COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Forget everything you think you know about North Korea and head over to Pyongyang Okryu, the one and only place (that I know of) in Bangkok that serves up rare North Korean delicacies alongside a bit of cultural experience from this little-known nation.
Tucked into a small street near Kaza Hotel, off of Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Soi Ekkamai), Pyongyang Okryu is on the first floor of a mediocre-looking building that isn’t too welcoming at first glance. If the sign hadn’t made it clear that it was a legit restaurant, not a provider to dodgy services, I don’t think I would have dared to walk into the place.
Inside, the seating is plentiful. This low-ceiling, karaoke-friendly dining hall is equipped with an elevated stage at one end while disco lights twinkle above. The light and noise will get you into a karaoke mood, which will be just right for what you are about to experience. And, did I forget to mention? No photos are allowed to be taken in here.
At the mercy of the restaurant staff, I eventually got permission to take some food photos. The rest — ambience, activities, people, and whatnot — must live on only in my memories. I wasn’t sure why this is the policy, but it only worked to further cement my preconceived ideas about North Korea as furtive and closed-off from the rest of the world.
Gimbab
As we approached the front of the restaurant, my party was greeted by several attentive ladies — all of them North Korean nationals working at the restaurant. Soon enough, we found our glasses filled with water and then, later on, with Soju (because who could be so rude as to refuse their national beverage?). After a few minutes of settling in, we were given the menu, which is actually pretty easy to navigate with photos and descriptions in English, Thai, and Korean on every page.
Kimchi
Starting with familiar-looking items, we ordered a decent number of appetizers. Despite the Gimbab (Korean rice rolls – THB150) being a little bit plain, and the Kimchi (THB200) not having much of a wow factor, our third dish, steamed shellfish (THB250), enveloped us with the fresh taste of seawater and gave our mouths a nice wake-up call.
Steamed shellfish
While waiting for the main dishes to arrive, steamed dumpling (THB150) stole the show and wowed us with their simplicity and comfort food appeal. The wrapping was perfectly glutinous, not too thick, not too thin; and the pork stuffing inside was mild yet super tasty. Biting into this pocket of flavor was a juicy, aromatic experience. This can only mean some awesome steaming techniques have been put into place here.
Raw beef salad
What’s next may seem to you like a freak feast, but it’s not. We picked some more daring choices like raw beef salad (THB350) and Pyongyang sausage (THB250) — both of which appeared as intimidating as the photos suggest, but were really quite enjoyable. The sausage, was the type that you may have come across in previous encounters with Chinese hot pots. The texture was glutinous and chewy (from the sticky rice inside), and it had a bit of a savory aftertaste. The raw beef? How is it any different from our good old beef tartare anyway? This one just had an Asian touch from the sesame oil and Asian veggies, but the idea was the same. All the textures combined well to hide the rawness and make the salad one legit dish that I recommend.
Pyongyang sausage
Just when we were about to be served the next course, our lovely waitresses magically transformed into stage performers, fully dressed in North Korean traditional costumes or sparkling short dresses. Out of nowhere, the music started, and three out of six of our waitresses jumped on stage and started their routine. For the next hour, the ladies alternated between serving food and singing, dancing or performing on stage. With no narration whatsoever, I can only guess that these were a combination of North Korean traditional dances and plays mixed in with some modern-day North Korean “pop culture” which, by the way, looks exactly like the rest of the world’s pop culture…..fifty years ago.
Though the sequence may not have been in any way impressive, it was very insightful to see that North Korea, just like every country, has a fun side.
Grilled beef
All eyes may have been fixed on the stage, but we were not done feasting. Especially when the following three dishes arrived. Grilled beef (THB380) was served the Korean way with veggie wraps. The beef was as tasty as it can be — dry but not too dry, peppery but not too peppery, tender yet chewy. It’d been so thoroughly marinated that just a thin slice could be overpowering without the lettuce wrap, tomato and a garlic slice or two.
Beef soup
Next was the pork rib (THB300) that was so tender it fell off the bone without much effort. Together with the sweet and sour sauce that the ribs are stir-fried in, this makes a perfect protein dish (either with or without rice). Last, but not least, the beef soup (THB300) is what I fell madly in love with. The seemingly light soup was full of rich beef flavor. Even without biting into a beef chunk, the richness of the meat was apparent in the broth. This is first-class soup.
By the time we downed all of this, there was pretty much no room for anything else — not even a small dessert. This was a meal to remember. The food was great, the staff helpful, and the hard work of the waitresses/performers in making sure that we were both fed and entertained was incredible. Really, I was impressed.
FIND IT:
Hours: 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 11pm
Sukhumvit Soi 63, BTS Ekkamai
Tel: 02-020-0220
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