13 Side Dishes with 2 Fried Eggs... Unbelievable Busan '5,000 Won Baekban'

A Restaurant Run by an Elderly Couple in Busan
13 Side Dishes with Heaping Rice and Baechutguk Soup

In an era of high inflation, a 'Hyeja' (a newly coined term meaning generous portions and affordable prices) restaurant in Busan, serving as many as 13 types of side dishes, is becoming a hot topic.

A single-serving set meal from a Baekban restaurant in Busan.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 1st, a post titled "Busan Elderly Couple's Restaurant" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "I just finished a delivery and entered a restaurant run in Busan. I asked if eating alone (honbap) was possible, and they said yes, so I ordered a set meal."

According to the photos shared by Mr. A, along with a bowl of rice and cabbage soybean paste soup, 13 side dishes were served: stir-fried anchovies, cubed radish kimchi (kkakdugi), braised tofu, pickled perilla leaves, braised eggplant, pickled cucumber (oiji), young radish kimchi, braised mackerel with radish, seasoned soybean sprouts, kimchi, and more. Remarkably, two fried eggs were also served.

Mr. A shared his impression, saying, "The price was only 5,000 won," and added, "It is run by an elderly couple, and I was very grateful to eat there." He continued, "I really appreciate restaurants like this. In today's world, even kimbap sells for 5,000 won, but here you can have an affordable set meal," and said, "With all the bad news about price gouging these days, I left feeling full of happiness after one meal."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "Places like that deserve to be rewarded with money (donjjul)," "The heaping rice was impressive," "Maybe they gave more because I looked like a grandchild," "The side dishes look like art," "If they serve that much even when you come alone, honestly you should pay more," "I could probably eat two bowls of rice," "It feels like a home-cooked meal made with care," and "There’s no place like that where I live."

Meanwhile, according to the consumer price trends announced by Statistics Korea on the 2nd, consumer prices last month rose 2.4% compared to a year ago. This is the lowest level since July last year (2.4%). Fresh fruit prices increased by 31.3% year-on-year, continuing a rise of over 30%. Pear prices surged 139.6%, marking the largest increase ever. Seaweed prices also rose 28.6%, the highest rate since December 1987 (34.6%).

Dining-out prices also increased by 3.0% compared to a year ago. Among categories, tteokbokki saw the highest price increase (5.9%), followed by lunch boxes (5.3%) and kimbap (5.2%).