What are you up to this weekend? The weather got so much better at the end of April. I visited Pyeongtaek Braai Republic last week, where I sometimes visit to drive with my wife. I think there are a total of three places (Itaewon, Hongdae, and Pyeongtaek) in Korea. I went to the Itaewon branch in February. We will start introducing the Braai Republic in front of Humphreys, a U.S. military base, a great place to eat out pleasantly while having an exotic experience near Gyeonggi-do.
My wife is from South Africa. She said it’s delicious. Need more information?
Braai republic(Pyeongtaek)
경기도 평택시 팽성읍 안정쇼핑로 17-1 2층
I visited during lunchtime on Saturday and made a reservation over the phone just in case, but when I arrived, the table was half full. There are balcony seats on the second floor and indoor seats, but balconies are more popular on sunny days like these days, right? I usually speak English because my employees are foreigners, but I think they can understand simple Korean. The last time I made a reservation over the phone, I could make a reservation in Korean.
The interior was decorated with stuffed animals from Africa, and there were traditional crafts and patterns, so it felt like I was really at a restaurant in South Africa. There was a bathroom in the left corner of the restaurant, so it wasn’t too difficult to go to the restroom for my pregnant wife.
In Korean restaurants, there is a bell, so if you need something, you often press the bell to call the employee, but in foreign restaurants, I felt that employees visited the table once to ask for their opinions on food or refill drinks, so I could feel a more friendly service.
When I visited my in-laws’ house in South Africa in 2022, I drank a lot of windhoek and castle beer, and it’s so nice to see them again here. There are many cocktails that are hard to find in Korea, so I recommend them to those who want to enjoy a different kinds of alcohol.
I drove so i didn’t drink, but I drank ginger beer instead. It was Bundaberg Gingerbear, which I enjoyed drinking in Australia, but my wife said that it was fake because she only drinks Stoney Gingerbear in South Africa. I really like Bundaberg, too. I tried making ginger beer at home a few times, but it’s hard to taste like this.
When I was in Brisbane, Australia, I met a lot of Koreans who were there on working holiday visas. Many of them were heading out to farms in the area. In Korean, Bundaberg sounded like ‘earning a lot of money,’ so everyone got excited and was eager to go there. On the other hand, another farm called Gatton sounded like ‘throwing up from hard work’ in Korean, so people were pretty reluctant to head there. It was kind of like a dad joke, but honestly, it fit the vibe perfectly!
Speaking of driving, there is no parking lot in the restaurant, so you have to park a little far from the main road in front of Humphreys Base. The surrounding roads are very narrow and complicated. I hope to create a large public parking lot around so that tourists can come more comfortably. It’s an attractive enough street, so I think it can develop into a tourist attraction.
Our food is here!! Meat platter and chicken half shrimp half menu, which are not shown in the picture, I ordered a total of three menus together: lamb meat pie. One man and two women went, but I left a little because others didn’t eat much. If you think you can eat more than one dish, I recommend you to order extra dish that you and your friends can share.
There were also lots of U.S. soldiers and their families around. One plate of food looked like just a light snack for them! Lamb isn’t a common meat in Korea, but I think any Korean would love it because the lamb there was perfectly seasoned with just a bit of spice, salt, and herbs. And especially the sausage — it was amazing. You can’t find that kind of flavor anywhere else in Korea. I really hope you get a chance to try it.
I think I was always satisfied after eating food in Braai republic. If you want to try new food or have friends or family from Africa like me, I recommend you to come!! I haven’t been to Hongdae branch yet, but I really want to go there if I have a chance! See you next time~