North Korean BBQ:
YaDong KaoRou Guan 亚东烤肉馆

By Alex, 2010年 6月 30日

In no ambiguous terms is this barbecue restaurant of the North Korean persuasion, if not for their dim lighting and absent references to South Korea, than for their ability to only feed about 16 people at a time. The minimalist décor of my favorite hutong BBQ joint reflects the simplicity of the cuisine, which contains two basic elements: meat and fire. The myriad forms of meat they serve, from beef slices to rolled pork belly to a strange yet popular slingshot shaped shoot of chicken cartilage, go best dipped in either their sweet soy sauce or in spicy ketchup and wrapped with fresh jalapenos and julienned garlic in crispy romaine lettuce leaves.

I have to believe that this restaurant must have been the predecessor to the more expensive and flashy South Korean BBQ stadiums that litter Beijing’s more well-to-do areas. These restaurants prominently display their highly reflective stainless steel exhaust hoods that are just high enough to not obstruct your view of fellow diners but still low enough to give your genial conversation a backdrop of droning fan. Conversely, this cute, consistent, and tiny closet of an alleyway standard contains no such hoods or irksome white noise, but relies on its steady supply of high quality fresh meat to attract customers, which soon become regulars.

For those vegetarians who don’t eat chicken, they offer a sampling of seafood and more importantly a selection of thinly sliced and always delicious roots and fruits, such as yam and eggplant. If barbecued meat isn’t your thing, they have a good selection of stir fried dishes and excellent rice and vegetable-based Korean bibimbaps (拌饭).

If you are new to Korean BBQ, politely ask the waitress to help you grill, and she will almost definitely oblige. Bring three friends at the most because their brick and tile tables can only seat four. If you decide to go on a weekend, expect a decent wait. My advice is to choose a later time during the week, bring a bottle of wine (BYOB didn’t bother the management), and spend a few hours relishing in a meal of cheap and nearly oil-free grilled delights.

This restaurant is located just 40 meters north of GuLou DaJie on BaoChao Hutong, across the alley from a florist and nestled between a pair of xiao mai bu. After dinner, enjoy a cocktail at a bar on GuLou or NanLuoGuXiang or go pangbianr to the xiao mai bu for a corn shaped ice cream popsicle.

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