Korea Trip 2022: By the Sea in Tongyeong
After an eventful four days in Busan, my next destination was another seaside city: Tongyeong. From the 부산서부사상 버스터미널 (Busan Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal) | Naver link, I bought a direct route bus ticket to Tongyeong for ₩12,400 ($8.67). After an hour-and-a-half-long journey, our bus arrived at 통영종합버스터미널 (Tongyeong Bus Terminal) | Naver link. I had been communicating with my Tongyeong Airbnb host to see if I could check in early and drop off my luggage, and luckily, she gave me permission to do so. After checking in, I went out to explore the city.
It was in the early afternoon when I had arrived in Tongyeong; I needed lunch, and I knew just where to go: 멸치마을 (Anchovy Village) | Naver link. This humble restaurant is known for its 멸치 (anchovy)-focused dishes, and having grown up eating dried anchovies and stews that used an anchovy broth, I was curious about what they could do with this one ingredient. The restaurant was empty save for the owners, who were watching TV, but after seating me, they quickly began preparing the 멸치요리 풀 코스 (anchovy cookery full course) I ordered for ₩20,000 ($13.98). This order consisted of four main anchovy dishes: 멸치회 (raw anchovies), 멸치튀김 (fried anchovies), 멸치찌개 (anchovy stew), and 멸치밥 (anchovy rice). It also came with an eclectic spread of banchan that featured peanuts, shrimp, squid, and a pancake (which also had anchovies). I first ate the fried anchovies, and these were simply excellent, reminiscent of some of the best fried fish I had. Yes, there are small bones, but anyone who grew up eating anchovies knows that you can just eat them without worrying about them getting caught in your throat. The raw anchovies were mixed with leafy greens, mixed in a chili-sesame sauce, and topped with sesame seeds. I loved this dish, as it was like a poke salad. The owner told me I ought to mix the raw anchovies with the anchovy rice, and in doing so, it became a dish very akin to hoedeopbap - a dish that I’ve always loved. Needless to say, this was such a good bowl of food to tuck into. Unfortunately, the anchovy stew didn’t do it for me; it may be because I was starting to get full, or the stew just felt too cluttered and thick. The banchan complemented the meal very well, and I ate as much of them as I could. Anchovy Village is one of the more unusual restaurants I dined at, but their food speaks for itself.
Just minutes after I left Anchovy Village and started walking south, I came across 통영맥주 (Tongyeong Beer) | Naver link. I checked the hours, and it was open. Since it had piqued my curiosity, I headed inside. The building that this brewery occupies actually used to be a bathhouse, so some of the bathhouse aesthetic remained and was incorporated. Funnily enough, there was no one available, not even staff. I made sure to step around loudly, and sure enough, someone descended from the second floor. He seemed surprised to see me, and he told me that they were actually closed for the day. I couldn’t get a beer on tap, but he did indicate the fridge full of canned beer and said I was welcome to purchase one. I bought a 500 milliliter can of 열두척 유자에일 (Twelve Ships Yuzu Ale) for ₩4,900 ($3.43), stuffed it in my backpack, and continued on my way.
I heard that 남망산조각공원 (Nammangsan Open Air Sculpture Park) | Naver link was worth checking out, and not wanting to walk on an inclining road in the sun (it was mid going on late afternoon), I climbed up a series of stairs (which was in the shade) to get to it. Most of the sculptures here are built into a hillside, so I had to climb here and there to see what was being showcased. The sculptures on display can be quite interesting, so sometimes I would walk around it and try to decipher what the artist was trying to communicate. Each comes with a small with its name, the author’s name, the medium, and a description. There were two particular ones I liked. One was 최고의 순간을 위해 멈춰서 있는 기계 (The Machine Stopping for the Best Moment) by Sweden’s Erik Dietman, a metal sculpture consisting of a semi-flight of stairs ascending into the air and an anchor chained to it. The other was 허공의 중심 (The Central Point in the Air) by 김영원 (Kim Young-won), which consisted of a line of bronze and stainless steel stoic men in a line, with the last one missing his head.
About a fifteen-minute walk away from the sculpture park is 동피랑 벽화마을 (Dongpirang Mural Village) | Naver link - which, well, it’s in the name. It’s reminiscent of in Busan’s Gamcheon Culture Village, but much smaller and not as taxing on the legs. The village is in a circular-ish shape on a hill, and the outer walls around homes are painted in bright colors and feature a variety of sculptures. I climbed to the top, and there’s a wide area with a pavilion from which I could see out into the harbor. It was here that I opened the ale I bought earlier, and I was reminded that there’s really nothing like a cold beer after a long walk on a warm day. I removed my shoes and sat under the pavilion, and relaxing there was quite nice.
As I descended from the mural village, I encountered an entrance for 통영중앙전통시장 (Tongyeong Jungang Traditional Market) | Naver link, which happened to be my next destination. This market has almost 400 years of history behind it, and being right on the coast, I was interested in seeing what seafood was being sold. I spent about twenty minutes walking through the market’s alleys and observed its offerings, being on the lookout for 합자젓국 (hapjajeotguk), a rich sauce made by simmering mussels five times - something which I had learned about when watching the second episode of the Netflix Korean food show A Nation of Broth. Alas, I was unable to find this sauce, so I left.
One Tongyeong specialty dish is 꿀빵 (honey pastry), and when walking around the areas near the Tongyeong Jungang Traditional Market, I saw plenty of places selling this delectable treat. After a quick search on Naver, it seemed like 멍게하우스수제꿀빵 (Sea Squirt House Handmade Honey Pastries) | Naver link was the place to go. It’s hard to miss, as its exterior is a scarlet red and adorned with spikes, evoking the namesake 멍게 (sea squirt). The hostess offered me a couple free samples. While the sweet, glazed dough and sesame seed topping is consistent for every honey pastry, the contents can vary - some have red bean paste, some have orange paste, and so on. Of the ones I tried, I loved the honey pastry with the orange filling. It felt right for me to get something for my Airbnb host for allowing me to check in early, so I bought a 10-pack of honey pastries for ₩12,000 ($8.39) to give her.
I actually spent about a half hour wandering the streets and alleys, as not one, but two restaurants I thought about eating at for dinner were closed (a restaurant specializing in pufferfish) and reserved for a very large group (a restaurant specializing in sea squirt). After a series of Naver searches, I made my way over to 통영 문참치 통영점 (Tongyeong Moon Tuna Tongyeong Branch) | Naver link, a restaurant specializing in tuna. After reading through the menu, I ordered the 생참치덮밥 (raw tuna over rice) for ₩22,000 ($15.38), and I was surprised at the spread of food they brought out. Not only did they give me a brightly colored bowl of raw tuna over rice, they also gave me some additional pieces of raw tuna on the side - jackpot! I received a packet of dried seaweed, into which I would place pieces of the tuna (dipped in soy sauce and wasabi), rice, radish, and sprouts and wrap around before eating. The tuna they served here was absolutely delicious, and every bite I took packed flavor.
I was in the mood for dessert, and I had read that 통카롱 (TongCaron) | Naver link sold some pretty good macarons. I walked in a fairly empty alley to get there, and I was glad I knew where it was located, as the location is easy to miss. Their wide selection of macarons are simply adorable, and each has its own flavor. After some deliberation, I picked out the 토끼 (딸기) [rabbit (strawberry)], 거북선 (솔트카라멜) [turtle ship (salted caramel)], and 빗방울 (바닐라 초코 크런치) [raindrop (vanilla choco crunch)]. The owner was kind enough to include two free macarons with my order, which came out to ₩7,500 ($5.24). I ate these in the comfort of my Airbnb, and after biting into their dry, sweet exteriors, the full flavor of their contents burst through. Of the ones I had, I really liked the raindrop macaron.
The next day, I woke up early and packed my luggage. I had planned to stay only one night in Tongyeong, and there were a couple places I wanted to visit before leaving the city after noon. I was supposed to check out by 11:00am, and while I don’t like to pull my luggage around, I didn’t think I could finish my remaining activities and return to the Airbnb by that time, so I took my luggage with me and checked out.
First things first, breakfast. I took a taxi over to 영빈관 (Yeongbingwan) | Naver link, located toward the southern end of Tongyeong. This restaurant is known for their 굴 (oyster) dishes, and I had read good things about their 굴밥 (oyster rice), which I ordered for ₩13,000 ($9.17). The dish came out hot, and it contained not only oysters and rice, but also mushrooms, soybean sprouts, and dried seaweed. As much as I was looking forward to this dish, it underwhelmed me. I felt that it needed some salt or soy sauce, and I thought the mushrooms should have been cooked longer. For what it was worth, at least the oysters were fresh.
From the restaurant, I pulled my luggage toward 통영케이블카 (Tongyeong Cable Car) | Naver link, which was about a 20-minute walk on an incline. I arrived shortly after it opened, and I bought a two-way ticket that cost ₩14,000 ($9.88) and was given a number. The staff call up people in groups of about 60 at a time depending on the number you have, so I had to wait until everyone in the previous group went. When they finally called up my group, I was able to store my luggage in a locker, and I was allowed to have a cable car all by myself. The ride up to 미륵산 (Mireuksan) | Naver link took a few minutes.
From the top level of the “station” up on Mireuksan, I got a pretty great view of the islands, land masses, and mountains that pepper the ocean for miles around. I saw wayfinding signs for hikes leading to the mountain’s summit, and having paid for this trip, I just had to climb up to the top - my meekly protesting legs be damned. The hike consists solely of stairs, and while the beginning part of the hike was a little strenuous because of all the climbing, it gets gradually less steep, and the overall hike is quite short - like less than 20 minutes. Even if you shudder at the idea of hikes, I wholly recommend this one, as the views you get at the summit are nothing short of spectacular. The sky was very clear on the day that I went, and because there were no clouds shrouding the distance, the views were simply breathtaking.
After I took the cable car back down, I took another taxi back to the bus terminal. My next destination was Suncheon, but there was an issue I should have foreseen: there was only one bus to Suncheon, and it wasn’t scheduled to leave until 6:00pm! It was just after noon, meaning that I had more than five hours to kill. I didn’t want to return to the southern part of Tongyeong again, and I figured I could use this time to relax completely and not have to walk or go to any new places. I paid ₩12,400 ($8.82) for the bus ticket, and then I paid for a locker to temporarily store my luggage.
To start, I wanted lunch. A Naver search revealed that there was an Italian restaurant nearby called 올던하우스 (Olden House) | Naver link, so I decided to dine there. I supposed there was no harm in having seafood for all my meals in the city, so I ordered the 해물 토마토 파스타 (seafood tomato pasta) for ₩16,000 ($11.29). The dish’s presentation was quite nice, with the shrimp, mussels, clams, and green beans arranged around the mound of pasta, all on a bed of tomato sauce. The seafood was great, and the tomato sauce had hints of spice that made it interesting. The only thing I didn’t like about the dish was the pasta itself; I got the feeling that it was in the later stages of al dente before being added to the sauce, so it had just a little bit of stiffness.
A careful search for cafes on Naver led me to 카페어시스트 (Assist) | Naver link , which was about a 15-minute walk away from the restaurant and located near the water. This cafe has several floors, with the register, baked goods, a private room, and tables located on the first floor, and additional tables and chairs located on the second. I figured it would be a while since I ate again, so I ordered a 얼그레이 크림라떼 (earl grey cream latte), 무화과 휘낭시에 (fig financier), and 맡차 크랜베리 스모어쿠키 (matcha cranberry s’more cookie) for ₩12,300 ($8.68). After they heated up my baked treats, I carefully took my tray up to the second floor, where I chose a table with outlets nearby. I didn’t have the chance to really kick back and relax on my two-and-a-half-week trip yet, and I was here to do just that. The latte I got was nice to sip on, if not a little too milky for my taste. I love figs, and the financier was just perfect. The cookie, on the other hand, was a swing and a miss; I thought the match and cranberry flavors didn’t complement each other at all, and the marshmallow on top added a textural contrast but nothing else. I spent nearly four hours here catching up on emails, reading through some newsletters I subscribe to, and sorting through the photos I took on my trip so far.
As the time approached 5:30pm, I slowly walked back to the terminal. After picking up my luggage, I went out to the waiting area for the bus to arrive. When it did, I stored my luggage in the bus’ storage area, went to my designated seat, and showed my ticket to the driver. I enjoyed my time in Tongyeong, and I was looking forward to my time in Suncheon next.
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