Taste strikingly hot summer beauties in Busan and Gyeongsang-do
Enjoy the flavors of summer, refreshingly cool or zestfully hot!
Taste the full force of a strikingly hot, humid but beautiful summer in Busan and Gyeongsan-do. These two areas adjacent to the sea are blessed with a variety of seafood, wild herbs and farm produce as the region is home to the fertile Gimhae plains. The local dishes may look simple and frugal, but they are strongly seasoned, spicy and tasty.
Busan
Naengchae jokbal (chilled braised trotter salad)
Enjoy a chewy jokbal (pig trotter) salad. Totally refreshing in its own way
Jokbal is pig trotters braised in a marinade of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, black pepper and soju (Korean distilled spirits). Sliced jokbal is served with saeujeot (salted shrimps). Dip the meat in the saeujeot, or warp it in lettuce, sesame leaves, geotjeori (fresh kimchi) or ssammu (pickled radish slices). Naengchae jokbal is a cold meat salad made with green vegetables and pig trotters. The trotters used in the dish are sliced very thinly. Enjoy the meat with cucumber, onion, haepari naengchae (jellyfish salad) and chilled mustard sauce. Tip, the chewy trotter slices, crispy veggies and the appetite boosting sauce go well with beer or soju.
Recommended Restaurants
Hongso Jokbal
- Address:
- 21-2 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-257-2575
- Business Hour:
- 12:00~00:00
- Open year-round
Hanyang Jokbal
- Address:
- 13 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-246-3039
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~00:00
- Open year-round
Milmyeon (wheat noodles)
Try it when your taste buds are feeling dull on a hot, humid summer day
Milmyeon was created as a substitute for naengmyeon (cold noodles) in Busan at the end of the Korean war and quickly became a local delicacy. The noodles, a mixture of wheat flour and starch, are served in beef bone broth, a combination of sagol (beef bone) soup with herbs and vegetables. The noodles are put in a big bowl of icy cold broth. Cucumber, salted radish, fried eggs, and slices of pork are added as toppings. Toss the ingredients together with the sweet and spicy sauce. If you prefer a more refreshing touch, add some mustard paste and vinegar. When the summer heat is unbearably hot, try an icy cold milmyeon.
“Along with milmyeon served in a broth, try the broth-less bibimmyeon (spicy noodles) where the noodles are tossed in a spicy marinade, giving you a savory experience.”
Recommended Restaurants
Halmae Gaya Milmyeon
- Address:
- 56-14 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-246-3314
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~21:30
- Open year-round
Gukje Milmyeon
- Address:
- 23-6 Jungang-daero, 1235 beon-gil, Yeonje-gu, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-501-5507
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~21:00
- Open year-round
Gomjangeo gui (grilled hag fish or sea eel)
A rich flavor of fresh gomjangeo grilled over a straw fired stove
In Busan, Gijang is famous for gomjangeo fish, where it is especially savory since the traditional method of barbequing with a straw fire stove is used, helping the fish maintain its distinctive flavor and smoky aroma. Once the charred skin is peeled off, the white fleshy parts beneath is delicious enough that additional condiments are not needed. Simply dip the fish in the oil sauce, or coat it with a sweet & spicy marinade and stir fry. Then stir fry in some rice with laver crumbs, sesame oil and the leftover marinade, for a delicious dish.
“The fish enveloped in the subtle aroma of the smoky straw fire enhances the natural flavor of the gomjangeo.”
Recommended Restaurants
Oyang Susan
- Address:
- 548-3 Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-721-0074
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~22:00
- Closed the 2nd Tuesday of the month
Ireumnan Gijang San Gomjangeo
- Address:
- 42 Gunam-ro, 41 beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan
- Tel:
- 051-742-8201
- Business Hour:
- 15:00~02:00
- Open year-round
Pohang, Gyeongsangnam-do
Mulhoe (raw fish in cold broth)
Hoe (raw fish) goes surprisingly well with sweet & spicy soup, vegetables, noodles and rice
Mulhoe is freshly sliced raw fish garnished with chopped vegetables then dipped in a cold vinegar infused Korean chili paste broth. Pohang is well known for mulhoe made with flounder, olive flounder, or rockfish. When mulhoe is ordered, raw fish and vegetables in a cold broth are served with side orders of thin noodles, rice and a spicy fish stew. Mix the noodles or rice with the mulhoe. The taste is blissful. When your taste buds become numb due to the cold broth, take a sip of the hot fish stew. Alternating between hot and cold is a fun palate stimulus on a hot summer day.
“Adding three ladles of fish broth will do the trick!”
“Pour the cold broth into the bowl and blend all the ingredients together right before serving.”
Recommended Restaurants
Marado Hoe Sikdang
- Address:
- 217-1 Haean-ro, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Tel:
- 054-251-3850
- Business Hour:
- 11:00~22:00
- Closed during Korean traditional public holidays
Hwanyeo Seafood Restaurant
- Address:
- 189-1 Haean-ro, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Tel:
- 054-251-8847
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~21:00
- Open year-round
Cheongsong, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Baeksuk (whole chicken soup with rice)
A bowl of stamina is all you need during the hot, sluggish summer
Baeksuk, boiled chicken stuffed with ginseng, milk vetch roots, nuts and sticky rice, is a dish full of stamina that Koreans love during the summer. Cheongsong is famous for baeksuk made with water collected from the famous Dalgi Mineral Spring. The ion rich water softens the chicken and boosts its umami. Try the rice porridge and the chicken separately, or dip the chicken in the porridge, which melts like cream cheese. Also try dak baeksuk with chicken bulgogi. The sweet & spicy chicken breast is grilled on a grate offering a savory pleasure.
Recommended Restaurants
Dalgi Yaksu Dak Baeksuk Haesung
- Address:
- 415 Jungang-ro, Cheong song-eup, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Tel:
- 054-873-2351
- Business Hour:
- 10:00~21:00
- Open year-round
Seoul Yeogwan Sikdang
- Address:
- 18-1 Yaksu-gil, Cheong song-eup, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Tel:
- 054-873-5177
- Business Hour:
- 09:00~21:00
- Open year-round
Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do
Badajangeo gui (grilled sea eel), Badajangeo tang (sea eel stew)
Tongyeong is known for badajangeo, a well-known summer stamina dish.
Sea eel is often dubbed as a rich repository of vitamin A as it contains the highest concentration compared to other fish. Its chewy texture and savory flavor charm many foodies. Tongyeong is well known for quality sea eel. As the fish travels along warm currents, the sea adjacent to Tongyeong makes it the best habitat. The locals in Tongyeong enjoy sea eels in many ways: spicy sea eel soup, grilled salted sea eel, glazed grilled sea eel and so on. If you order the grilled eel, the glazed eel can either be grilled in the kitchen; or you can grill it yourself on the oak charcoal grill at your table. You may prefer the well-roasted sea eel without condiments. Or you may prefer to wrap the fish with leafy vegetables. Either way, the rich flavor of the sea eel will be delightful.
“On a hot, sluggish summer day, try badajangeo rich in flavor and nutrition. It will reinvigorate your whole body.”
Recommended Restaurants
Tongyeong Jangeo Myeongga Chunghae
- Address:
- 1475 Sanyangilju-ro, Sanyang-eup, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam- do
- Tel:
- 055-645-1092
- Business Hour:
- 07:00~21:00
- Closed Mondays
Siboya Sutbul Jangeo Gui
- Address:
- 45 Tongyeonghaean-ro, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam- do
- Tel:
- 055-649-9292
- Business Hour:
- 11:00~21:30
- Closed during Korean traditional public holidays
Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do
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Jaecheop guk (clam soup), Jaecheop hoe (blanched clams)
Try jaecheop (marsh clams), a full deep flavor hidden in the small shell
Hadong is home to the region’s scenic beauty, Seomjin-gang river. Jaecheop is abundant in the river. The shell is the size of a tiny fingernail but the flavor and nutritional value are not small at all. Jaecheop rich in taurine and vitamins is known as a good hangover cure and is used to stimulate a lost appetite. You may also want to try a bowl of jaecheop guk along with the jaecheop hoe. The milky white clam soup is cooked with buchu (chives), giving the soup a greenish hue. The only condiment is salt, but the flavor is clean and deep. Jaecheop hoe is a healthy mixture of clams, chives, onion, wild chives and vinegar infused Korean chili paste. You can make jaecheop bibimbap by adding a bowl of rice to the jaecheop hoe.
“Try the light jaecheop guk and the sweet and spicy jaecheop hoe together. The combination of these ingredients will delight your taste buds in totally different ways.”
Recommended Restaurants
Wonjo Gangbyeon Halmae Jaecheop Sikdang
- Address:
- 286-1 Jaecheop-gil, Gojeon-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
- Tel:
- 055-884-6511
- Business Hour:
- 07:00~20:00
- Closed during Korean traditional public holidays
Hadong Jaecheop Specialty Village
- Address:
- 1877 Seomjingang-daero, Hadong-eup, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
- Business Hour:
- 08:00~19:30
- Closed during Korean traditional public holidays
