September 27, 2024
There was a porridge restaurant on the first floor of INN-The City MyeongDong, where we were staying, so we had breakfast there. The abalone porridge had a mild flavor. It was fine, but nothing particularly memorable. The meal cost 26,000 KRW (2,915 yen) for two people.
We went to Seoul Station. My partner headed to the airport from there, while I took the Korea Train eXpress (KTX) to Busan. I had purchased my KTX ticket in advance from the official KORAIL website. It cost 59,800 KRW (6,644 yen).
When I arrived at Busan Station, I took a taxi from the station’s taxi stand and headed to the restaurant where I was meeting my friends.
On the way there, the driver stopped at a gas station and started refueling while the meter was still running. I was surprised. After he finished refueling and started driving again, I complained, saying, “The meter was still running!” He replied, “Meter! Meter!” and handed me some coins. I thought, “So he does realize that he did something wrong.”
I arrived at Hopo Galbi – Munhyeon Branch, where I was meeting my friends. They treated me to a huge amount of incredibly delicious beef.
I returned to my hotel near Busan Station and took a walk around the station area.
For dinner, someone who lives in Busan took me to Dongmyeonsik Milmyeon in Haeundae.
The restaurant’s seating area faced the beach, so the view was great. The steamed mandu were also delicious. They were much better than the steamed mandu I had eaten at Myeongdong Kyoja two days earlier. The wrappers were thin and wonderfully springy, and I could have eaten them endlessly.
The cold noodles were also delicious, with plenty of meat and wonderfully chewy noodles. I was also treated to a mild, non-spicy cold noodle soup. It was light and refreshing, but somehow I never thought it tasted bland. How did they manage that? The balance of flavors was perfect, and it was very good.
After that, I was taken to another place where the admission fee included all-you-can-eat food and all-you-can-drink beverages. It had a beer-garden-like atmosphere and was packed with young people.
The cups were printed with “삼진포치.” I wondered if that was the name of the place.
Tteokbokki and fish cake were also included in the all-you-can-eat food.
After dinner, I took a walk along the beach. As I walked, I wondered whether this was the beach that appeared in the New Year’s drama “Slow Train” in 2025.
I had eaten so much that my stomach hurt, so all of us stopped at a convenience store, bought some stomach medicine, and took it.
