A Taste of Success

In spring 2016, 강호동 (Kang Ho Dong) opened a new Korean barbecue restaurant in Guangzhou—백정 (Baekjung), also known as 678. Baekjung is a famous franchise created by the famous entertainer and meat enthusiast Kang Ho Dong. To see if the good reputation of this restaurant was justified, I decided to go there with Ben Justason. On the night of September 11, 2016,  Ben and I experienced a full course of Korean Barbecue.

Baekjung has been packed with customers since day one. The reputation and the taste of Baekjung made the wait and long lines we experienced worthwhile and rewarding, an opinion shared by many other meat enthusiasts.

Baekjung is filled with amazing food and unorthodox culinary mechanisms. At first glance, Ben was hesitant to enter the meat paradise. Ben saw a long pipe above the meat and was baffled by its location and purpose. But what many foreigners don’t realize is that this long pipe leering above the meat helps take away the clouds of smoke and cook the meat faster. Through several techniques that Baekjung possesses, Ben had a drastic change of his opinion about Baekjung.

The fee for two hungry people is about 260RMB, which is about $38. This may seem like an expensive meal, but it’s actually quite reasonable considering the fact that the meal consists of meat only. After the dinner, Ben said, “I would even wait up to one hour in order to eat here with family or friends. The restaurant brought out rich flavor and tenderness of the meat and I give it a solid 9 out of 10 for its taste.”