Sharing a Story About Waiting 6 Hours in Busan...★
These days, with the gentle breeze blowing, I naturally feel like suddenly taking off somewhere with this wind. One of the reasons May, known as the month of family, is so good is because there are many holidays. Starting with Children's Day and with Buddha's Birthday on the 29th designated as a substitute holiday, many have been looking forward to May. If you are planning a trip to rest your tired body and mind, you have come to the right place. How about Busan as your travel destination this time? Here is a Busan travel course that you can enjoy fully with family, your beloved partner, friends, or even alone.
Uyeonhan Bookstore
Traveling with your partner, friends, or parents is great, but if you are traveling alone, focus even more. The first place to introduce is Uyeonhan Bookstore, located in a residential area near Gwangalli Beach in Busan. Especially for those tired of noisy environments, you will surely feel like saying, "I must come again next time." It is a place where you can enjoy a warm atmosphere with wood-tone interiors and warm sunlight streaming in.
What you should especially focus on here is the 'Age Book.' An Age Book is a book that contains the age of the author when they debuted, the age of the author when they wrote the work, or the age of the characters in the story. It would be meaningful to gift a book that matches the age of a precious person or yourself. The books are wrapped, so you cannot tell what book it is, but this itself offers a special and new experience, so I recommend trying it. Besides books available for purchase, you can freely read the books on hand by paying 1,000 KRW per person.
Bringing in outside books is also allowed, so if you love books, be sure to visit. Coffee requires one order per person! However, the taste is ordinary...★
☞ Location: 1st floor, 12 Minrakbondong-ro 11beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan
☞ Price: Drinks range from 5,000 to 6,000 KRW
Tonshow Gwangalli Branch
Table reservation starts at 10:30 AM, and even though the editor pressed the reservation button right at opening, they received a number in the 180s... Normally, they would have given up, but since it was not on-site waiting, they decided to try and ended up waiting for a full 6 hours...☆
When your number gets close, you receive a call asking if you will dine, and after that, when you get a KakaoTalk alert that cooking has started, you must enter within 15 minutes. The editor ordered the assorted cutlets. The basic items are fillet and loin, and there were limited-quantity menu items, but wanting to try a variety, they chose the assorted cutlets FLEX! The assorted cutlets consist of fillet, loin, and ebi (shrimp).
A special feature is the variety of sauces available for dipping the cutlets. Besides the usual tonkatsu sauce, there are mustard, wasabi, Maldon salt, lemon pepper, and even kimchi seasoning. Most Japanese-style tonkatsu places usually only provide pickles and yellow radish, so offering kimchi seasoning and kimchi felt very thoughtful.
So how did the tonkatsu taste after waiting 6 hours? Honestly, it was average. It was the kind of taste you can find at any Japanese-style tonkatsu restaurant. However, it was good that there was no unpleasant smell or off-flavor from the meat, and the loin cutlet was very tender. You could enjoy a variety of textures and flavors at once with the moist fillet cutlet and thick ebi cutlet.
☞ Location: 13 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 279beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan
☞ Price: Assorted cutlets 15,500 KRW
TTT
If someone asks the editor, "Recommend a cafe with a view of Gwangandaegyo Bridge!" they would recommend TTT without hesitation. Upon entering TTT, the panoramic windows with a full view of Gwangandaegyo Bridge and the spacious, comfortable space are very appealing.
Tea House TTT is a space designed to create beautiful moments in everyday life while facing tea. You can find single-origin teas such as Baekacha, Dongbangmijin, and Sejak, and various tea leaf-based beverages are available as tea variations. For dessert, there are cream rice puff and young leaf canap?s, which pair well with tea according to your preference. Even if you lack knowledge about tea, the staff will explain everything in detail, so no worries!
After placing your order and waiting at your seat, the staff performs a tea brewing performance. The editor was amazed by the beauty of the tea utensils and tableware, and to fully convey this fleeting experience, they use works by domestic and international artists. This process made the editor feel warm hospitality and a sense of being well cared for.
The explanation of Baekacha is as follows:
"A fresh and clear white tea with silvery white downy hairs. Baekacha is made by carefully selecting only the buds of the tea tree. It features soft white downy hairs. Since the tea is not pan-fried, it retains the appearance of fresh buds. It has a silvery sheen on the downy hairs and plump gray-green tea leaves. The color is pale apricot, with a fresh downy leaf scent and a pure floral aroma."
Baekacha was enough to warm the body frozen by the cold sea breeze. Although the editor is a tea novice, just visiting TTT felt like gaining more knowledge about tea. The crispy rice puff topped with cold cream is a dessert that pairs very well with tea. The order of flavors is Dongbangmijin, green tea, and grain flavor, which is moderately bitter yet sweet, making it a taste that most people can enjoy.
The prices are somewhat high, but finding a quiet cafe around Gwangalli is not easy. For this reason, the editor definitely plans to revisit. This is why we work hard...★ Since this is a place where you need to focus on the aroma and flavor of tea, it is important to note that noise should be minimized, and pets, infants, and young children are discouraged from entering.
☞ Location: 4th floor, 269 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan
☞ Price: Single origin around 10,000 KRW, sets from mid-10,000s to 20,000 KRW
Igane Tteokbokki
Are you someone who always visits local markets when traveling? That's me. Markets are the best places to learn about a region’s specialties, history, and culture in many ways. The famous market in Busan is Ggangtong Market. Many visit it as a night market, but if you plan to visit early in the morning, head to Igane Tteokbokki. The sight of the large pot simmering will make your mouth water. Despite the bright red appearance, you don’t have to worry about it being spicy. Since no sugar is added and the sweetness comes from vegetable broth made with various vegetables including radish, it is quite sweet. The dish is full of vegetables, and the chewy rice cakes soaked in sauce will surely excite tteokbokki lovers.
☞ Location: 48 Bupyeong 1-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
☞ Price: Tteokbokki & fried food set 5,000 KRW
Ending the introduction of Busan’s must-try food course with the sweet and chewy seed hotteok that you cannot miss in Busan. Everyone, have a happy and safe trip!♥
Photo by Yoon Eun-ae
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