Bokman owners to unveil second Bristol site

Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson (pictured), chef owners of Bokman in Bristol, will open their second site in the city at the end of September. 

Dongnae, meaning ‘neighbourhood’ in Korean, draws inspiration from Jeong Jeon's upbringing in Korea and time spent living in Seoul.

The couple have been working on the concept and menu for over two years, with the aim of pushing the fermentation elements of their dishes and creating even more Korean staples from scratch, such as artisanal doenjang, gochujang and even makgeolli (Korean rice beer). 

The restaurant, opening on Friday 27 September, is situated on Chandos Road in Bristol's Redland.

"We feel [the name] fits well with our great location on Chandos Road," say the couple. "It has a welcoming, comfortable and accessible connotation, which is really important to us.

"With Dongnae, we want to gently challenge the idea that all Asian cuisines are grouped together, and encourage people to come and enjoy Korean food in our version of a modern neighbourhood restaurant."

The menus

The restaurant will have different menus and price points to allow greater accessibility, from an à la carte with traditional barbecue to a lunch menu priced at £24 for a set meal of a rice bowl, soup, side dishes and kimchi.

Korean barbecue techniques are at the heart of the menu, with a whole section dedicated to dishes from the charcoal bulpan (grill), which will be brought directly to the table.

A Hanjungshik (omakase style) priced at £55 will showcase some of the chefs’ favourite dishes, including Korean beef tartare, wild mushroom dolsotbap, whelk and perilla muchim, or grilled pork jowl with various in-house condiments such as fresh wasabi, ssamjang and fermented clam (jeotgal).

Image: Lola Laurent

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