Long before the filmstars arrived, BIFF square was a theatre district of street food heroes, with the scent of bubbling vats and roasted nuts cutting through the ocean breeze. We aren't here for the red carpets. We’re visiting the legendary ajummas and their open-air kitchens, with the rhythmic art of kalguksu - where dough is knifed into thick, steamy ribbons of hand-cut noodle soup, served alongside pickled kimchi, and an optional hit of gochujang chilli paste.

The next reel moves into the sprawl of Gukje and Bupyeong Kkangtong markets, known as "Tin Can Alley.", a onetime smuggling hub for US Army canned goods. This labyrinthine area tells the storey of the iconic tteokbokki, where chewy rice cakes are bathed in a velvet-red glaze, perfectly paired with gochu and ojingeo twigim - deep-fried peppers and squid battered into a golden crunch. Most visitors never really scratch the surface of this city’s food landscape, and our range of 10+ tastings are designed to take you behind the lens.

While fish cakes are found all over Korea, Busan is the undisputed capital. It's where the umami-laden slabs became the protein fuel for a burgeoning working class. Follow the steam to seek handmade mandu, succulent dumplings wrapped with precision, before tucking into haemul pajeon, a craggy pancake loaded with the daily catch. It’s traditionally washed down with makgeolli rice wine, a companion of Korean labourers for centuries. Stroll past Bosu Book Street, before working your chopsticks over tangles of Busan japchae, a unique take on glass noodles, and dwaeji gukbap pork rice soup - a masterclass in simplicity and sustenance.

A tour of this city would be incomplete without entering the world-famous Jagalchi market. Witness a technicolour display of writhing octopuses and prehistoric sea squirts, amidst a soundscape of thudding cleavers and harbour-side haggling. Just as a great director builds up to the cinematic climax, we spoon-dive into bingsu, a K-pop favourite featuring shaved ice as light as snow, and ssiat hotteok griddled sweet pancakes, stuffed with a buttery riot of sunflower seeds and nuts. This is a food tour that ignores the tourist scripts and goes straight for the real Busan food scene. You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of Busan’s culinary history, with time well spent navigating the secret recipes that have been feeding locals for decades.