Hapcheon Gukbap House

Busan

Hapcheon Gukbap House

Busan's representative soul food, Dwaeji-gukbap

One of Busan's top three pork soup restaurants, filled with thick pork in a clear broth.

Edit Areum Lee

Photograph Umi Shin

Dwaeji-gukbap, a dish consisting of rice mixed into a broth made by simmering pork bones for a long time, is the representative soul food of Busan people. While the specific cuts of meat and seasoning methods vary from restaurant to restaurant, the dedication to boiling the broth for extended periods to eliminate the gamey smell of pork is the same across all gukbap. For President Cheon Gi-jeong, who was born and raised in Busan, Dwaeji-gukbap is a home-cooked meal filled with his mother's special touch. Hapcheon Gukbap House opened in 2000. It was established by President Cheon's mother and her husband after she gained experience working at a gukbap restaurant. For the past eight years, President Cheon has joined the team to learn the cooking process and ensure the successful continuation of the business his parents have lovingly built. The broth of Hapcheon Gukbap House is so clear that it resembles Pyongyang Naengmyeon just by looking at it. Made exclusively with pork shoulder bones without any other miscellaneous bones, the broth is light and refreshing rather than heavy, allowing even those sensitive to strong smells to enjoy it without hesitation. The clear broth is filled with pork slices as thick as boiled pork, and a distinctive feature of Hapcheon Gukbap House is that the pork is served using the toryeom method. Toryeom is a technique where hot broth is poured over and drained over meat to heat it; it was devised in the days before gas stoves to keep rice or noodles warm. Hapcheon Gukbap House still adheres to this toryeom method to enhance the flavor of the pork and reduce any gamey odors that may arise when heating the meat. The pork is delicious dipped in a sauce flavored with soy sauce and plum extract, or topped with seasoned chive salad or napa cabbage kimchi. In particular, the refreshing and clean-tasting radish kimchi pairs well with the relatively mild soup and is considered a main side dish that elevates the broth's flavor. The secret to this refreshing taste lies in sea squirts; they source about one ton of seasonal sea squirts, freeze them, and use them whenever they make kimchi. The Assorted Seokbakji Gukbap, which includes pork offal, stomach, and sundae, and the boiled pork made with pork belly are also popular menu items.