‘Hwadak’ Hidden Dakbokkeumtang(spicy braised chicken) Restaurant
When visiting Busan, upon arriving at Busan Station by train,
Many quickly leave Busan Station by subway, bus, or taxi.
However, even here at Busan Station, there’s a hidden gem,
In a small alley not immediately visible from the main road lies Hwadak, a dakbokkeumtang(spicy braised chicken) restaurant.
Exiting the Busan Station plaza and crossing to the other side of the main road, into the alley next to Kookmin Bank,
Which leads to Choryang Market, another major road appears,
Entering the small alley on the left side, opposite Kookmin Bank, you’ll see the sign for Hwadak at the entrance.
The exterior looks like it’s been converted from a regular residential house,
I really like these natural and homey-looking places.
My first visit here was in 2011,
So, it was about 13 years ago from now.
At that time, my office was near Busan Station,
So, after work, my colleagues and I often came here for dinner and drinks.
Dak-bokkeumtang vs. Dak-doritang
The history of braised chicken goes back to the Joseon Dynasty,
There are records of eating dishes like braised chicken, fried chicken, and chicken stew during the Joseon Dynasty.
Instead of using red pepper powder, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper were used for seasoning.
The spicy red braised chicken that we know today became popular in the 1930s.
There’s a theory that the ‘dori’ in ‘dak-doritang’ comes from the Japanese words ‘tori’ (bird) or ‘niwatori’ (chicken),
And that’s why it was removed from the standard language in 1992, and now only ‘dak-bokkeumtang’ is used as the standard term.
Dak(닭) means Chicken, Bokkeum(볶음) means braised, and Tang(탕) means Soup in Korean)
However, the theory about dak-doritang’s Japanese origin discussed by the National Institute of Korean Language lacks sufficient evidence currently.
In Japan, they perceive dak-doritang as a Korean dish and transcribe it in katakana as ‘タットリタン’ (tat-ta-ri-tan).
Using katakana indicates that it’s a foreign word,
So, the origin of dak-doritang from the Japanese word ‘tori’ has lost its credibility.
Main menu of Hwadak
Dak-doritang has a slightly spicy and refreshing flavor in its soup.
Once you taste the soup, you won’t be able to stop using your spoon.
You can refill the soup as much as you want,
To be honest, it wasn’t the chicken but the soup that made me think of coming to Hwadak.
Small (소) 19,000 won
Medium (중) 25,000 won
Large (대) 34,000 won
Spicy Chicken Gizzard Fritters (cannot be ordered separately) 8,000 won
Chicken Gizzard Fritters (cannot be ordered separately) 9,000 won
Another signature dish of this restaurant
Is the Spicy Chicken Gizzard Fritters.
Crispy fried batter hides plump chicken gizzards inside,
If you feel a bit bored with just chicken meat, ordering the chicken gizzard fritters along with your drink would be perfect.
There’s also plain fried chicken gizzard available.
I prefer the plain fried chicken gizzard over the seasoned one.
Although I’m already full, if I want to drink a bit more soju or beer with the dak-doritang soup,
Ordering a plate of fried chicken gizzard would be enough.