Home Away from Home: The Jamaican Way

Written by Gianna Francesca Catolico

Gwangju is home to a colossal number of restaurants, pubs, and shops wielding a growing influx of Asian and Western cuisine and culture. Among these places surrounding Chonnam National University, one restobar offers a mouth-watering assemblage of Jamaican-inspired dishes at student-friendly prices: Loft 28. Since it opened its doors back in 2014, Loft 28 shines as a popular hangout among students and partygoers.

There are two cultural icons that pop into mind when one hears about Jamaica: Bob Marley and Reggae music (which was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as an international cultural treasure in 2018). However, Jamaican culture is more than just the dynamic beat of reggae – and Loft 28 is there to prove it.

I had a quick conversation with Ronald Harford, one of the co-owners of Loft 28. A Canadian-Venezuelan with Jamaican roots, he also works as an English and Spanish language instructor at Chosun University. Since arriving in Korea last 2009, he has been observing and immersing himself in Gwangju nightlife, which prompted him and his cousin, Craig Cha-Fong, to open a restaurant and offer their succulent must-try dishes.

“I started looking at bars and hanging out with friends,” Ronald responded when I asked how Loft 28 was blueprinted. “Nine years ago, I made friends with the owner of Bubble Club downtown. I told them that my cousin was a DJ and that he can play music here. My cousin started playing music there, and did so for many years. Then, we started learning about the business of Korean bars. We were curious and interested, and that’s when we started the idea of maybe one day opening our own bar.”

A bookshelf door greeted me upon entering Loft 28. I feasted my eyes on the restobar’s warm and homey interior design akin to that of a Western-style home. It’s furnished with a mini-bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, bathroom, and a dining area. An ornate letter wall displaying “Home Away from Home” also caught my attention.

“Our whole idea was to make this [Loft 28] a friendly kind of establishment. … It feels like it’s very comfortable and like it’s a house party in America or in Canada, where people are talking over there, people are sitting over here, and maybe they would talk to each other [later],” Ronald explained while we toured through his restobar.

Because of Loft 28’s warm and homey concept, Ronald admitted that some Korean customers were bewildered as to what, exactly, Loft 28 is. “A lot of people have never seen a place like ours. So, a lot of Koreans were confused as to whether Loft 28 was a bar, a restaurant, or a club – there are people who are singing and dancing, but there are people eating and drinking, plus there’s coffee. But now, a lot of people are starting to know about our food a little bit more.”

During our chitchat, I was served one of their bestsellers, the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. While I was taking a bite of it, Ronald muttered, “Do you know the secret of our chicken (recipe)? We put a pinch of adobo in it” (Filipino and Spanish word for marinade or seasoning), which, to my awe, manifests our respective countries’ “salty” colonial history under Spanish conquest and tutelage. Interestingly, most of their dishes are either fusion dishes or are served with Korean side dishes to bring mouth-watering Jamaican staples closer to Korean taste buds. They also serve a variety of wines and cocktails priced at 5,000 won.

Events and Gigs
Ronald, Craig, and their team members ensure that Loft 28 will never run out of gimmicks and events. In fact, on the same night as my interview, Ronald and his team were hosting a “Latin Party,” an event where they blast Latin music.

Every Friday night, Loft 28 dazzles with live jazz music, a new addition to their roster of activities. Ronald is planning to invite musicians to perform jazz and reggae. Meanwhile, Wednesdays are reserved as an open mic gig for aspiring singers. Through promoting local artistry at Loft 28, Ronald hopes that more artists would showcase their talents.

As a token of appreciation to their female customers, Loft 28 organizes a “Ladies Night” on one Saturday each month. A group of three or four women comes together, and we give them a bottle of their choice of rum, gin, vodka, or Loft 28 Special. They need a cover the service and tip, which is 10,000 won. Due to an overwhelming number of customers, one must make a reservation days in advance for Ladies Night.

Lastly, the hardworking crew of Loft 28, with the help of the foreign community, organizes charity fundraisers for orphanages in Gwangju. Ronald explained, “We’ll host a party with a fee, and all the proceeds and part of our sales will be for the foundation we’re trying to help. We’ve worked Sungbin Girls Orphanage, we had a couple of parties for them and raised a million or a million and a half for them.” Last year, they raised funds for an NGO helping women who were victims of domestic abuse. This year, they will hold a similar fundraiser for Mudeung Dream Garden Children’s Home, located near Mt. Mudeung.

Loft 28 in the Future
Loft 28 is indeed a loft that brings together Koreans and foreigners to interact and mingle with each other. For Ronald and his team, they always make sure that their customers are given nothing but the best service.

“Craig, I, and our team put in a lot of our time here. They [customers] may be shy, but we want to treat them with something they never felt before,” he said. “So later, I might buy a drink and talk to them. … If they are comfortable with me, they may come back and enjoy the experience again.”

He also bared his future plans for Loft 28, including opening a second branch in the downtown area. Perhaps, their Jamaican Jerk Chicken can be the next sought-after chicken in the city. “Who knows? Maybe I could start delivering chicken, too!” he quipped before capping off our interview.

Loft 28 로프트28
Location: 79 Myeonang-ro 6-beongil, Buk-gu, Gwangju
광주 북구 면앙로6번길 79 지하1층
Phone: 010-8470-1221 (Craig)
Website: http://www.facebook.com/28loft28
Hours: 5:00 p.m. onwards

Photographs courtesy of Loft 28 and Gianna Catolico

The Author
Gianna Francesca Catolico is an intern from the Philippines at the May 18 Memorial Foundation. She recently finished her master’s degree in human rights and democratization from Mahidol University in Thailand. She has been sojourning around Asia over the past three years.