that doesn’t taste like carrot,” made by Oliver, who does not like carrots, so naturally I was even more curious about what it would taste like.

There are set menus on the side too. Next time I go on a date with my husband, I want to try one of those, haha!!

After ordering, they brought us water.

Butter carrot soup without an overpowering carrot taste

Coffee and pressed apple juice arrived while my friend and I were chatting away.

And then the carrot soup came right out! I tried the soup first. The first bite definitely did taste of carrot. But the more I ate, the more it strangely reminded me a little of a smooth onion soup.

So it was much more delicious than I expected! Tearing off the focaccia served alongside it and giving it a good dunk in the soup made it even better.

When I had it, I could also taste a fragrant oil on top. It felt like a truffle-type aroma, and it went well with the smooth soup.

A sandwich where house-made jambon and cheese work together

And then, the Bismarck Focaccia Sandwich I had been looking forward to! As expected, the focaccia itself was delicious.

What especially surprised me was that they said they make the cheese and jambon inside the sandwich themselves too. Maybe that is why it did not have the strong, distinctive processed flavor of store-bought ham or cheese, which I really liked.

The focaccia held jambon, ricotta, and a rich poached egg, with a fragrant truffle note added in. Rather than one ingredient standing out too much, everything came together nicely.

With brunch, sometimes the food looks pretty but is a little disappointing once you finish it, you know? This place really stayed with me because everything from the bread to the fillings is made in-house.

Overall thoughts on our Jeonpo late breakfast

I had wanted to visit for ages after hearing that the focaccia was so good, and I finally made it here, haha.

The carrot soup was unexpectedly really delicious for me, and the focaccia sandwich was as satisfying as I had hoped. Even if you are not much of a carrot person, I think this soup is worth trying.

It was not the kind where the carrot flavor hits you all at once. It grew smoother and nuttier the more I ate, so I kept reaching for more focaccia to dip in it.

The sandwich also had a nice clean flavor from the house-made focaccia, jambon, and cheese. Next time, I need to try that pasta everyone says is so good too, haha.

If you are looking in Jeonpo for a morning late-breakfast spot with a friend, or for a slightly different sandwich and soup, Odd Bird Oliver is a good choice :)