I ate at a North Korean restaurant and here’s what happened

Zachary Lee

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I ate at a North Korean restaurant and here’s what happened
The Pyongyang restaurant is owned and operated by the government of North Korea

JAKARTA, Indonesia – “Selamat datang,” the waitress dressed in a pink and black uniform kindly said to me in Bahasa Indonesia – the word for “welcome” – as I entered the restaurant. She had a strong accent.

On Tuesday evening, May 3, I visited Pyongyang restaurant owned by the North Korean government in North Jakarta with some friends.

The restaurant is wedged between offices, a Chinese restaurant, and quite ironically, a South Korean restaurant. This is the only North Korea state-run restaurant in Jakarta.

HARD TO FIND. The Pyongyang restaurant in Jakarta is wedged between offices, a bank and restaurants. Photo by Zachary Lee/Rappler

There were around 6 female waitresses standing in front of the cash counter next to the entrance. They kept their eye on me. There was a TV showing a North Korean concert. There were fewer than 10 customers in the restaurant having dinner.

No questions

 

A female waitress led us to the second floor, through the hall with simple decoration – some landscape paintings. It looked like a cheap hotel. 

We entered a private dining room with a rectangular table – we couldn’t see the other guests. The waitress then gave us a menu and served us tea. The waitress attempted chat with us in the beginning but her Bahasa Indonesia was not fluent. She recommended some dishes on the menu, but we could hardly understand. 

She said she has worked at the restaurant for 1.5 years. When we asked her if South Korean tourists visited here frequently, she said no, explaining that most of their customers were Chinese Indonesians.

After that question, we noticed the waitress declined to answer any more of our questions. She became quieter, but wore a smile the whole time.

The other waitresses were stoic with no expression on their faces.

MENU. The menu had Korean and Japanese cuisine but tasted slightly different. Photo by Zachary Lee/Rappler

Different

We ordered traditional Korean cuisine, and Okonomiyaki, some vegetables, and Korean Soju.Most of dishes on the menu were Korean food, such as Bibimbap and Gogigui (meat roast), but Japanese food like Udon, Okonomiyaki and Om Rise were served as well.

There was nothing special on the menu that was uniquely North Korean but the South Korean dishes tasted… different. The bibimbap for instance, was more garlicky. It was familiar, but also different.

During the whole time we were eating, the waitress stood beside our table and watched us eat. Whenever our glasses were empty, the waitress filled it immediately. The meal cost around Rp 1.3 million (US$ 98) for 4 people.

I don’t recommend coming for the food, but it was an interesting experience.

FOOD. Some of the dishes served at the North Korean restaurant. Photo by Zachary Lee/Rappler.

State-owned

Many articles shared by netizens about the restaurant mentioned that taking photos is prohibited. But when the waitress saw me take out my phone and take photos, she didn’t stop me nor did she say anything. I even put my phone on the table for a while.

BIBIMBAP. Traditional Korean food served in the restaurant had too much garlic. Photo by Zachary Lee/Rappler.

Pyongyang restaurants are owned and operated by the government of North Korea. They are mainly in China near the North Korean border. There are about 130 North Korean restaurants overseas, including Indonesia, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Middle East countries.

Dozens of North Korean restaurants abroad have closed or suspended business as visitor numbers plunge because of growing international pressure on the isolated state, Seoul’s spy agency said Wednesday, April 27.

Last month, 13 workers, one man and 12 waitresses working at Pyongyang restaurants in China defected to South Korea.

On May 2, South Korea warned that there is a risk of its citizens being abducted by Pyongyang in retaliation to the defection. – Rappler.com

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