Northern Secrets: North Korean cuisine unveiled
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The main dining room of Hae Dang Hwa Restaurant maintains a modern style while incorporating traditional Korean details. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com] |
Guests lucky or rich enough to dine in a private room can watch beautiful North Korean performers in elaborate, sparkling costumes sing Korean and Chinese songs. The largest and most popular private room, which features Korean-style woodwork, lounge furniture, and a grand piano in addition to the banquet table, requires an advance reservation and at least 8,000 yuan in expenditures.
The servers are all exceptionally pretty, but their Chinese-language skills vary. Natives of North Korea, they have to work at the Pyongyang branch of the restaurant for at least three years before they have an opportunity to rotate to one of the Beijing branches. Only after they arrival in Beijing do they learn Chinese.
Don't expect any riveting stories from home, however; restaurant workers are particularly reserved and wary about giving details about the history of the restaurant or their own backgrounds.
With the exotic nature of the ingredients and the fine appearance of the dining rooms, don't expect a cheap meal. This restaurant will definitely lighten your wallet. Most specialty dishes are at least 60 yuan each, and many have three-digit price tags. Some staple foods and simple vegetable dishes run a bit cheaper at 20 yuan-50 yuan, and a dish of kimchi will set diners back 20 yuan.
Hae Dang Hwa Restaurant is definitely not destined to become the local hangout, but if you're curious about North Korean's secretive nature or their exotic food, it makes for an interesting adventure.
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