The Closures of North Korean Restaurants in Phnom Penh

I was saddened by the new of the closings of the North Korean restaurants in Cambodia. There were restaurants in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville. As someone who has spent most of the last 15 years living in South Korea, I was thrilled to visit these restaurants. I wanted to taste North Korean cuisine, experience the atmosphere of the most closed society in the world, and speak to the waitresses (these are not in order).

North Korean women are famous for their beauty. It is a pure and natural beauty, untouched by the rampant plastic surgery industry in South Korea that has a very high percentage of young women having eyelid surgery to look more western. I was not disappointed as at all three restaurants, there were women that I could not take my eyes off nearly the entire time I was there.

The Pyongyang restaurant was located in Siem Reap in an area of town that has many Korean businesses. I visited there with my Korean travelling companion in mid-July. We were told the show would start at 7:30, so we ordered a beer and waited. Soon, a tour bus drove, packed with Korean tourists on a package tour. They were marched in by the tour guide and seated at a long table in the center of the room, perfect for viewing the show the ladies were about to perform. My friend and I sat to the left.

Our waitress was tall for a North Korean, with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. She wore very little makeup. She was wearing the traditional Hanbok clothing which makes it nearly impossible to gauge her figure, but by the way she moved I assumed the best. I was immediately and irrevocably taken by her.

Even though I was in the company of my girlfriend, I couldn’t take my eyes off of this woman. It was completely obvious that I was quite taken with her. Adding to my excitement was that she was not trying to ignore the attraction, as would be the case in South Korea, but she, too, seemed interested in me and I caught her looking at me as I watched the floor show later. This was not overlooked by my girlfriend, but I felt a near compulsion to look at this woman.

The floor show consisted of a few Korean songs sung by the waitresses and a rather awkward dance that was not Korean. The South Korean tourists smoked, talked, and ate throughout performance, punctuated by off-beat clapping in unison. The waitresses were not that talented, but it was a fun time. 45 minutes later, the tour guide marched the South Korean tourists back into the bus, driving them across the street to a (probably) overpriced small Korean market.

We had a bowl of cold noodles for dinner and had a chat with the beautiful waitress. She was from Pyongyang. I told her that she was beautiful and we asked if North Korean women ever get plastic surgery like in the South. She politely said that North Korean women are all natural. We made small talk with her and could tell that she was somewhat reserved in her answers. I am sure that they are told what to say and what not to say. We asked to take pictures with her and she did. I really, really wanted to get to know her better and (alone).

The Pyongyang restaurant in Phnom Penh was down on Monivong about a block past the right turnoff to go to Martinis. I was last there a few years ago. Here as well, there were very beautiful women. I found myself stopping in to watch the show and drink a few beers several times a week. The show here was more traditional and lasted a lot longer. The girls played traditional musical instruments and did traditional dances in addition to the songs.

I would often go in the afternoon for lunch and I would talk to the same waitress. In the afternoon, they did not wear the traditional clothes. She was short with an athletic body and very cute. As I was often the only patron in the restaurant for lunch, I had the opportunity to ask her many questions and try to get to know her. Many of her answers were either not truthful or maybe she really didn’t know the answers. She told me there were no regional dialects in North Korean. This I know to be untrue. She said Pyongyang was a nice place and that I should visit there if I wished. I told her that I was pretty sure that it was difficult for an American to visit there and she answered that it was not.

After a few weeks, I decided to ask her out. She told me that the waitresses were not allowed to date and that she was not allowed to go out alone. I really couldn’t imagine that dating an American would go down very well with the management.

The North Korean restaurant in Sihanoukville was on the main road in front of the bus station. I happened to find it by accident while on a walk and spoke to the waitresses out front. They were surprised that I spoke Korean and they seemed very friendly. We spoke for quite a while. I went for the show later that night and it was quite a show. They performed traditional dances, but they also played western music. There was a singer, a bassist, a guitarist, drummer, and a keyboard player. It was a very eclectic show, complete with wardrobe changes.

I looked forward to visiting these places when in the Kingdom. The purported reason behind the decision to close the restaurants seems to me to be not that believable. Cambodia and North Korea have a long history of friendship. I hope one day the restaurants will return.

Jack