We had a late start on our last day in Busan. Luckily our AirBnB host allowed us to check out later since she didn't have any prior reservations for the studio. Before our pre-scheduled afternoon departure train back to Seoul, the three of us wandered around Busan for more food.
Our first stop of the day was to Busan's Chinatown. It was conveniently located right near where we stayed, across the street of the Busan Station and near Choryang. Most of the shops and restaurants weren't open yet even though we got there around noon. I noticed that despite it being named Chinatown, there were also a lot of Russian (I think) shops as well.
Since the Korean tourism site stated that this Chinatown was built as a collaboration between Busan and Shanghai, I had an inkling of hope for somewhat authentic Shanghai-style Chinese food. While I cannot attest to all the restaurants there, most of the ones we saw some menus of served mostly Korean-Chinese dishes.
We didn't have too much time left after lunch. Our final stop in Busan was back to BIFF Square. This time it wasn't to re-explore the square. Instead our actual destination was the nearby Gukje Market 국제시장. Everything someone might need or want can be found in this one market: clothes, accessories, homeware, old stuff, new stuff, and even all kinds of street foods.
I think the three of us probably had a bunch more snacks while at the market. But the one thing that I was most excited to see and try was the red bean porridge or danpatjook 단팥죽. I LOVE the Chinese version and I really wanted to try the Korean version as well. From my memory, the Korean version (at this particular vendor) was pretty watery and not very sweet.
And so that was the end of our 3-day weekend trip to Busan!
Our final stop for our last night in Busan was to see the Gwangan Bridge 광안대교. The night view was supposedly spectacular with all the lights.
We ended up getting a little lost, very hungry, and wet from rain while looking for the Gwangalli Beach 광안리해수욕장 and Gwangan Bridge. This little inconspicuous shop caught our eye with people inside grilling and fresh eels swimming around in tanks outside. Okay maybe it really just caught my eyes. Eel wasn't something that was on my list of To-Try in Busan, but after seeing a few shops offer gilled eel at Haeundae I craved it...bad!
The three of us had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with this restaurant. We were only guided by the knowledge that they offer grilled seafood and meat. The staff there did not speak a speck of English and we didn't know enough Korean or the Busan dialect to understand what they were saying to us. It wasn't until after we sat down and ordered both that we noticed a big sign with words in Korean that said Moohan Repil 무한 리필 or unlimited refill next to Jangoh 장어 or eel and Gogi 고기 or meat. Unlimited refill you say?! JACKPOT!
I don't know if I can say my craving was satisfied that night. I definitely left full. We had requested for more, order after order, of fresh eel. I still crave this type of KBBQ to this day. Someone please bring grilling eel to American KBBQ spots!!
The 3 of us also ended up getting meat since Bestie C wasn't too into fish. None of us had ever grilled fish and meat together so the table setup really intrigued us. There was space for 2 burners, one hooked to a gas hose and one had an opening for a coal briquette. The gas was for cooking the meats and coal for the eel & other seafood. Meats also got a heavy cast iron pan whilst seafood was cooked over a messed stainless steel rack. So much detail in every aspect of the cooking process!
I am not sure if this place had a specific name. The signs outside basically just listed a bunch of stuff they offered and noted that it was unlimited refill. Heck, I hope this place is still running because I would definitely go back. If not, the words to look for are Moohan Repil 무한 리필.
Perhaps luck was on our side? The rain had stopped by the time we left the restaurant. There was surprisingly a lot of people there despite the fact that it was pouring just an hour or two earlier. Some people were even playing with sparklers and setting off fireworks nearby.
But our stroll along the beach and boardwalk didn't last very long. Once it started to drizzle again, the three of us went off to find shelter in a nearby Baskin Robbins. Surprise, surprise! To say we just had ice cream in Korea is a major understatement. We probably had years worth of ice cream (if including bingsoo) in those 50 days.
Being the coastal city that Busan is, we couldn't have left without visiting the beach. Haeundae Beach 해운대해수욕장 is the most popular sandy spot for local and foreign tourists alike.
It was a strange sighting at first. It wasn't like the water was any bluer or clearer or the sand was a completely different color. (Don't get me wrong, compared to the stuff we have in NYC, Haeundae was beautiful in terms of water and sand quality. But it is no Maldives of course.) This beach was still nothing like I had ever seen before. Coney Island can get really crowded in the summer once it gets hot enough. Yet umbrellas are typically sparse and unorganized because everything is personally brought.
Sun umbrellas at Haeundae were all so neatly lined, row after row. Sections of different colored umbrellas next to one another, each color corresponding to a different beer company. All umbrellas had lounging chairs that were perfectly shaded. To my understanding, these were all rentable during a period of the day. The furniture were neatly tidied up once it hit early evening hours.
Like how food deliveries can be made to people in parks, I believe the same could be done at the beach. If I remember correctly, we also saw people walking around all the umbrellas advertising for restaurants (most likely chicken).
For my friends and I, we opted to go to the nearby restaurant street to grab some eats. I don't remember the name of the area exactly, if there was a sign, but it was hard to miss. There were many shops with water tanks out front that held all kinds of fresh seafood. Some vendors sold snacks and drinks. We were especially intrigued by the black eggs and decided to give it a try. In Korean it was called Myeongpoom Goo-oon Gyeran 명품구운계란, the literal translation is luxury roasted/baked egg. I am not 100% sure what they do to get the shells such an intense black color, but I think it tasted like any boiled egg. Maybe just a bit more chewy/rubbery? At 2 for ₩1,000 it was worth a try just for pure curiosity.
Even though we saw all those shops with tons of the seafood, the 3 of us ended up getting a meaty dish instead. Dwaeji gukbap 돼지국밥 or pork rice soup was supposedly another Busan specialty dish. As with most other soups that are milky in color, it usually means bones have been stewed for hours in order to achieve the desired consistency. When the hot bowl of soup arrives, it only comes with soup, thinly sliced tender pork, and scallions inside it. Along side the main dish, we were given seasoned chives, salted little shrimps, a peppery sauce, ssamjang (mix of dwenjang - soy bean paste and gochujang - red pepper paste), raw garlic, raw onions, raw green hot peppers, kimchi, and most importantly rice.
It was up to the person eating to put in as much or as little fixins as desired. But the thing that makes the dish was the rice. It needs to go in for the the dish to be really gukbap. This was my first time having this particular dish and I remember it being pretty darn delicious. The little salted shrimp with a piece of the tender pork was the perfect combination. The thing I would suggest is, don't be heavy-handed with the condiments because everything is salty on its own. A little of each will go a long way. Another must try if you ever visit Busan. Otherwise I would have preferred more meat and more rice for all the liquid there was.
Busan's Sea Life Aquarium was another one of the city's attractions. It was a nice escape in Haeundae since we had spent the entire morning and early afternoon in the sweltering sun. If I had to choose again, I may not have gone to both the COEX Aquarium in Seoul and Sea Life in Busan though. Both were pretty pricey (~₩20,000-₩25,000) and had more or less the same kind of animals.
