부산 수영 미성왕만두~ MiSeong Wang Mandu, Suyeong-gu, Busan

October 2015. MiSeong Wang Mandu is a neighborhood dumpling shop well-known with it's signature wang-mandu (king size dumpling). Located few meters away from Suyeong Metro Station - Exit no.4. The mandu is freshly made daily and only available for take out. The queue can be very long sometimes. Their Wang-mandu is 2,000 won per piece, while normal size mandu and kimchi mandu are 7,000 won for 4 pieces. Cousin and I take away one wang-mandu and eight pieces of normal mandu + kimchi mandu (half half of each flavour) and head to McDonalds across the road to enjoy it while it is hot. Off course we needs to order food from McD (we order fries and iced americano) in order to dine-in. I find it odds to have dumplings in McD but cousin say it is normal to do so (in Korea). The wang-mandu is full of meat patties inside. It looks like our Chinese steam bun but the taste is Korean dumpling. Just one wang-mandu is very filling for one meal for one person. Beside Suyeong-gu, Miseong wang mandu also have other franchise in Somyeon and Dongrae-gu, in Busan.

민락수변공원~ Millak Waterside Park. Gwanganli, Busan

October 2015. After dinner, we went for a walk at Millak Waterside Park which is just across a street from the restaurant we dine-in. Located between Haeundae Beach and Gwangalli Beach, Millak waterside park is famous with close view of Gwangan daegyo and also abundant of Raw Fish Centre (in multi-storey building) along the waterfront. Ground floor is seafood market selling live fishes, 2nd floor on-wards are raw fish restaurants. Here you can buy your preferred fish or seafood at reasonable price at the ground floor, then bring it to any raw fish restaurants at the levels above, turn it into raw fish with some charges. The charges is included the dipping sauce and some side dish as well. Or you can just get the raw fish or other dish from the restaurant directly. Most of the restaurants in Raw Fish Center have a view of Gwangan Daegyo & Millak waterside park. You can enjoy the raw fish at the restaurant or take away to enjoy it at the park by the seaside, just like the locals did. There is no sandy beach, only paved beach promanade that extended to the sea. Seems like sitting at the seaside pavers with picnic mat, enjoying Gwangan Daegyo night view with raw fish and soju is a popular activity here.

Before head home, we drop by Cafe Gelateria~ a cafe famous with Italian ice cream~ Gelato. We are here for their popular "Honey Love Toast" Set which consists of Toast + Soft Yogurt Ice-cream + Americano. The combination of the warm fluffy toast with cold yogurt ice-cream is seriously addictive! At first I was doubt that if I can enjoy the dessert since I am still feeling full, but....never underestimate our stomach - there are always room for coffee and desserts after meal haha!

📍Cafe Gelateria. 17-3. Gwangan Haebyeon-ro 344 boen-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan

    

광안리 마니주 장어구이~ Maniju Grilled eel, Millak-Dong, Gwanganli, Busan

October 2015. Every year when we back to Busan, one of the family dine-out will be grilled eel as it is one of my favourite Busan delicacy. Well not just me, my in laws loves it too. This year we came to Millak-dong in Gwanganli which is well known as Korea's largest raw fish town. Many raw fish restaurants and large scale raw fish centre in a multi levels building complex line up along Millaksubyeon-ro and most of them has the nice window view of Gwangan-daekyo (Gwangan diamond bridge) and the sea.

Just like other restaurants nearby, the restaurant where we had grilled eel dinner - ground floor is the aquarium where they keep the alive eels, fishes and other seafood, while first floor is the dining area. Besides grilled eel, there are grilled hagfish 꼼장어 and grilled shellfish 조개구이 too. Maniju also have raw fish / sashimi such as unboned raw fish (soft-bone fish) 세꼬시, raw flatfish 광어회, raw abalone 전복회, raw conger eel 아나고희 and raw octopus 산낙지.

Maniju serve quail egg jorim and steamed sweet potato as side dish. The lettuce, perilla leaf, seasoned chives, onions pickle, raw garlic, ssamjang, soya sauce are for the wraps. Start off with grill on the skin layer until slightly golden brown, then turn the flesh down continue to grill until it is cook. Cut into bite size, dip the cook eel with marinate red sauce and place on the aluminum foil corner to let it continue to heat until sauce fully absorb into the grilled eels and it is ready to eat. Father in law like his grilled eel without sauce, just lightly dip with some soy sauce or eat together with the seasoning chives. While we prefer the sauce grilled eel with wraps. After dinner, we also went to Millak waterside park for a walk for cold autumn breeze and beautiful diamond bridge night view.

A neighbourhood Cafe~ Cafe Pongdang, Suyeong-gu, Busan

October 2015. Next day morning in Busan, we drove around the neighbourhood wanted to eat soondae at an old soondae shop located inside a market but the shop is not open for business yet when we arrived. Apparently it only opens at 11am daily... No luck with soondae, we then turn to a homey cafe nearby in law's house for coffee and snacks, while waiting for other family members arrived and have steamed flower crabs together. 

The cafe lady owner recommend me to try Malawi coffee - it's full bodied yet it has a sweet and smooth flavour. We also order flower tea and some almond cookies. The black coffee jelly that served as complimentary somehow captivate my heart in first bite and I end up bought 3 packets (with 20 sticks inside per pack) home as gift for family & friends who loves coffee. 

Autum / Fall is the season of flower crabs, brother in law went to seafood wholesale market and get 30 pieces of flower crabs for us to enjoy. This year flower crab quantity surge, the price drops and 1 piece of flower crab cost about RM6 only from wholesale market. And here's the photo of steamed flower crabs that I cannot enjoy due to seafood allergy.

Soondae Bossot Jonggol~ GyungJu Park-Ga Gukbap, Yeonsan-dong, Busan

October 2015. Our first dinner after arrived at Busan is 순대버섯전골 Soondae Bossot Jonggol - a pork bone broth hot pot with enoki mushrooms & oyster mushroom, soondae (korean blood sausage), pork belly slices, chopped cabbage, carrot, leeks and green onions. I wanted to eat dweji-gukbap while he is looking for soondae, so Soondae Bossot Jonggol can satisfy both of our craving in one pot. The restaurant is a well known Gukbap-jib with several branches in Korea, operate 24 hours. We order udon as an extra side for the Jonggol. After finished about 80% of the Jonggol, feeling full but we still ask for bokkuembap (fried rice) with leftover. However we were told that minimum order for fried rice is 2 servings. Wanted to eat that fried rice so much and I said I can finish 1 serving alone, we end up go for it. Turns out, the one who keep saying he already full and won't be able to finish the balance of another 1 serving for me eat the most!! hahaha! The fried rice that made with leftover ingredients, broth from stew, cut-kimchi and a lot of gim (dried seaweed) is really savoury! This has become one of the best and most satisfying meal for us in this trip.

부산 구포시장~ Gupo Sijang, Busan

October 2015. We are here again in Busan for short summer break. Ever since Airasia flying direct to Busan, we came back to visit in laws frequently since it is just 6 hours and 25 mins flight duration from KL to Busan. After landed at Gimhae International Airport, uncle in law picked us up and we stop by Gupo Sijang before head home.

 

Gupo Sijang is a five-days large-scale traditional market, extending from Gupo train station through Deokcheon Junction. Just like the other large-scale traditional market in Korea, the market is divided into wet market section, dry market section and food hall session. You can find almost everything of everyday needs stuff over here. Their food street is one of the famous food street in Busan where we can find different kinds of Southern province cuisine.

Southern province Korean cuisine such as hwei (sashimi), dweji-gukbap (pork stew with rice), Jokbal (pig's trotters), Odeng guksu (fish cake soup with noodles) etc are selling here. There are also some bizarre Korean cuisine that I never heard of such as 소머리국밥 SoMori Gukbap (hard-boiled beef head meat soup and rice), 홍어 Hong-uh (Fermented skate), 과메기 Gwamegi (semi-dried pacific herring) etc. Common street food such as Gimbap, Pajeon, Tteok (sticky rice cake), fried chicken etc can be found too.

However, we encounter some horrifying scene when we accidentally walk into the back street where the country's largest dog meat market is. Same thing happened actually 2 years back when we visited Gupo Sijang for the first time. Dont get me wrong for writing this in my blog. I am not promoting this place. Just to warm you not to be here as you could be horrified by the scene of carcasses of butchered dogs hanging and displaying in front of the shops, and the disturbing smells that coming from the animal or the carcasses. Even uncle in law and husband who are the locals feels uncomfortable too when they see it. I did not know husband took a quick snap of the street while we walk pass in hurry, as I was told by uncle in law we might be in trouble if the shop owners and workers seeing someone taking photos. Sadly, despite numerous efforts from many organizations even the local Koreans submitted their petition to the local authority to ban or shut down the dog meat market over the years, the market still existed  End of our visit at Gupo Sijang after finally walk passed this street and reach the carpark where uncle in law parked his car.