If you end up at the Hyangsan Hotel at Mt Myohyang then there are two main restaurants, the main one on the second floor of the hotel and a hidden gem simply called “The Restaurant” in Korean.
What those in the know call it is the “Rainbow Trout Restaurant”. As you’d expect it is because they serve rainbow trout, but there is much more to it than that. Not only do they give you the option to catch your own fish, but they serve the most wonderful trout sashimi I perhaps had anywhere.
So, what’s the deal?
Table of Contents
The Hyangsan Hotel
The Hyangsan Hotel is a large state-run hotel located at the foot of Mount Myohyang, built during the socialist era as part of North Korea’s domestic tourism infrastructure. It is one of the main accommodation options in the area, particularly for visits to the nearby International Friendship Exhibition.
The hotel has been renovated over time but retains a traditional DPRK hotel style, with a large multi-storey structure and several hundred rooms spread across different wings. Facilities include restaurants, banquet halls, and basic leisure spaces. Its main selling point is its location, surrounded by forested mountains and the IFE!
The Rainbow Trout Restaurant location
The Hyangsan Rainbow Trout Restaurant aka “Restaurant” is actually not somewhere that you find accidentally, because despite being on the hotel compound, the Hyangsan is actually freaking huge. No, you get there either with local knowledge, as I did, or now at least by reading this.
So, location! Basically if you are coming out of the Hyangsan you walk a few minutes down the road and it is the building on your right on the second floor – I shit you not called “Restaurant” in Korean. Gotta love commie equality! Your guides might actually know of the place, as would the hotel staff, so you might need to ask. You will not normally be taken here as standard and it will be an extra charge if you are on a tour.
The Food at Hyangsan Rainbow Trout Restaurant
OK, so let’s get onto the food! This is predominantly a Korean BBQ joint, or rather a North Korean BBQ joint. This means much of the same bulgogi type stuff, but most importantly duck BBQ. For whatever reason duck BBQ – which is great is more a thing in the north than the south. Click to read about the Pyongyang duck BBQ. North Korean BBQ tends to come with 3 types of sauce (spicy chilli sauce, soy sauce, vinegar-based sauce). The hot one goes great with the meat.
And then there is the trout! Basically there is a little pond out the back and if you want trout you get the chance to catch one with a net. Not as easy as it sounds, with me at least failing. The DPR Koreans were pretty good at it though, as were the staff who could mop up two in one go. Truly kudos.
The trout is then cut open and served open top complete with the liver. First port of call? The waitress serves you the beating heart raw. Absolute class. The trout itself is epic and goes with sauce one, the spicy vinegar type one, with me personally opting for some Korean mustard with it.
And to finish? Porridge, or gruel which in Asia is a bit different from Oliver Twist days. The one we had was river trout porridge with the main ingredient being the skin. Not usually a big porridge fan, but in Korean style it takes the edge off the meat and is just an epic filler. As always of course there are also epic kimchi-based sides with me particularly taking a fancy to vinegar pickled spinach. Oh I could go on and on…
Drinks? Taedonggang beer of course, or soju! We went for a 30% beast in a blue bottle called (add name). North Korean and South Korean soju are not the same.
Overall vibe….
There was a Thai guy in when we were, with his guys, but for the most part it was Koreans getting their groove on. Everything was drinking soju, the atmosphere was electric and did I mention that the waitresses literally fed us? Karaoke came out and it was a real vibe, a vibe not even ruined when the power went out. What do you do then? Relight the BBQ fire, turn on the phone lamps and carry on.
Sometimes I balk at sharing a great restaurant for fear that it will be ruined by hordes of fans swamping it. I guess at least with North Korea I need not worry too much, at least yet.
Click to see my North Korea tours with YPT!