After Kim Jong-nam’s assassination, a not so ostentatious restaurant in Kuala Lumpur has come under intense media spotlight for a simple reason: it is the one and only North Korean restaurant in Malaysia.

Located at No 1 and 3 on Jalan Kamuning, Koryo Restaurant lies in the Imbi area, a busy commercial district in downtown Kuala Lumpur, within a one kilometre walking distance from Bukit Bintang.

This North Korean restaurant has reportedly been a channel to earn foreign currency, to send the money back to Pyongyang.

According to China’s state-owned media outlet Xin Hua News Agency, North Korea opened its first restaurant, Pyongyang Restaurant, in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Then-transport minister Ong Tee Keat and the former North Korean ambassador were among those who attended the opening ceremony.

A few years later, the restaurant closed and in its place came Koryo Restaurant.

Koryo Restaurant operates from 11.30am to 3.30pm, and from 5.30pm to 11pm, daily.

Media personnel have been flocking to the restaurant ever since the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. Following this, the restaurant decided to open only for dinner.

Although Facebook and YouTube are blocked in North Korea under its tight censorship practice in the country, Koryo Restaurant has its own Facebook page, but it is rarely updated. Its last posting was in November 2015.

I was scheduled to visit Koryo Restaurant one afternoon but found it closed. Dissappointed, I returned with a friend at night.

There is a guardhouse at the entrance to Koryo Restaurant. There are two security personnel, on day and night shifts, every day.

Its signboard stating "Koryo Restaurant" is in the Korean, English and Chinese languages. Any passer-by would probably think that this was a high-end South Korean restaurant.

A mamak stall is located across the road from this restaurant.

A photo-shy restaurant

Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing we notice is the North Korean flag (photo above, left). Ushered by a waitress, we picked a table in the dining hall.

"Sorry, no photo here", was the first thing the waitress told us, after my friend and I sat down.

We are not allowed to take any pictures of the restaurant and the staff, but pictures of the food served are permissible, she told us with a serious face and a polite smile.

Looking up, I saw two notices, stating, "No photos, we are shy :)", adding some more mystery to the already mysterious restaurant.

On our table, there was a barbecue grill, something that you would see in any normal Korean restaurant.

Going through the menu, we found the price to be slightly higher than other upmarket food outlets. The cost of the soups ranged from RM30 to more than RM60, for instance.

They also served traditional North Korean cuisines such as cold noodles, ginseng & chicken soup and North Korean ginseng wine.

The dining hall had about 10 tables, with a small stage in the front, covered with a curtain, and a small bar at the back, showcasing a variety of liquors.

Initially, my friend and I wanted to try North Korean beer but it was not available. Hard liquor is sold at more than RM200 a bottle. We dropped the idea as claims will be hard to justify.

Bumblebee statue but no Kim's portraits

There were eight waiting staff, all female, at the time. Donning North Korean traditional costumes and high heels, they look attractive and could converse comfortably in English.

Contradicting the stereotype that North Koreans are serious and had a stiff upper lip, they seem to be cheerful and chatty among themselves. 

A near two-metre statue of Bumblebee, a major character in Hollywood's "Transformers" series, stood by the bar.

We expected portraits of North Korean leaders such as Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. They were no where to be seen.

I could not help smiling, knowing the fact that Pyongyang has always accused Hollywood movies of being part of the American imperialist propoganda.

Propaganda videos were also played non-stop on the four televesion sets in the restaurant, with the themes ranging from beautiful scenes in the nation to the story of the working masses celebrating the "greatness" of the communist country.

Apart from its dining hall, Koryo Restaurant also has eight private rooms. Many North Koreans reportedly came to dine here.

Cultural performance halted

When we entered the restaurant about 8pm that night, only one table was occupied. But customers came, one by one, with five tables occupied at its peak that night. They were mostly Malaysians, but there were also two or three foreigners.

"We also have songs and dance performances, 8:30 every evening. From piano and violin to traditional North Korean cultural performances. You’ll be charmed by the grace of our North Korean artists," Koryo Restaurant states on its Facebook page.

It made me look forward to enjoying the well-known cultural performances of the communist nation in this restaurant.

Sadly, the waitress told us it was not available that night, as the sound system was not functioning.

After our meal, we began asking the waitress who owns the restaurant, and she replied that all the staff are North Koreans - and she walked away when we asked more questions.

When we received our bill, we tried again by asking some more questions, such as whether the business has been affected by Kim Jong-nam’s assasination.

However, the initially friendly waitress was now getting agitated.

“Don't know”, she said, her face, turning perfunctory.

Noticing that she has turned unpleasant, we tried to ask more general questions like the operating hours for the restaraunt now.

"Is this important? As I mentioned, we open from 5.30pm to 11.30pm," she said, raising her voice.

Perhaps, the bond between Malaysia and North Korea is reflected in our conversation with the waitress - shifting from friendly and condescending to becoming icy, after Jong-nam’s assasination? I wondered...