The one and only North Korean restaurant in Malaysia

After Kim Jong-nam’s assassination, a not so ostentatious restaurant in Kuala Lumpur has come under intense media spotlight for just a simple reason: it is the one and only North Korean restaurant in Malaysia.

Located at No 1 & 3 on Jalan Kamuning, Koryo Restaurant lies in the Imbi area, a busy commercial district in downtown Kuala Lumpur, within a one kilometre walking distance from Bukit Bintang.

This North Korean restaurant has always been a channel to earn foreign currency, to send the money back to Pyongyang.

According to China’s state-owned media outlet Xin Hua News Agency, North Korea opened its first restaurant, Pyongyang Restaurant, in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Then-transport minister Ong Tee Keat and the former North Korean ambassador were among those who attended the opening ceremony of this restaurant, the report says.

The operation of this reataurant cam to a halt after few years, after which Koryo Restaurant was opened.

Koryo Restaurant operates from 11.30am to 3.30pm, and from 5.30pm to 11pm, daily.

Members of the media have been flocking to the restaurant ever since the assassination of Kimg Jong-nam, compelling the restaurant to close down its afternoon session, and to only open at night.

Although Facebook and YouTube are blocked in North Korea under its tight censorship practice in the country, Koryo Restaurant has its own Facebook page, but it rarely updated. Its last posting was in November 2015.

For starters, I was scheduled to visit Koryo Restaurant one afternoon - and found it to be closed upon my arrival there.

Dissappointed, I returned with a friend at night.

There is a guardhouse at the entrance to Koryo Restaurant. There are two security personnel, on day and night shifts, every day.

Its signboard stating "Koryo Restaurant" is in the Korean, English and Chinese languages. Any passer-by would probably see this as a high-end South Korean restaurant.

A mamak stall is located across the road from this restaurant.

A photo-shy restaurant

Entering the restaurant, the first thing we spot is the North Korean flag (photo above, left). Ushered by a waitress, we picked a table in the dining hall.

"Sorry, no photo here", was the first thing the waitress told us, after my friend and I sat down.

We are not allowed to take any pictures of the restaurant and the staff, but pictures of the food served are permissible, she told us with a serious face and a polite smile.

Looking up, I saw two notices, stating, "No photos, we are shy :)", adding some more mystery to the already mysterious restaurant.

On our table, there was a barbecue grill, something that you would see in a Korean restaurant.

Going through the menu, we found the price to be slightly higher than other upmarket food outlets. The cost of the soups ranged from RM30 to more than RM60, for instance.

They also served traditional North Korean cuisines such as cold noodles, Ginseng & Chicken Soup and North Korean ginseng wine.

The dining hall had about 10 tables, with a small stage in the front, covered with a curtain, and a small bar at the back, showcasing a variety of liquors.

Initially, my friend and I wanted to try North Korean beer but it was not available. Hard liquor is sold at more than RM200 a bottle. We dropped the idea as we had a limited budget.

Bumblebee statue but no Kim's portraits

There were eight staff, all waitresses, present then. Donning North Korean traditional costumes and high heels, they are good looking, speaking basic but fluent English.

Contradicting to the stereotype that North Koreans are serious and unsmiling, they chatted chillingly with one another and laughed occasionally during work.

A near two-metre statue of Bumblebee, which has a role in the Hollywood blockbuster Transformer, was visibly sited beside the bar.

However, potraits of Pyongyang leaders, such as Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong-un, were not spotted here.

I could not help smiling, knowing the fact that Pyongyang has always accused Hollywood movies of being part of the American imperialist propoganda.

Propaganda videos were also played non-stop on the four televesion sets in the restaurant, with the themes ranging from beautiful scenes in the nation to the story of the labour masses celebrating the "greatness" of the communist country.

Apart from its dining hall, Koryo Restaurant also has eight private rooms. Many North Koreans reportedly came to dine here.

Cultural performance halted

When we entered the restaurant about 8pm that night, only one table was occupied. But customers came, one by one, with five tables occupied at its peak that night. They were mostly Malaysians, but there were also two or three foreigners.

"We also have songs and dance performances, 8:30 every evening. From piano and violin to traditional North Korean cultural performances. You’ll be charmed by the grace of our North Korean artists," Koryo Restaurant states on its Facebook page.

It made me look forward to enjoying the well-known cultural performances of the communist nation in this restaurant.

Sadly, the waitress told us it was not available that night, as the sound system was down.

After our meal, we began asking the waitress who owns the restaurant, and she replied that all the staff are North Koreans - and she walked away when we asked more questions.

When we received our bill, we tried again by asking some more questions, such as whether the business has been affected by Kim Jong-nam’s assasination.

However, the friendly waitress begun to show impatience.

“Don't know”, she said, her face, turning perfunctory.

Noticing that she has turned unpleasant, we tried to ask more general questions like the operating hours for the restaraunt now.

"Is this important? As I mentioned, we open from 5.30pm to 11.30pm," she said, raising her voice.

Perhaps, the bond between Malaysia and North Korea is reflected in our conversation with the waitress - shifting from friendly and condescending to becoming icy, after Jong-nam’s assasination? I wondered...-Mkini