Photo By: Elin Chow

After a horrendously long flight (due to rescheduling and delays), we finally arrived in Busan at 6.30 am in the morning. Once we collected our luggage, we made our way to the nearest subway station - Gimhae International Airport Station. We planned to drop our luggage at the hotel so that we can travel around the city empty handed. 

For this trip, we were staying at Avani Central Busan Hotel, a relatively new 4-star hotel located about 5 minutes walk from Busan International Finance Center - Busan Bank subway station. To get to the hotel from the airport, we took the Busan-Gimhae light rail transit to Sasang station. At Sasang station, we changed to Busan metro line 2 and got off at Busan International Finance Center - Busan Bank station. The entire journey takes about 50 minutes. 

The restaurant has a traditional floor seating where diners sit cross-legged on cushions on the floor and eat at low tables. To keep the floor clean, you will need take your shoes off at the entrance before entering the premise. Don't worry, the heated floor will keep your feet and butt warm during the colder months.

Upon stepping into the restaurant, we were warmly welcomed by the lady owner. She was incredibly friendly and made us feel like home. 

The restaurant only serves two types of Samgyetang -  Samgyetang (17,000 KRW/ pax) or Mungbean Samgyetang (18,000 KRW / pax). 

Both of us ordered the normal Samgyetang, which arrived at our table with the soup still bubbling, along with various side dishes. 

The side dishes include freshly made Kimchi, Kkakdugi (cubed radish Kimchi), fresh green peppers, and onions. All of the side dishes are delicious, but my favorite is definitely the freshly made Kimchi. 

A complimentary shot glass of ginseng infused wine is also served with the Samgyetang. The wine is pretty strong and will warm you up from the inside. If you are a non-drinker, you can also pour it into the soup to enhance the flavor. The wine will evaporate with the heat and add sweetness to the soup.

A sip of the soup instantly warmed us up from the inside. It was light and comforting. The meat is cooked till melt-in-the-mouth tender and fall off the bones easily. You can easily tear the chicken apart into small pieces. 

The portion was generous and we struggled to finish every single bit of it. After we finished our meal, 

the lady owner even treated each of us a cup of instant coffee. She even sent us off personally like a mother, and gave us some ginseng candies when we were leaving the restaurant.  This was the first time I have experienced such warm hospitality while traveling in a foreign country. 

After lunch, we took the subway back to the hotel as it was almost time for check-in. We booked a Deluxe Mountain View Room. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. 

After a short rest, we decided to visit the BIFF Square, a 428-metre long street known for its bustling movie district, street food, restaurants and shops.The nearest subway to BIFF Square is Jagalchi Station (Line 1). From Jagalchi Station, the BIFF Square is located just 5 minutes walk away from Exit 7

The square is lined with street food vendors and dining tents selling everything from tteokbokki and dumplings to kimbap and hotteok. It is usually crowded with both locals and tourists. There are also a lot of shops, cafes and restaurants around the square. 

Price: 2,000 KRW / Each

One of the most popular specialties at BIFF Square is Ssiat Hotteok, which is a golden fried sticky sweet pancake filled with brown sugar syrup, and stuffed with crushed sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, almonds and peanuts. It is best eaten piping hot off the grindle. The hotteok has a light and crispy texture on the outside, and a pleasantly chewy, mochi-like texture on the inside. The syrupy filling oozes out as you bite into it, while the nut filling gave the hotteok wonderfully crunchy texture. This is a must try street food if you are ever in Busan. 

For dinner, we decided to visit Nampo Jjukkumi, a small family-run restaurant specializing in stir-fried Jjukkumi, or webfoot octopus. Jjukkumi is a species of octopus that are smaller in size, but enjoyably chewy. 

Price: 9,990 KRW