Clay and Fire Meet at Busan Restaurant
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
BUSAN ― Clay and fire meet at one of the biggest and best restaurants in Busan. ``Seyeonjung'' (beef restaurant, meaning clean and natural house) is now leading the restaurant industry in the country's largest port city.
Established in Dong-rae in 2000, the restaurant has doubled in terms of income and scale. This year, it opened a branch in Haeundae, where Korea's biggest beach is situated, and has about 45,000 customers every month.
Kim Choon-bae, owner of the restaurant, attributed his success to his unique beef roasting skills. ``I believe the oven and broiling skills decide the taste of the beef. In our restaurant, you can experience the art of fire with our unique oven,'' Kim told The Korea Times in an interview.
Kim has created a clay oven, called ``Guijoto'' in cooperation with a research team at Pusan National University. It is made of diatomaceous soil and zeolite that can absorb not only the beef smell but also harmful ingredients. Also, the oven emits far infrared rays that help roast the beef more efficiently as well as enable the fire to broil the beef perpendicularly, which makes the beef tastier.
Kim got his idea for the invention of the oven from the ``Samguk Sagi,'' a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea which said people at the time cooked food with charcoal fire. He conducted several experiments with the research team to make a clay oven that can make full use of charcoal and won a patent from the Korean Intellectual Property Office, this year. The oven also enables customers to roast meat at a constant temperature, he said.
In addition, Seyeonjung was the first beef restaurant that introduced a salad bar. At the restaurant, customers can enjoy not only well-roasted beef but also diverse fresh salad that is unlimited and free of charge.
Especially, the restaurant's strategy has drawn many female customers. ``I can taste Western and Eastern food at this restaurant. Also, the huge building makes me feel like I am eating in a palace,'' said Choi Sun-kyeong from Kimhae City in South Gyeongsang Province.
The president has strived to develop differentiated recipes and delicacies to meet changing customers' desires and his contributions have served as a cornerstone for improving customer service and taste at the restaurant.
Most customers who taste the food offered by Seyeonjung say, ``The beef’s really good there.'' Seyeonjeong allows customers to enjoy the best beef at reasonable prices together with outstanding customer service in an elegant and cozy atmosphere. The homemade sauce is also another factor that attracts regular customers.
Moreover, the restaurant has not changed the price of the food for years. ``It was hard to keep the food price the same over the past seven years and it will be difficult to continue to do so. But I will do my best to restrain price increases because it is our promise that we will provide our customers with an abundance of food at a cheap price,'' Kim said.
Currently, more than 150 employees are working at the restaurants, which accommodate some 1,500 people.
Kim sees the ``dining out'' business growing more, and Korean traditional restaurants will have to compete with overseas brands. To cope with severe competition, Kim is ceaselessly developing new food items and service systems. He also plans to expand his restaurants into China.