A Taste of Busan: 60 Years of Tradition at Halmae Gukbap
It's 5 AM in Gangnam, and already the streets are busy. I set off early to Busan and was surprised by how many early birds there are.
After a rest stop break, I finally arrived in Busan after 6 and a half hours. It felt unfamiliar after so long, and the signs and overpasses seemed new and interesting.
Yep, I'm definitely in Busan!
First things first, I needed to grab a bite, so I headed to Halmae Gukbap (Grandma's Rice Soup), a restaurant with 60 years of tradition. It wasn't originally on my must-eat list, but I saw it featured by actor Lee Si-eon in a video by Han Hye-jin, so I decided to check it out on the spur of the moment.
Parking is available at a paid parking lot across the street. When I arrived, it was already full, so I parked in a lot managed by a nearby restaurant (fee: ₩1,000).
I ordered the popular Suyuk Baekban (boiled pork slices with rice), and at ₩10,000, it was excellent value for money. Looking around, it seemed like the locals were also mainly ordering Baekban.
As a solo diner, I might have had to share a table with someone, but it wasn’t too bad. I was seated diagonally from them.
The tender pork and broth with chives were a perfect combination. Some people add the pork to the soup and season it to their liking, but I preferred to eat them separately, only adding a few pieces of pork to the soup at the end.
Is this what happiness for ₩10,000 feels like? It’s a taste I'll definitely crave again.
60년전통할매국밥 (Halmae Gukbap)
Address: Busan, Dong-gu, Jungang-daero 533beon-gil, 4
Menu: Suyuk Baekban (₩10,000) etc.
Parking: Parking lot across from the restaurant
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