A taste of Korea comes to city

A NEW restaurant '“ the first of its kind in the city '“ is making taste buds tingle in Southsea.Â
Richard Yuan from Galbi in Albert Road SouthseaRichard Yuan from Galbi in Albert Road Southsea
Richard Yuan from Galbi in Albert Road Southsea

Galbi, a Korean barbecue restaurant, is already booming with customers after just two months of business on Albert Road. 

The restaurant has received five-star reviews and owner Richard Yuan says he has seen queues of people eager to grab a table.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Galbi lets customers cook their meal themselves, a tradition seen around Northern Asia, especially Korea.

Richard has worked in a Korean restaurant before but decided to take his passion to the next level and open his own place. 

The 35-year-old said: '˜I opened this restaurant because there is no other like it in Portsmouth. Albert Road is very good for independent shops and the nightlife brings a lot of business.' 

In just four months, Richard has refurbished the property, which he funded privately. 

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: '˜I've decorated very simply so it's not expensive but it still looks good. And then I plan to just keep doing it up.' 

Richard's passion doesn't stop at Korean barbecue, he also strongly believes that independent shops are better than chain restaurants because they are less expensive, and offer better customer service.

He said: '˜The best thing about running a restaurant is making the customer happy. Feedback like 'the chef is good' or 'the service is amazing' is satisfying '“ it means you're not doing it for nothing.'

Galbi offers traditional barbecue dishes and a set menu. 

Richard said: '˜The set menu is the most popular dish. You can choose from many kinds of meat. The food is put on the table and you cook it. I'll show you how to do it if it's your first time.'

Related topics: