When the rain clouds didn't look at all forgiving, the three of us shifted into a nearby department store. Lotte Department Store was only a couple streets away from BIFF Square and easily accessible via the underground subway tunnels.
While we were exploring the store, we noticed the clouds finally letting up. It was great to see the purple and pink skies as the sun set and clouds slowly blew away. We even got the treat of spotting a rainbow!
Lotte Department Store was different from any other department store we'd been before. Other than it being more mall like, there was also many things to explore on it's rooftop. We found a petting zoo area with bunnies, goats, and other small animals. Even all the animals were hiding from the rain.
This Lotte store had a upper floor dedicated to proper sit down restaurants. We opted for a simple meal of bibimbap and pajeon at a place called Mihyang 味(미)香(형).
The best way to end any night in Korea was with bingsoo. Sulbing 雪冰 설빙, in particular, was on Bestie C's must try places. We spotted it during our outside street exploring. So after dinner we found our way back to the BIFF Square and Nampo-dong area for dessert. We decided to try a classic flavor and bought the Injeolmi Patbingsoo with soybean powder, chopped dates, red beans, and ddeok for ₩6,000. Shaved ice at Sulbing was unique because we were able to pour the liquidy condensed milk onto the dessert ourselves. Of all the places we tried, Sulbing's ice quality was one of the best: just like snow. At the time, it was one of my top places for shaved ice simply for the ice component. But now that I am reflecting back on all the places we tried, it still wasn't my most favorite bingsoo spot.
Our bellies weren't very filled from the seafood lunch we ate, so we were off to find some street eats. The Jalgachi market was opposite a main shopping area in Busan called BIFF or PIFF Square. BIFF or Busan International Film Festival is an annual event that is held in Busan. I don't think the festival itself takes place at the square since it is very akin to Myeongdong in Seoul: shopping and street eats.
The waffles with ice cream I had in Sinchon were great, but the apple jam waffle we got in Busan was unbeatable. Melting ice cream will easily compromise the crunchy exterior of waffles. Apple jam with a light spreading of whipped cream will not. For those who want something sweet, filling, and heartwarming, this would be the type of waffle for you! I would imagine this to be excellent on a cold wintery day. The best part was this snack was only ₩1,500.
We also bought some of the peanut shaped breads and egg shaped breads. But my recommendation is 100% for the waffle.
Another beauty of Busan street snacks: sunflower seed hoddeok or ssiat hoddeok 씨앗 호떡. Hoddeok is a very common filled & fried pancake street snack found in Korea. In Seoul, we mostly saw ones filled with the traditional sugar, cinnamon, and nuts combo. Certain specialty shops and vendors may have a japchae filled version. The sunflower seed type was more typical in Busan.
I really liked the traditional version because of the gooey melted sugar filling. However, if not careful it was super easy to burn the tongue from the sugar syrup interiors. The sunflower seed hoddeok would save you that pain. The filling mixture was sweet but there wasn't nearly as much molten sugar. Crunchy sweet seeds and fluffy fried dough were an expectingly good combination. Another must try if spotted! If you have a lot of spare change might as well get a few, it was ₩1,000 a piece.
With the rain continuing to pour, we spent most of the afternoon dodging it in various clothing and stationary shops. So many cute things were spotted along the way!
