What a year it has been! Plenty of excitement, plenty of MAKAN and also plenty of travel! We know y’all have been asking for more makan when we travel overseas and we’re (obviously) happy to oblige when we can 😛
We were extremely honoured to be invited by the Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia) to go on a trip to South Korea and explore not just the interesting spots to visit but also the interesting places to makan! And by interesting, we mean REALLY interesting (Ramyun and Budae-jjigae please wait in the queue LOL)
You can read about the highlights of our trip to Busan and Jeju in our upcoming posts (coming soon!) and definitely about all the makan places too. So here’s the next installment of our adventure in Busan 😀
(BTW – head down to our Instagram profile page and watch all the IG Stories from the trip!) 
That was the sight that greeted us as we made our way to our dining room. I didn’t know what to expect at The East In Busan. All I knew is that we were having SNOW CRABS! 😛
But before we got to the crustacean bit of dinner, we had some pretty good starters first!
A light but welcome start to the meal in the form of Sushi and Sashimi.
Really good quality stuff here and a nice way to cleanse the palate before enjoying the rest of the starters and getting to the main course of the crabs 😀
Now that I think about it, most of the starters were actually very light. Not to say that they were not flavourful or anything like that.. but more like they didn’t really make you feel overwhelmed with flavours.
Aside from the Sushi and Sashimi, there was also a salad (with some REALLY fresh and delicious tomatoes!) and even a clear Crab Soup that may seem plain but was absolutely brimming with flavour. In fact, the only exceptions in terms of strong flavours were the Radish Kimchi and the Wasabi that came with the Sushi.
But alas, on to the star of the evening!
ZOMG look at all those snow crabs!! ?
When they brought in the first tray, everyone was like “WOW!” and then when we realized that they were bringing in more than one tray (they brought in 3 btw), we all started getting a bit worried LOL It’s like SIX crabs in one tray which means one tray is to be shared between 6 people!
The great news is that these crabs were DELICIOUS! These Snow Crabs were super fresh and with little or no seasoning and just purely steamed. This meant we really got to enjoy the natural sweetness of the snow crab meat.
And don’t worry – they give you the tools you need to crack those shells and get that sweet, fresh crab meat out. But if you’re having trouble, the staff comes and gives you a hand (literally). One not only helped to expertly crack open the shells and get the meat out but also hand-fed us to keep things going at full speed ahead 😛
But then there was the small matter of the top shells…
Personally, I don’t really go for the top shell of the crab. Do you like ‘Tomalley’? – a delicacy to many especially in Korea. It’s kinda fatty and creamy (I think it’s the liver of the crab?) and I know a lot of people who absolutely love it but I guess it just isn’t for me. But guess what – I made this an exception when I found out how they eat it here.
So there’s a bit of fried rice (with goodies like crab meat etc) that they let char for a bit in a hotpot and then they mix it up in the shell with the Tomalley. Thankfully, they remove all the excess water so what you’re left with just the good and tasty bits 😛
The end result – a VERY flavourful fried rice! I got to savour all the interesting flavours (including the Tomalley of course) and I found myself scraping to the very end… but we were apparently not done!
I thought we were done but then the Japanese-style Snow Crab Hotpot arrived! We were just about almost at the limit to be honest but once that hotpot started bubbling… FUYOH!
Super tasty broth with hints of that fresh snow crab in there. Aromatics and vegetables meant this was a super tasty hotpot! I found myself scooping and slurping non-stop LOL so much for being full!
Overall, this was a really SATISFYING MEAL! I think it may be a bit out of the way for some and while it is a bit pricey, their website indicates they do have some set meals that are actually pretty affordable. I’d highly recommend it for those who really love seafood and snow crabs!
A Quick Word About Halal Food In South Korea
So in case you’re wondering, it’s (thankfully) getting easier to find Halal food in Korea these days. It may be particularly easier to find it in big cities like Seoul but cities like Busan and Jeju are doing their best as well.
You may see some of these labels when you visit restaurants that are suitable for Muslims to visit. They have 4 main categories that determine the ‘Halal-ness’ of an eatery. This is to be expected lah I guess especially where the Halal food scene is still developing.
The 4 categories are;
- Halal-certified (safest as the eatery is certified Halal by the Korea Muslim Federation)
- Self-certified (basically means eatery is Muslim-owned)
- Muslim-Friendly (serves Halal food but may serve alcoholic beverages) *most common*
- Pork Free (eatery does not have Pork but may serve non-Halal meat and/or alcoholic beverages)
It may seem complicated with 4 categories but as always, we can simplify it. Do your due diligence and do not be afraid to #AskTheQuestion especially since you’re travelling. Halal is an individual responsibility so get the info and make an informed decision. Look for these labels at the door. If there is any doubt at all, best to give it a miss 
You can get useful information by clicking HERE and HERE!
Thank you Korea Tourism Organization for taking the initiative to spread more information about Halal / Muslim-travel in South Korea!
The East In Busan 더이스트인부산
266 Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-eup,
Gijang, Busan, South Korea
Tel: +82 51-722-2000
Operating Hours:
11.00am til 9.40pm DAILY
(Last order 8.30pm)
This meal was part of a trip organized by the Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia). We visited all kinds of cool places and plenty of Halal makan places including this one! All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. All photos used in this site are property of The Halal Food Blog unless stated otherwise.
