Haeundae restaurant in Busan for a birthday meal: Bueokgan

It was my grandmother’s birthday, so my aunt, grandmother, and I were deciding where to eat. Since it was her birthday, I wanted to treat her to something a little more special than what she usually has! We ended up visiting Bueokgan Haeundae Branch (부엌간 해운대점) while looking for food that was delicious and healthy rather than overly intense 😊

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch location and parking on Dalmaji-gil

If you head up the hill by Dongbaek Elementary School, Bueokgan is on the second floor in front of Hillstate We’ve. It would be a little difficult to get there without a car, but there is a dedicated parking lot right beside the restaurant, which made parking easy!

An elegant exterior and spacious interior

The upscale atmosphere was apparent right from the exterior~ There is Bueokgan Chinese restaurant on the first floor, and we went up to the second floor for the Western restaurant.

We wanted a restaurant with a slightly special atmosphere, and it already felt different from the usual restaurants we go to from the entrance, so I was excited for no reason haha. We used the dedicated lot beside the restaurant, but there was also underground parking accessible by elevator! Having plenty of parking space seemed like another plus haha.

The interior was full of vintage furniture and little decor pieces 💛 Overall, it felt like a hotel restaurant~

I heard the furniture and decor were imported directly from the UK and France, which may be why it had a slightly different feel from other Western restaurants!!

The lighting was lovely, giving the place a soft yet elegant feel. The restaurant was also really spacious and had baby chairs, so it looked great for family gatherings or group meals haha. It would also be nice for a special day like a birthday or anniversary.

The men’s restroom is to the left of the kitchen/counter, while the women’s restroom is straight ahead from the entrance before you enter that area, in the right-hand corner haha. I couldn’t find the women’s restroom at first ^^;;

Kiosk ordering and our birthday meal menu

Bueokgan had quite a varied menu, from appetizers like soup and salad to many kinds of pasta, pizza, and steak~

Ordering by kiosk was convenient~ There were set menus too, and they looked really well put together for a group wanting to share different dishes :-) Since we were visiting with my grandmother, we chose dishes that seemed relatively healthy for her haha.

• Pumpkin soup (₩8,000)
• Baby napa cabbage Caesar salad (₩16,000)
• Seafood tomato ttukbaegi pasta (₩19,000)
• Abalone cream risotto (₩20,000)

The tableware was set so neatly :-) Little things like this make me happy~ haha.

Smooth, rich pumpkin soup

The pumpkin soup came first! It was a nice light appetizer to share, and I heard they make it in-house with fresh kabocha squash. It was much smoother and more deeply flavored than ordinary store-bought pumpkin soup, which I loved haha. It had that gentle natural sweetness of pumpkin and a soft texture, so my grandmother liked it too 😉

Baby napa cabbage Caesar salad loaded with toppings

The baby napa cabbage Caesar salad was not a huge portion, but the grilled cabbage was generously topped with sun-dried tomatoes, bacon bits, onion flakes, and cheese haha. There was plenty of dressing too, so we enjoyed it 😋

Cream risotto with a strong abalone flavor

The abalone cream risotto had finely chopped abalone in it, along with a rich abalone innards sauce, so it had a deeper flavor than ordinary cream risotto 😋 The risotto had a greenish tint, probably because of the abalone innards, and you could taste the abalone’s deep, nutty flavor too! The cream sauce was not overly heavy or greasy; it came together nicely with just the right seasoning, and the overall flavor was deep and delicious haha. Especially, the fried enoki mushrooms on top added crunch and nuttiness, which went so well with the creamy risotto 😍

Seafood tomato ttukbaegi pasta my grandmother enjoyed too

Next came the seafood tomato ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) pasta! 🍝 This was my top pick haha 👍 I think it was also the dish my grandmother enjoyed most 🤗 While I was taking photos, her spoon showed no intention of stopping over the abalone risotto lololol. That must mean she really liked it... right?! 🤣😅

The seafood tomato ttukbaegi pasta was amazing in both looks and flavor 🍝 Its sauce had a deep, rich tomato flavor and came with a variety of seafood, including shrimp, clams, and green mussels, plus plenty of tomato and sliced garlic. My grandmother normally loves seafood, and since there was quite a lot of it, she ate really well~ It had a slight kick, which balanced nicely with the other dishes, and the seasoning was pleasantly moderate rather than salty. There was plenty of sauce to enjoy until the end, and because it arrived in a ttukbaegi, we could eat it warm 👍

Before leaving, I was a little sad to go(?) so my aunt and I took a mirror selfie by the pretty mirror next to the entrance 🫶🏻

Why I want to return for a family gathering

Bueokgan was satisfying because both the atmosphere and food were so good! Since these were not dishes my grandmother usually eats, I think she enjoyed them even more, and that made me feel oddly proud haha. The atmosphere was elegant and the space was wide, so we had a comfortable meal. If you want a meal in a slightly different setting or are looking for good pasta in Haeundae with a lovely atmosphere, it may be worth visiting at least once!! I’d like to come back next time for a family gathering 😉