Millak-dong, Busan · grilled & braised fish
Haerak · 민락동
Semi-dried fish is steamed to order and grilled, or braised with radish in a spicy sauce. The kimchi is made in-house, and every dish is prepared with children in mind.
- Grilled · braised
- Semi-dried fish
- Doenjang stew included
- One dish per person
Haerak specializes in grilled and braised fish. Semi-drying firms the flesh and softens its fishy aroma. Guests of primary-school age and older order one main dish each, and every grilled dish comes with doenjang stew. Start with the assorted grilled fish, or choose the spicy braised hairtail when you want something especially good with rice.
Grilled구이
Each semi-dried fish is steamed to order, then grilled. Every grilled dish comes with doenjang stew made with house broth. The selection of fish may vary with the day's availability.
Assorted Grilled Fish
모듬생선구이
Modeum-saengseon-gui
Three varieties of semi-dried fish are grilled and served on one platter. The selection changes with the day's catch, making this a good introduction for first-time guests. Includes doenjang stew.
Per person · min. 216,000
Grilled Mackerel
고등어구이
Godeungeo-gui
One of Korea's most familiar fish, grilled until the skin is crisp and the rich flesh stays moist. Includes doenjang stew.
Per person16,000
Grilled Jeju Hairtail
제주갈치구이
Jeju-galchi-gui
A whole Jeju hairtail is cut into three pieces and grilled. Its delicate white flesh comes away easily from the bone. Includes doenjang stew.
Whole fish · 3 pieces36,000
Also in this section
- Croaker Trio조기구이세트Semi-dried yellow, silver and brown croakerFor two42,000
- Grilled Chim-jogi Croaker침조기구이Tastes close to yellow croakerPer person18,000
- Grilled Brown Croaker민어조기구이Semi-dried fish traditionally served on holidaysPer person15,000
- Spicy Pork Set제육볶음정식For anyone who does not eat fishPer person15,000
Guests of primary-school age and older are asked to order one main dish each. Fish selections may change depending on availability.
Braised조림
Fish is braised over radish in the house's sweet and spicy sauce. These are the kind of deeply seasoned dishes Koreans call bap-doduk—so good with rice that the bowl disappears. The owner's recommendation for first-time guests is the braised hairtail.
Owner's pickBraised Jeju Hairtail
제주갈치조림
Jeju-galchi-jorim · Spicy
The owner's first recommendation for new guests. Jeju hairtail and radish are braised in the spicy house sauce. Save the final piece to flake into rice and mix with the sauce left in the pot.
Per person · min. 220,000
Braised Mackerel
고등어조림
Godeungeo-jorim · Spicy
Thick, rich mackerel is braised in the same house sauce as the hairtail. Its flesh absorbs the bold seasoning especially well. Serves two.
For two35,000
Add-ons & drinks
Add-ons
KRW- Silver Croaker은조기Eun-jogi10,000
- Brown Croaker민어조기Mineo-jogi10,000
- Grilled Mackerel고등어구이12,000
- Spicy Pork제육볶음9,000
- Rockfish열기Yeolgi8,000
- Flounder가자미Gajami8,000
- Doenjang Stew된장찌개3,000
Add-ons are available once each guest has ordered a main dish. Some items may sell out depending on the day's supply.
Drinks
KRW- Hwayo 25화요 25Distilled soju30,000
- Tiger (bottle)타이거 병맥주7,000
- Tiger (draft)타이거 생맥주6,000
- Soju소주Daesun · Jinro · Chamisul · Good Day5,000
- Beer맥주5,000
- Makgeolli막걸리5,000
- Soft Drink음료수Cola · Zero · Cider · Fanta2,000
The owner
She cooks food she would be happy to serve her own family.
She has worked for herself since her early twenties, trying several businesses and later running both a barbecue restaurant and a neighborhood diner. The pandemic forced her to close the diner, but the wish to open another one never left. I wanted to run a restaurant I truly cared about again.
The name comes from the neighborhood. She took rak, the final syllable of Millak-dong and a character associated with joy, and named the restaurant Haerak in the hope that it would become a place where people gather and laughter follows.
She holds the restaurant to the same standard as a meal cooked for family. She makes the kimchi herself with Korean-grown ingredients and prepares food children can eat with confidence. If my family can eat it, everyone can. The semi-dried fish is steamed to order and grilled immediately, while the doenjang stew starts with house-made broth. Spicy pork is also available for guests who do not eat fish.
She has noticed a difference in what international guests order. Guests from Asian countries tend to like the braised fish, while Western guests prefer it grilled. We serve both. For first-time guests, her recommendation is the braised hairtail. Her suggested way to enjoy it appears below.
The owner, Haerak
How to eat braised hairtail
Radish, fish, and the last piece
Try it in the order recommended by the owner.
Start with the radish
The radish beneath the fish is saturated with sauce. Start by placing a piece over rice and spooning some sauce on top.
Follow the bone
Run your chopsticks along the center bone and the flesh will lift away in one piece. Place it over rice with a piece of seasoned radish.
Mix the last piece with rice
When only sauce remains, flake the final piece of hairtail into the pot and mix it with a bowl of rice. The owner considers this the house's best finishing bite.
If you ordered the grill, doenjang stew comes with it. Place some fish over rice and follow it with a spoonful of stew for a satisfying meal.
Ingredient origins
- Hairtail · Jeju
- Kimchi (cabbage, chili powder) · Korea, made in-house
Did you mix the last piece into your rice? Busan still has many neighborhood restaurants like this one. Let me show you the next street.
The next street, with BE-JUMIN
Travel like someone who lives here. Find the neighborhood places locals go to, and read their menus and their stories in a language you know.