Without any advertising, the Korean restaurant Sorabol opened at CITIC
Plaza two months ago and is already a success.
Its name, with its strong flavor of Korean history and culture, vouches for
the restaurant's authenticity. Sorabol was the name for Seoul during the Shilla
Kingdom more than 1,000 years ago.
The two Sorabol restaurants in Hong Kong attract enough big names - from
former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and his successor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to
South Korean pop star Rain and actor Jang Dong-gun and Hong Kong actress Cecilia
Cheung - that Sorabol has been nicknamed "the stars' canteen." The Tsim Sha
Tsui branch opened in 1993 and the Causeway Bay branch opened in 1995.
The first Sorabol opened in Seoul 25 years ago and now includes seven
branches in South Korea, 14 on the Chinese mainland, and one in Singapore.
"Even former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung is a regular customer," said
Kim Ki-soon, the Shenzhen Sorabol's general manager, who came from Seoul with
some 17 years’ experience in the business.
Kim is the omnipresent manager, greeting customers, giving hands-on guidance
to the staff, and getting diners' suggestions.
The decor is traditional Korean style, while the atmosphere is warm and the
staff is friendly.
The place is usually packed with Japanese, Korean and Chinese customers as
well as a few Westerners sampling kimchi for the first time. "About 20 to 30
percent of the diners are Koreans, 70 percent are Shenzheners while another 5
percent are Japanese or people from Western countries," Kim said.
Many of the staff are of Chaoxian ethnicity whose grandparents' generation
emigrated from the Korean peninsular to China decades ago.
Although focused on Korean-style barbecue, Sorabol offers dozens of choices.
Waiters are more than happy to help.
A Sorabol specialty is the Korean-style barbecued beef imported from Canada
and Japan. Priced at 162 yuan (US$20) per order with two marinated Canadian
top-grade short ribs, the finely marbled beef is well prepared and juicy. Unlike
most restaurants, Sorabol staff will prepare the barbecue for you.
Each dish is accompanied by small side dishes of kimchi, spinach, anchovies,
onion, radish and salad.
Don't forget to accompany the paper-thin beef with the South Korean barbecue
sauce. Wrap the beef in fresh lettuce with cucumber, garlic slivers and chili
sauce, and it's ready to eat.
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