Check out our experience at Dong Baek below:
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Busan's popular barbecue restaurant, Dong Baek, has finally opened its first location in Hong Kong. To avoid long queues, we made online reservations and arrived at 6pm on a Monday. The seating process went smoothly, and the staff informed us that we had two hours to enjoy our meal. As we entered the restaurant, we noticed that Dong Baek's dining area was well-lit and comprised of spacious booths separated by wooden screens. The dining environment seamlessly combined traditional Korean elements with a modern design style, creating a cosy and comfortable space.
Dong Baek offers a high-quality Korean barbecue experience featuring carefully selected ingredients from around the world and unique cuts of meat. With no time to waste, we eagerly ordered a variety of barbecued meats and entrees. Our barbecue grill was divided into two sides: one with a kimchi omelette batter and the other with corn and shredded cheese. Both sides could be replenished throughout the meal. Additionally, we were served a delightful assortment of homemade Korean pickles, including radish, kimchi, bean sprouts, spinach, baby Chinese cabbage, and mashed pumpkin. These delectable pickles were available for an additional $40.
We tried Dong Baek's signature flower pork belly ($188/half portion) prepared in thin slices, which cooked quickly and had a flavourful, slightly sweet, and juicy taste without being greasy. Dong Baek offers high-quality Hanwoo beef and Japanese Wagyu, including cuts like sirloin, ribeye, and beef belly. We recommend the rib cover meat ($360), which is boneless and has flavorful, chewy beef ribs with roasted sinew. Dong Baek provides delicious pork and beef dishes to satisfy meat lovers.
Even though Dong Baek specialises in barbecued meats, their menu offers five kinds of Korean fried chicken. We opted for the cheese fried chicken ($128 for a half portion), which was served on an iron plate and came with sizzling melted cheese. We couldn't resist picking up the fried chicken and dunking it in the melted cheese. With our first bite, the chicken's coating was crispy while the insides remained juicy, making each bite absolutely irresistible. For other Korean bites, we also tried a portion of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) ($98), which had a sweet and spicy sauce slathered over chewy rice cakes.
After being seated for nearly two hours, we needed to conclude our meal swiftly. However, the staff informed us that no customers were waiting to be seated, allowing us to take our time and savour our meal. Throughout the evening, the service was both efficient and attentive, with each dish being carefully explained to us. To sum up our experience, we were thoroughly satisfied with Dong Baek's dining environment, the quality of the food, the service provided, and the reasonable prices. – translated by Cherry Chan
Here’s what our star ratings mean:
★: Not recommended
★★: A disappointing experience
★★★: A good experience
★★★★: A very good to great experience
★★★★★: An outstanding experience
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