There are over 800,000 Koreans in Beijing, which seems high until you realise that Seoul is only 598 miles away – considerably closer than Shanghai. They are mostly ensconced in a large area in the Chaoyang district, imaginatively called Korean Town.
A happy by-product of this mass influx is the number of high quality Korean restaurants all over town, so getting an invite to the opening night of a new addition to the popular Crystal BBQ chain was an opportunity not to be missed. Situated in the restaurant block just across from our local Carrefour on Jianguomen, near the 3rd ring road it’s very convenient.
The street Crystal BBQ is on is a melange of steamed bun shops and Uigur style open air mutton grills so by the time we reached the unimposing entrance our mouths were already watering. We climbed upstairs to the newly decorated room, which like so many recently designed places in Beijing has taken its cue from the Olympic Birds Nest stadium, with a red recreation of the interwoven struts of the main arena.
Being the token foreigners on opening night we were ushered over to one of the seats next to the huge plate glass windows, so that all the people on the nearby pedestrian bridge could see that even Laowai visit this restaurant. Fortunately we’d bothered to shower and dress a bit better than usual as the other window seats were occupied by four tables of good-looking model-types, who were happily chatting and laughing whilst trying not to overeat and burst the seams on their uncomfortably tight looking dresses.
The tables are large and decently spaced apart, with a large burner being the centrepiece. The staff quickly lit the gas flame and placed the supposedly unique crystal plate on top which gives the restaurant its name. The special glass seemed to conduct heat just as well as the usual metal plates, and we’re told emits infrared rays to kill any bacteria.
We were then given a complimentary barley tea, and a bright orange pumpkin soup as a rather large amuse-bouche, which we ate whilst the rest of side dishes started to arrive. Assuming you spend over ¥50 the meal comes with a wide selection of appetising accompaniments. These included soft white tofu, black fungus, sour turnips, clear glass noodles, a mustardy salad, mashed potato with Thousand Island dressing, preserved lotus root, seaweed, pickled cucumbers, plain lettuce leaves, a bean shoot salad and my favourite: a form of steamed egg with spring onions and sesame served in a large iron pot.
By now the table was already full, but moments later the food we’d actually ordered started to arrive. The hot elements were two types of pork; one very thinly sliced plain pork, and the other a thicker cut that had been left to marinade in a fruit based concoction for some time, as well as a selection of meaty mushrooms. Our waitress/chef blocked the bottom of the sloped glass cooking tray with kimchee and placed the thicker, fattier pork at the top so that the juices would run down over the rest of the meat and mushrooms and infuse them with the very mildly smoky flavour.
We also received some more kimchi, a seasoned fermented vegetable which is a staple of Korean cuisine, as well as doenjang, the classic Korean soybean dipping sauce. Last but definitely not least we were each given a shallow bowl of vinegar and onions, for dipping the meat and cutting through any greasiness.
By now the meat was sizzling away and we breathed in the most amazing smells before they were stolen away by the extractor fans above every table. I’m not sure where the fans led to, but surely directing them out into the street would increase passing custom ten-fold.
Without waiting for the thicker cuts to cook we made a start on the gently browning thinner cuts. Unadorned they were decent, but the seasoned vinegar took them to a whole new level. Combine this with the soybean sauce and wrapped in a fresh lettuce leaf and it was agreed it was one of the best dishes we’d ever had the pleasure to taste.
By now the three types of mushrooms were softened enough to eat alongside the thicker pork and made a wonderful combination. We kept eating until we were full, then ate some more, then ate whatever was left.
Barely able to move we asked for the bill and were asked for all of ¥79, or about $10 which included not only all the food but a litre of fresh orange juice which we’d had to carry out along with a small plate of home-made sticky rice sweets as a gift for attending the opening night.
Unable to resist, and under the pretence of an unnecessary trip to Carrefour we went back a week later and the service, price and most importantly food were still exceptional. Overall, it was everything that DaDong wasn’t: A lively, friendly atmosphere that didn’t feel forced or rushed, and all served up with wonderful food at a remarkable price.
It sounds really really enticing… I'm in France, I think I'll start walking in the direction of China now!!! Will it still be open where I get there?
It's a bit of a trek, but definitely worth it! There's a great video of a chap that tried to walk in the opposite direction from Beijng to Germany: http://vimeo.com/4636202