Korilla Opens Rooftop Korean BBQ And What It Says About Calgary's Food Scene

Sitting on a hot grill, enjoying drinks with friends and great food are the hallmarks that make Korean BBQ so popular in Calgary and many other major cities.

Korilla on 17th Avenue brings an authentic experience to our city, taking a part of Seoul and placing it here, showing how much Korean culture has developed in the city. On May 16, Korilla Korean BBQ opened a rooftop barbecue area called OKTOP. The opening of the restaurant took place on October 16. Restaurant HANKKI Korean street food is the result of great success with seven locations, including two in Banff and Cochrane.

The look and feel of the location is exactly what you would expect in Korea. Round metal tables and retractable telescopic fans above the table grates. They even have karaoke rooms on the basement level. The emergence of such a business in Calgary is a testament to how prolific Korean culture has been in the city.

“That's why we bring everything from Korea. “There are a lot of guests who have been to Korea, and then when they come here they feel like, 'Oh, I'm in Korea now, I'm in Seoul,'” says restaurant owner Simon Park.

The rise of Korean culture and food in Calgary

The opening of many Korean restaurants reflects the growing popularity of not only Korean food, but Korean culture in general. Growing exponentially since PSY's viral hit Gangnam Style in 2012, the popularity of Korean media and culture has captivated Western audiences from food to Hollywood.

Calgary is no stranger to viral sensations from South Korea. In 2021, people just sold a box of BTS McDonald's on Facebook Marketplace and Squid Game Halloween costumes walked down Stephen Ave.

Linda Garson is editor-in-chief and publisher of Culinaire magazine and creator of Vine & Dine, a wine-pairing dinner hosted by Calgary restaurants since 2005.

“I ran Vine & Dine at Roy Oh's ANJU, when it was in a little house on Ninth Street that now, funnily enough, has a Korean restaurant. I don't know what year it will be, but it will probably be 2008 or 9. Roy was a beginner. Now he is a superstar. But I did events with him and it was new to everyone at the time. No one knew what to expect from Korean food,” Garson said.

It wasn't that long ago that things like gochujang (red pepper paste) and kimchi were available at a few specialty shops in Calgary. Previously, families mailed ingredients or brought them by plane or boat. Now it's hard not to see these ingredients combined in some way in modern downtown restaurants.

Garson said fusion cuisine, which brings together different cuisines, has been a big help in bringing Korean flavors into the mainstream. Embracing less familiar flavors and using western cuisine as a base makes it very accessible. Local chefs Roy Oh of Roy's Korean Kitchen and Jinhee Lee of Jinbar have used fusion to great effect, a real key to their success.

In 2024, people will enjoy traditional Korean food and dining at places like Korilla and Han Korea. Simon Park said the barbecue ventilation is a type found in Korea and requires a lot of work to get a permit from the city. The system ventilates air more efficiently than traditional North American systems, which are able to shoot closer to the cooking surface.

“But don't we love barbecue?” Don't we love trying all these flavors? We have sweet and salty and sour, umami and sour and all the flavors that Korean food brings,” Garson said.

“I think with restaurants, people want to go to them because it's not a dish that a lot of people can easily make at home or know how to make if you're not from that part of the world.”

As a means of serving and receiving food

There are many stories of Asian Canadians feeling singled out because of the contents of their lunch boxes. As children grow, intake is a big deal and food is what makes the difference in a child's lunchtime.

“I came here when I was 10 years old. Back then, I mean you've heard this story before, but you go to elementary school, you open your kimchi fried rice, and people are like, what the hell is that?' Tony Jinyoung Choi, president of the Calgary Korean Association, told LWC.

The Korean population in Calgary has also grown. According to the 2011 census, the number of people in Calgary whose first language is Korean was 7,405. In the 2021 census, this number increased to 10,205.

“There is no need to explain it anymore. When you write recipes in a journal, you sometimes have to explain them, but not so much anymore. If we made sambal oelek 12 years ago, chili garlic sauce could probably be found on the shelf or in an Asian supermarket. You don't have to do that anymore,” Garson said.

Choi said her unfamiliarity with Korean cuisine has changed.

“Now the idea of ​​'this is weird, I've never seen this before, so I'm going to stay away from it.' This attitude changed to: “I've seen this before and it's already common in our community. I want to try it too,'' he said.

So I see a significant difference with the rise in popularity of Korean culture. It’s great to see our culture embraced in Calgary,” said Choi.

Choi also said that seeing these ingredients and flavors pop up in the city's trendy spots isn't a coincidence for him, and he sees it as taking things from Calgary and integrating them into the city.

Will he stay or go?

“I think it's growing. I don't think it was superficial in any way yet. “I think there's a lot more to come,” Garson said.

As Korean restaurants and culture continue to grow in Calgary, it begs the question of how long it will last and if this is currently the trend. Food trends come and go, like poke bowls or acai berry smoothies.

“I think it has to do with us Koreans and the Calgary Korean community. It is part of our responsibility and role to ensure that Korean culture is integrated into the city of Calgary,” said Choi.

Calgary's Korean community spends a lot of time each year organizing the Korea Day Festival to showcase their cuisine and culture to Calgarians. Celebrating these things doesn't have to come with the ups and downs of trends and is just part of being in a multicultural city like Calgary. This year's festival will be held on August 11, 2024 and will be the finale of their KPOP dance competition.

Korilla Korean BBQ will open its rooftop OKTOP from Thursday to Sunday throughout the summer for those who want to try the new experience they brought to the city.