First we were given a bowl of죽 (Korean rice porridge). The warm porridge warms your stomach in preparation for the cool회. Next, our waitress brought out miso soup, some오뎅 soup, tofu, white kimchi and some salad. Alas the tuna arrived! The assorted tuna meat varies in color and appearance. The waitress explained the different parts of the meat-the cheek being the best! Also, she brought out a plate of rolled rice to make tuna sushi. Dried laver (seaweed) or (김) is also on the table.

Depending on which part of the fish you eating, raw tuna varies in texture and taste. The cheek part of the tuna is rather gelatinous and melts in your mouth, while the belly part is fatty which of course = delicious. Other parts taste rather than meaty. That’s what’s great about the set; you can experience a full range of taste and textures in one sitting. Don’t forget to eat some ginger between pieces, as ginger cleanses the palate-allowing optimal tasting. Pairing the meat with the sauces, kimchi and laver also create different aromas and flavor.

As you order a second or third…or fourth helping of raw tuna you will notice more side-dishes accompanying you meal. Side-dishes are meant to curb your appetite a bit, but are equally quite delicious. We were given grilled fish, sweet and sour pork and pajeon. Raw tuna is a fantastic meal loaded with healthy omega-3s, so eat up, but remember we are at a Korean all you can eat restaurant…not a Ponderosa.

To get to the Jangsan참치회 restaurants use subway exit 9. Walk straight out and then make your first left. The tuna restuarants will immediately be on your left. The one pictured and written about is the farthest one of the three.

Cheongsapo isn’t for the fancy folks. The restaurants offer little more than a simple table with a grill in the middle to cook your own food and some plastic chairs, but don’t let that deter you.  Being right on the rocky shore, the view in itself makes the trip worthwhile.  The dozen or so restaurants in the area mostly offer the same things: assorted shell fish, fresh fish, shrimp and eel.  Having tried all of them, I have never been disappointed.  The seafood and soju are fresh and make a perfect match.

Now on to the food, 조개 모듬구이 (mixed shellfish) is exactly what you think it is.  A variety of shellfish, left in the shell and grilled at your table.  Often, though, instead of the조개 모듬이(which includes scallops) I tend to order just the가리비 (scallops).
A heaping plate of freshly opened scallops is served to your table in the half-shell. Each scallop shell is adorned with some veggies and a hunk of butter- making the already delicious meat even more delectable.   Once the scallop is cooked it can be dipped in a wasabi-soy sauce or spicy sauce.  The mild, tender taste of scallops paired with the strong sauce creates a flavorsome delicacy.

If shellfish isn’t your thing or you stop breathing when eating them, eel might be for you.  Eel(장어구이) isn’t the best looking fish.  The first time I ate it, honestly, I had a hard time, but get past the snaky looks (which I think you get used to pretty quickly in Korea) and you have yourself one tasty dish.  Grilled eel truly has a unique, rich flavor with an equally unique texture.  Eel is also rumored to give you stamina, especially the tail, so eat up men!

Grilled shrimp (새우구이) in Korea is a little different than what you would expect back home. Shrimp are left in their entirety, like most seafood here, head and all.  Yes, your hands get dirty and it is a little strange to rip off the head and pull off the shell, but the head and shell lock the flavor in and make the shrimp taste a zillion times better than shell-less and head-less shrimp back home.

Finally, to end your meal, order a few bowls of ramen.   Shrimp and dumplings(수제비) can be added to the spicy noodle dish.  The noodles are filling and consummate a great seafood meal.

Getting to Jangsapo can be a bit difficult because there is only one windy, narrow road that leads to the restaurants.  The best way to get there is to hop in a taxi in Jangsan going toward Dalmachi and say “Cheongsapo Gachuseyo.” From Jangsan Station it should only take about 8 minutes and cost less than W3,000 by taxi.

“The Brunch” is everything anyone could ever want in a coffee shop. The quaint and quirky décor paired with the owner’s warm welcome create a comforting, cozy atmosphere. The soft jazz escaping the speakers allows the patron to lose themselves in their work or in the music. And most importantly “The Brunch” offers a great menu paired with excellent coffee.

I have learned my lesson in Korea and decided to order what the name of the restaurant suggests-brunch. At 8,500 won the brunch set gets you fresh scrambled eggs, baked beans, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, a thick piece of bacon, sausage, rye toast, coffee and an assortment of condiments. The baked beans are nothing to rave about—most assuredly being plain can quality—but the rest of the meal is great and well-priced. I have yet to try everything on the menu, but the menu is written in English and is fairly simple. She serves the brunch set I have pictured: waffles, pancakes and sandwiches paired perfectly with various coffee concoctions. To top it all off, there is free internet!

If you ever find yourself hungry and in need of a diversion, and happen to be in the PNU area stop by “The Brunch” for a cup of brew and a bite to eat. Those who have gone to KLIFF language school in PNU will have no trouble finding “The Brunch” since it is right next store. It is about a 10 min. walk from the subway station.

Koreans take great pride in their hearty soups and stews, and they should. Rather than being an excuse to eat butter and cream, Korean soups are the main, healthy course of a meal.  One of Korea’s tastiest winter soups has to be Daegu Tang (대구탕)-white, flakey cod boiled with vegetables and potatoes in a clear seafood broth-take that winter!

Like most other fish eaten in Korea, Daegu Tang is served whole, fish-head, creepy eyes, bones and all, but don’t let that discourage you.  Maneuvering around the bones is quite easy, since the fish is cooked to perfection and easily slides right off the bones.  The soup comes with an extra dish to put your meatless bones into.

Daegu Tang, like all meals in Korea, is served with a variety of side dishes (반찬).  Banchan make every meal an adventure, offering a variety of tastes and textures that never bore the mouth. A restaurant’s banchan can make or break a meal.  This particular Daegu Tang restaurant’s, in Haundae, definitely makes the meal.  The assorted kimchis and veggies paired with gim(김) and rice will help all to find that so-called “ invincible summer.” Beware of the red paste that accompanies your Tang.  The paste is used to flavor the soup; it is very spicy yet delicious!

There are plenty of Daegu Tang restaurants spattered throughout Busan.  The particular dish I am writing about and have pictured is found in Haundae and is right across the street from the Save Zone shopping mart.  Of course, the restaurant is actually named “Daegu Tang.”  The restaurant  looks a bit fancy, but a bowl of soup accompanied with some rice and a plethora of side dishes will only cost you 8,000 won.

breathtaking scenery

and most importantly the motivating mountain grub.

After an arduous trek there is nothing more refreshing than a couple bottles of makali, a sizzling plate of pajeon, and a steamy bowl of noodles.

Luckily for hikers, on most popular mountains in Korea there are little bungalow eateries or (막걸리집)

that resemble a not so classy back yard barbeque. Be on the lookout for a few cheerful ajummas, plastic tables and chairs, and makeshift kitchens.  Find the busiest one and sit yourself down for a well-deserved meal.

Most of these places do not have menus but serve similar dishes such as pajeon (파전), ramen (라면), kalgugsu (칼국수) , and tofu and kimchi (두부김치). Some restaurants also serve goat meat (염소고기), which is a little pricey.  Regardless of what you order, make sure you don’t forget a bottle of Makali (막걸리) to accompany your meal.   Makali (Korean rice wine) is a bit of an acquired taste, but don’t be afraid to try the milky, sweet, and carbonated alcoholic concoction that makes the hours of hiking seem all worthwhile.  Don’t worry about falling down the mountain after a few glasses, as the ABV is only 6.5 to 7%.

Most foreigners have had pajeon, but there is something about the crisp mountain air and fresh mountain veggies (usually grown at the restaurant) that make it taste even more delectable.  Add a bowl of ramen or kalgugsu to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling and to restore your tired muscles.  Most of us spend our days tangled in the concrete jungle of our daily lives. Return to nature and take a weekend hike where the clean air and organic food will make you remember what life is all about.

There are plenty of mountains in Busan that have restaurants like these.  To name just a few there is Jangsan mountain, Geumnyeon Mountain (behind Gwangali), and my personal favorite Geumjeong Mountain (located near Oncheonjang station).

I will not claim to be ramen clever.  I am definitely not an expert, but I will say that ramen has become what mac and cheese used to be to me – my comfort food. But as seemingly simple as ramen may seem, it’s truly a complex food.  My ramen knowledge, like most other foreigners’, didn’t really begin until I moved to Korea.  Before then, I thought ramen was nothing more than a poor man’s college diet.  But now I know that not only is ramen damn good but there are many different kinds.  Korean ramen and Japanese ramen to start are very different.  As Korean ramen tends to be hella spicy, Japanese ramen soup tends to be made from a pork or chicken stock and then more texturally flavored with a variety spices, meats, and vegetables.

From the outside Kuru Kuru looks like little more than a closet, but Kuru Kuru makes up for its daintiness with its flavorful bowls of noodles.  As with most small restaurants in Korea, the menu is very simple and in Korean, of course.  I highly recommend anyone who wants to fully experience Korea to learn how to read Korean.  Once you learn to read the Korean alphabet and a few food based words, ordering can be extremely easy.  Many restaurants in Korea specialize in only one thing, which often happens to be the name of the restaurant. Unlike America where a ham sandwich can be known as “Charlie’s Super Fantastic Favorable Fun Blast,” most Korean dishes have their ingredients plainly laid out in their title.

Kuru Kuru has a bit of a variety.  They serve various types of noodles, but also serve Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), and Japanese curry.  I opted for the Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork Ramen) and my boyfriend got the Miso Ramen. I knew at first sight that this bowl of cloudy, milky broth over a bed of yellow, eggy noodles was meant to please.  The bowl was garnished with a hardboiled egg, scallions, bean sprouts and a few pieces of tender pork.  After one sip of the broth life became alright.  The silky texture paired with the rich, yet well balanced broth gave new meaning to comfort food.  The noodles also were a perfect texture, not too chewy, not too soft.  Each noodle seemed to soak up the flavors of the entire bowl

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My boyfriend ordered the Miso Ramen and of course I tried his as well since me-so-hungry.   Miso which unfortunately translates to fermented soybean paste soup is a flavor that, like cheese, is difficult to describe.  I have had miso that tasted bland, but the miso flavor in this ramen accented the broth well.

Overall, I found Kuru Kuru a great find.  Whether you are looking for a quick bite, a hearty meal, or something to soak up the copious amounts of alcohol Kuru Kuru will do the trick. The bowls of ramen will set you back 6,000 won.  The side dishes were a tad skimpy, but this can be expected with cheap bowls of noodles.  Also, they only serve Asahi beer which may cost as much as your meal.

To get there-Go out exit 5 of Jangsan subway and make a right at the Paris Baguette, it will be on your left a few stores down.  The Tonkotsu ramen is the fifth one down on the menu, Miso ramen is the eighth one down. (Learn how to read damn it).