Busan in May, Day 1: Dumplings, Rain, and a Different Kind of Seaside
Busan in May, Day 1: Dumplings, Rain, and a Different Kind of Seaside
I’d promised myself a Busan trip for years. Every summer felt too sticky and crowded, every winter too beautiful but way too cold. So the plan kept getting postponed… until finally, this May, my friend and I packed our bags. The Busan I found after all these years? A completely different city — stylish, buzzing, and somehow more soulful than I remembered.
Jump to: KTX from Seoul · Stay: Ananti at Busan Cove · 신발원 (Sinbalwon) Dumplings · 오초량 (Ochoryang) · Dinner at ROU (루) · Day 1 in a sentence
Seoul to Busan: The Lazy Girl’s Choice
We considered driving (romantic in theory, stressful in reality). In the end, the KTX train won.
- Route: Seoul Station → Busan Station
- Time: ~2 hours 30 minutes
- Fare: ₩59,800 (~$44) (standard seat; fares vary by date/time)
No traffic, no navigation arguments — just two friends gossiping while the countryside blurred past the window. Arriving without stress is a travel hack in itself.
Stay: Ananti Cove
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Calm Gijang coastline from Ananti Cove—our quiet base in Busan
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| Stone paths and greenery connect cafés, shops, and the seaside trail. |
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| Another corner of the grounds—quiet terraces with a view toward the sea. |
Our base for the trip was Ananti Cove, a seaside resort in Gijang. Many people think it’s members-only, but non-members can also book stays through normal hotel booking sites. Membership just gives access to extra perks. Once you’re in, though, it feels like Busan’s best-kept secret.
The sea stretches endlessly, pools and gardens hide in quiet corners, and the whole place whispers “stay a little longer.” You’ll want a taxi or car to get around — once you arrive, the stillness is the point.
- Location: 268-31 Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-gun, Busan (about 20–30 min from Haeundae)
Booking: Open to non-members (extra perks if you’re a member)
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Vibe: Quiet, sea-front resort complex (cafés, shops, bookstore, trails)
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Tip: Choose this if you prefer calm over nightlife
Lunch at 신발원 (Sinbalwon) — Dumplings Since 1951
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| 신발원—Busan’s classic dumpling house. Expect lines; they move fast. |
First proper meal in Busan? Dumplings.
We went straight to 신발원 (Sinbalwon), a legendary spot near Busan Station that’s been folding and steaming since 1951. Queues are part of the experience. We ordered ambitiously — pork, fried, shrimp, boiled, mala. Seven trays in total. The owner even double-checked, worried we’d overdone it. Spoiler: we hadn’t.
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| They’ve been folding dumplings here since 1951—longevity you can taste. |
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| Classic pork mandu—juicy and generously filled. Our table favorite. |
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| Golden, shatter-crisp fried dumplings—gone in minutes. |
- 고기만두 (pork) — juicy, classic, unbeatable
- 군만두 (fried) — golden, crispy, gone too fast
- 물만두 (boiled) — soft little pillows
- 새우교자 (shrimp) — that sweet shrimp bounce
- 마라만두 (mala) — fiery, numbing, addictive
- Address: 62 Daeyeong-ro 243beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
- Hours: 11:00–21:00 (Closed Tue; last order 20:20)
- Since: 1951
- Tip: Go early or off-peak; lines move fast but they’re real
오초량 (Ochoryang): Rain, Tea, and 100 Years of Stillness
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| 오초량—1925 Japanese-style house reborn as gallery and tea space near Busan Station. |
After dumplings, we headed to 오초량 (Ochoryang), a cultural space tucked near Busan Station. It’s a 100-year-old Japanese-style house (built 1925), restored into a gallery and tea café. From outside it’s framed by apartment towers — but inside, the pace changes. Busan turns soft, poetic, unhurried.
We began with a guided walk through the house for the special exhibition “The Time of Soil.” Sculptures and installations explored memory, nature, and the quiet beauty of impermanence. Each room had its own light and rhythm.
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| Special exhibit “The Time of Soil”—quiet sculptures and earth-toned textures. |
Only after the exhibition did we settle in for tea. Each guest received a personal tea basket — a teapot, cup, delicate sweets almost too pretty to eat, and even a slender book to browse. We sat on the 마루 malu (wooden veranda) and listened to the rain under the eaves. The floor creaked softly, the garden glistened, and time folded in on itself.
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| Each guest gets a personal basket—teapot, cup, sweets, and a small book to read. |
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| Tea with delicate sweets—rain tapping the eaves, pages turning softly. |
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| We sat on the 마루 malu and poured tea slowly, listening to soft rain. |
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| A slim booklet in each basket—read, sip, breathe. Time slows here. |
- Location: 22 Gogwan-ro 13beonna-gil, Dong-gu, Busan
- Built: 1925 (Japanese-style residence → gallery & tea café)
- Visits: Reservation required (set times, often 11:00 & 14:00)
- Experience: House tour & exhibition → individual tea basket (teapot, cup, sweets, book)
- Vibe: A poetic pause amid Busan’s apartment skyline
Dinner at 루 (ROU) — Chinese at Ananti Village
We finished Day 1 back at Ananti Cove , in the Chinese restaurant ROU (루), inside Village de Ananti. The space feels tall and dramatic with a refined, almost gallery-like design — more modern fine dining than your typical Chinese restaurant.
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| ROU (루), the elegant Chinese restaurant inside Village de Ananti —high ceilings, private rooms, calm service. |
What we ordered (and loved):
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깐풍기 (crispy chili garlic chicken) — crunchy outside, juicy inside, the table favorite.
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해물 볶음 짬뽕 (seafood stir-fried jjambbong) — smoky, rich, brimming with clams and squid.
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오이·목이버섯 냉채 (chilled cucumber & wood-ear mushroom salad) — crisp, tangy, perfect palate reset.
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마파두부가지 덮밥 (mapo tofu & eggplant rice bowl) — silky and comforting with just enough numbing spice.
Elegant space, precise flavors, and the sea just beyond the windows — it was the calmest and coziest way to end our first night in Busan.
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| Chilled cucumber & wood-ear mushroom salad at ROU Light and refreshing, the perfect start before heavier mains. |
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| 깐풍기 (crispy chili garlic chicken) at ROU, Ananti Busan Golden, garlicky, and addictive — a must-order dish. |
Day 1, in a Sentence
Dumplings, rain, art, tea, and a sea-view hideaway — Busan already felt like more than just a beach city.
very interesting aricle.
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