Restaurant Review: The Backyard Kitchen
Barbeque is a staple in today’s Korean cuisine. Customers sit at communal tables and grill beef, pork, chicken, duck or seafood on tabletop grills. Interesting fact: Korean Barbecue was not invented until after the Korean War in restaurants.
A popular way to eat any meat is to wrap it in a piece of lettuce with some garlic, ssamjang (a mix of pepper paste, fermented soybean paste, garlic and other seasonings), and spring onion salad. Most restaurants provide banchan (side dishes) with the meat, with rice available to order.
The Back Yard Kitchen
This new concept restaurant lets you camp and barbeque for dinner, by recreating the experience within a relaxed restaurant atmosphere to be enjoyed year-round! The Backyard crew takes pride in their meat, also importing Kingsford charcoal from the United States and furnishing the restaurant with Korean camping equipment.
Telephone: 062-376-9282
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/backyardki
Hours of Operation: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Area: The restaurant is located in Sangmu, close to the Ssangcheon Subway Station. Take Exit Two and walk straight. When you reach Ssangcheon-ro, make a left. At the Volvo dealership, make a right and then another right.
From the Honam University Entrance (호남대입구) Bus Stop, walk away from the McDonalds and make your first right at the Volvo dealership. Then take your first right again and the restaurant is on your right hand side.
Address: 서구 쌍촌동, 986-3번지, Gwangju 502-876 * 986-3 Seo-gu, Ssangchon-dong
Buses: 16, 19, 69, 72, or 760
Atmosphere: The atmosphere incorporates the theme well. The restaurant has decorated the “front yard” to include a mini-pool, camper chairs, a hammock, lights from trees and patio barbecue tables. Inside, the same camper chairs and dark steel tables appear. The menu is printed on plaques of wood. After dark, the restaurant provides lanterns at each table. It is relaxing to just sit with a group of friends, barbequing, eating, drinking and talking.
Service: The service was friendly and attentive; once seated, you receive a plate of side dishes, good kimchi, lettuce, garlic and sauces. We even got some soft drinks and chicken wings as “service.”
Food: The menu includes chicken wings, beef, shrimp, barbecue pork ribs, sausages and neck meat. They also have ramen and rice, both cooked on the grill. For drinks, vodka, soju, wine, and draft and bottled beer are available.
I tried their frozen beer, where they freeze the foam on top. It makes the drink extra refreshing and I would recommend it during this season. I got to try the chicken wings, pork ribs, neck meat and sausages. The chicken and ribs were marinated with rosemary and a simple but savory barbeque sauce. The potato salad was creamy and light. The pork neck meat was not seasoned, which was perfect because the charcoal and accompanying vegetables complimented it well. Six types of sausages came out, each having its own distinct taste.
Prices: The prices range from 3,000 won for ramen, 10,000 won for sausages or shrimp to 25,000 won for two racks of ribs. The beer prices are the same every day. For the atmosphere and service you receive, the price is more than fair.