So I lived in Pusan from March 2004 till June 2006.  From 8/2004 till the time I left I lived in the Samick Beach apts. in Kwangali.  It was there that I wrote this essay regarding the food in kwangali.  bon appetit. 

Best of Kwangali

 Kwangali Beach, while not being much of a swimming beach, is still a fun place to go to eat and drink and hang out. Unlike Haeundae Beach, which is large and sprawling, Kwangali is basically one strip opposite the shore with a few side streets filled with bars clubs and restaurants. I want to recommend three restaurants that I used to frequent while I lived there.

Before I begin, I just want to state a point that eating in Korean restaurants is nothing like restaurant eating in the West. In the West, when you go to a restaurant, every person in your party, even kids, is given a menu and then given time to browse it before the ordering process ensues. There are so many choices of entrées, sometimes pages of them. Completely different kinds of food: steaks, pasta, salad, sandwiches... Then when you finally order, there are more choices. Soup or salad. If you choose soup then you gotta choose the soup – split pea, chicken noodle, cream of mushroom, etc.  If you choose salad, then there’s a list of dressings for you to choose from. If you order a sandwich, what kind of bread do you want? Do you want it toasted? Mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, what do you want on it? Side dishes are another choice. Western eating involves so many choices. And you know what? I’d like to go to a restaurant with just one item. Like  “Just Burgers.” I want to go to a place where all they serve is hamburgers. But still there would be choices: How do I want it cooked? Do I want cheese? Do I want onions? If so, do I want them grilled? It’s no wonder kids in America are such finicky eaters. The whole eating establishment is.

In a Korean restaurant, it is not uncommon for there to be no menu, just a short list of items on the wall (written in Hangul). And it is even more common for a waitress to approach you seconds after you’ve sat down and expect to take your order. Also, unlike in America where, every person orders for his or herself and only gets what they ask for and nothing more, unless specifically asked for and then duly charged for, a typical Korean order, for example, Kimchi Jigae, includes not only the jigae (a hearty soup with meat, tofu and kimchi) but also a bowl of rice and any number of side dishes, a least 3, sometimes 5 or 6. All included in the price. And there’s no choice. They bring you what they have. Also, in the West, it’s every eater for his or her self, and with the exception of say a basket of bread or a bottle of wine, no food that is served is community property, whereas in Korea, most of the food on any table at any time is shared by everyone. Sometimes if two people order the same jigae, it is served in a larger bowl for two. So with the exception of your individual bowl of rice, EVERYTHING on the table is shared.  

 The first restaurant on my list is Blue Saigon. The sign is in Hangul, but it’s big and yellow and there’s a Vietnamese woman wearing a Ho Chin Min hat on the sign so it’s not hard to miss, although I have to admit I passed by it daily for almost a year before realizing that it was, in fact, a Vietnamese restaurant. If you like Vietnamese food, it’s the place to go. Location wise, it’s half a block up from the Beach on the road going to the Hollywood Star bar. Basically if you stand with your back to BS, you can see the beach to your left and Hollywood Star to your right. It’s actually a straight shot from the Geumryunsan station exit 5 (between Namcheon and Gwangan) down to the beach and you’ll see Blue Saigon on your left as you approach the beach. And in a country with so few non-Korean restaurants, it’s a nice place to go for a change.

 The décor is well-lit and a tad cheesy with a realistic mannequin of a Vietnamese woman sitting on a bench as you enter. There are Ho Chi Min hats everywhere, hanging from the ceiling and doubling as lampshades. There is table and chair seating as well as floor seating for large groups. Koreans prefer to sit on the floor when they eat.  I don't.

 The menu, which is very limited, is posted on the wall outside the restaurant, so you can see what they have before you enter and order as soon as you sit down (as is the Korean custom). The menu is very limited. There are 3 kinds of Pho (noodle soup) beef, chicken and seafood (6,500 won), and a pork and rice dish (7,000 won), which I always order. It’s the bomb. Fabulous gingery flavor and the meat has a great texture. You never bite into anything you have trouble chewing. And they have tasty sauces on the side, spicy as well as just flavorful. In addition, there are some Barbeque meat platters (20,000 won+), which you grill on the table in front of you. These are good if you have a group and like to eat meat.

 The spring rolls (4,000 won for 4) are obligatory in that they are out of this world and no meal is complete without them. They are short and fat and taste like a spring roll should. They are a must order appetizer. Warning, they are extremely HOT in the middle, so don’t pop one in your mouth the moment they are served as you will scorch your tongue and ruin your eating experience.

 Each entrée comes with a salad of finely chopped cabbage and cucumbers with a delightful peanut dressing. And, since the place is Korean owned and run, you get this dwenjang (fermented soybean) soup and Korean-esque side dishes which are totally out of place but you can just ignore them or you can eat them as most Koreans do. The soup is not bad. Plus, the pot of tea is free and bottomless. 

 Okay, so their menu is very limited. I could say, less is more, but in actuality the best Vietnamese food I ever ate at, outside of Vietnam, had to be Vietnam Village, or VV as we called it, located in that Durant Blvd. mini mall of restaurants in Berkeley, California. They had over a hundred items on their menu, very small print it was. You’d order by saying, “I’ll have number 47.” In fact, the number 77 was the best fried rice I’ve ever eaten to this day, Vietnam or anywhere. Still in Korea, you can’t be too choosy. I still stand by my less is more quip and I think the Blue Saigon is pretty friggin good, although I always order the same thing ever time I go.

 The next two recommendations have no sign in English, like the Blue Saigon, but unlike Blue Saigon (블루 사이곤), they have no name that is translatable into English.

 The first place is called 대구탕. Daegu (like the city) and Tang (word for soup). Daegu is a white fish, a cod of the Haddock variety and Daegu tang is basically fish soup. 

 I understand – hearing the words “fish soup” doesn’t sound very appetizing. It just doesn’t. “What’s for dinner?” “Fish soup” “All right, my favorite!” That’s probably never been said in the history of humankind. And ‘Daegu tang’ sounds like something that might give you syphilis, at worst, at best, is something horny guys look for when they visit the city of Daegu. In any event, I swear by this place.

 Incidentally, there is only one thing that they serve so there are no menus, everybody must order the same thing. All they have is Daegu tang, and it’s also the name of the restaurant. How convenient is that! “What’ll you have?” “I think I need a few more minutes to decide,” has never been said at this establishment. Ever. Basically, you have 3 choices: 1) regular or not spicy (an meh woyo), 2) spicy (meh woyo) or 3) spicy on the side (daro), which means they give you hot stuff you can add. Ordering is simple – one per person. Can’t speak Korean?  If you go alone, hold up one finger, go with a date, hold up 2, etc. The cost is 5000 won each and for that, of course, you get a metallic single serving bowl of rice with lid, in addition to a steaming bowl of a mildly miraculous broth whose elixir-like properties are felt with each bite all the way down to the cockles of your feet. This broth, soup rather, ‘tang’ in Korean (pronounced Tahng, not like the astronaut beverage) contains various veggies, not so many, but enough to give it substance and one whole fish – that’s a lot of white meat. And it doesn’t just taste good, it feels good. It is mostly broth, a thin, totally un-fishy, a little bland even, hence the spicy option. Also, that is what the side dishes are for. The side dishes are quite extensive. They always include more than just spicy kimchi and pickled veggies. You get hearty side dishes like little omelet thingies and fried stuff.

 Also, if you can read Korean, there are big notices on the wall explaining the benefits of eating Daegu tang if you are a drinker. Apparently there’s something in this particular fish, like (복어) bok au, the poisonous blowfish, that is very good for your body if you choose to poison it with large amounts of alcohol. Apparently 복어탕 (pronounced bok au tang) is similar. Their taste differential is negligible and the rejuvenating effects, while I’m no scientist or nutritionist, seem to be very similar. According to the “writing on the wall,” that is the posters adorning the walls of the restaurant,  eating this particular cod in a soup
does wonders for your liver and kidneys and lymphatic system. In fact, it seems like most
of the spicy Korean soups are made for drinkers. It’s like Korean food is “chicken soup for the heavy drinker,” to quote a popular self-help series of books.

Which brings me to an observation. I was watching King of the Hill (an animated sitcom about a family in Arlen, Texas) the other night and in this episode, Hank and Peggy Hill got trashed on Tequila one night only to wake up the next day on the floor in their garage very
hungover. Hank says to Peggy, “Let’s go out and get some pancakes,” and Peggy with her throbbing head and bloodshot eyes answers that THAT would surely hit the spot.

 It caused me to wonder.

 I like greasy western breakfasts as much as the next guy – I love biscuits and gravy and cheesy omelets – but after a night of hard drinking the last thing I would want to eat is pancakes. Anything heavy or greasy would surely be hurled. I would much prefer soup. Fish soup, spicy soup. A delicate, rejuvenating broth. Don’t knock it till you try it. Haejang gook, they call it in Korea: hangover soup. Haejang sool is ‘hair of the dog,’ that is, beer or soju for breakfast. Just the thought of that makes me want to hurl as well. I’ll drink till 7 or 8 am, but I will NOT begin drinking until 7 or 8 pm. 

 Daegu Tang, the restaurant, is located on the South end of the strip. If yer coming from the Samick Beach apartments, it’s across from the beach just after the Blue Wave windsurfing shop and Saratoga. It’s on the first floor, there is a parking lot (believe it or not) and there’s a glass wall of window that faces the beach so you get a view of the sea while eating your fish soup. It’s a very relaxed and heavily populated environment, not unlike a diner in America on any given weekend. And although you might expect it – it being a FISH restaurant – there is no reek of fish! It is very pleasant both visually and nasally. There is no floor seating, only tables and chairs and, it is family owned and run by an amicable team of husband, wife, mother-in-law, and on weekends, a hired hand, usually young and female. None of them speak any English but they are always smiling, and wouldn’t you be if you had a successful restaurant with only one thing on the menu! The place gets really crowded on weekends and sometimes there is a wait for a table. As far as I know, it’s the only Daegu Tang place around, unless you go to the city of Daegu, but there is no view of the ocean there. 

 Which brings me to #3. Kamja tang (another Tang, none of which are a breakfast drink, drunk by astronauts) is a pork and potatoes swimming in broth platter that is mainly eaten with beer and/or soju. And it is usually a late night thing. That is the house specialty of place number three.

 The name of the place is Ebadom. And the yellow sign reads 이바돔. It’s actually very easy to find. It’s right next to Starbucks on the North side of the Beach. Ebadom is a franchise and you can see them all over Pusan. All over Korea, for that matter. But I think that this one is the best since they have a view of the beach.

 Unlike Daegu Tang, Ebadom has a menu and some variety. In addition to the Kamja tang Platters: small 20,000, medium 30,000, large 40,000 (prices may be incorrect), you can order an individual bowl known as 벼다귀탕 byuh da-gi tang, or bone soup. It’s also called hangover soup. For 8000 won, rice included, you get a huge steaming bowl filled with soup and dok (rice chips) and noodles and meat covered bones that would make Fred Flinstone envious. They are big bones and it’s a lot of meat. And the soup is spicy enough to make your face sweat, but not spicy enough to burn your palate. It’s the perfect blend of spice and flavor. It’s a carnivore’s delight and a soup lover’s dream come true. They even give you a metal cylinder to deposit the bones after you’ve picked them clean. The standard price of bone soup is between 5 and 6 thousand won, but at Ebadom it is so much better than at other places that it’s worth the extra 2 or 3 thou.

 Also, Ebadom in addition to being two stories with a stairway, is a family restaurant. There is a playroom for kids like the ones found at many McDonald’s with the rubber ball room and slides etc. It is floor seating only with a leave your shoes at the door policy so it’s very cozy. So bring the kids and let them play while you drink soju and pick meat from bones.

 Furthermore, since it is a family restaurant, there is a menu in English and Korean and with pictures. There is a variety of things you can order like naeng myun (cold noodle soup), tongkass (pork cutlet) and a variety of other dishes. I wouldn’t know because I’ve never ordered anything other than bone soup or kamja tang with a group. I’m only there for one thing. The tang. No pun intended.

 In conclusion, I’d like to say that these are three restaurants that I’ve visited many times and have always left me completely satisfied. Unfortunately, with the exception of Lotteria and the guy who sells shwarmas out of that red box on the corner near the Fuzzy Navel Bar, there is no Western Food in Kwangali. Unless, of course, you count Guess Who. I don’t. Guess Who is the worst restaurant in Pusan. Their pizza and burgers are not only overpriced, they are terrible. I’d rather eat a 7-11 microwave burger than one of their 10,000 won hamburgers, which suck.

 The thing about Guess Who is that it is in a prime location and they have outdoor covered seating right on the strip so they always have customers, even if the food sucks. Thing is most of their customers are out of towners and Koreans, in general, wouldn't know a good
burger if it bit 'em on the ass.

Kwangali is not the place to go for Western Food. It’s the place to go for sashimi. Raw fish is the specialty of the area. Millak town is the 8 story building at the North end of the beach by the mini amusement park where every floor is a different restaurant specializing in raw fish. In addition, on the strip across from the sea there are many other raw fish restaurants. You’ll have no trouble finding one as most of them have hawkers in front vying for your patronage, not to mention tanks of fish and squid and shell fish. The prices are fairly uniform and the quality is pretty much the same so it’s hard to recommend one. Again, if you like raw fish, it’s the place for you. If you don’t, try Bennigan’s or TGIF.

If you’re interested in trying raw fish in Korea, it’s important to know the different kinds of fish. 광어회 Kwang aw or flat fish is my personal favorite, and is very common, as is 우럭회 Oorok, which is similar in taste and texture, but remains absent from every dictionary I’ve ever looked. 참치회, Chamchi or tuna, also called maguro (Japanese) is a perennial favorite as is salmon 연어, but I prefer the white fishes. Texture wise, tuna is just too soft and salmon always tastes fishy. 방어회 bang au or Yellowtail is another one that is tasty. There is a big difference in price if, in addition to the “fish,” your order includes a bunch of shell fish. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I personally don’t like most shellfish. And I’m not talking about crab, I’m talking about sea urchin 섬게, sea squirt 멍게, sea cucumber 해삼, conch or top shell 소라, oysters 굴, clams 조개, and other creepy crawly things from under the sea. For if you do order them, you’ll be sure to get a plate of saeng nakji, squid just killed so that the tentacles are still moving and the suction cups will grip on to your chopsticks as you try to grab it and then it will suction on to your teeth or tongue as you attempt to chew it and swallow it. Some people really dig that. 

In any event, raw fish is awesome. In LA, they follow the Japanese protocol of sushi bar order as you go, but in Korea it’s an order the whole fish experience and with it, you get the onslaught of side dishes (a table full of them) and the obligatory maeun tang, that is spicy fish soup with rice at the end of the meal. It’s quite a culinary experience. 

 In addition to there being a plethora of raw fish places, there is also no shortage of Korean barbeque houses. There are so many that it’s hard to recommend one over another. And the prices and service and food are pretty uniform. Pork is cheap, beef is expensive, chicken is it’s own restaurant. I couldn’t recommend one.

 Kwangali Beach is the place to go for seafood or haejang gook (there are others, but Ebadom is the best).  Here, you will not find good Western food. 

 In conclusion, the episode of King of the Hill I mentioned, where Hank and Peggy get trashed on Tequila, ends with them skydiving and when Peggy’s parachute doesn’t open, she plunges to her death. But then the next week she is back. Does anybody else see something wrong with that?