Top national prize for Korean barbecue restaurant

A family-owned Korean restaurant has been named as the best in the UK, winning £100,000 alongside the title.

Jinseon Korean Barbecue, based in Priory Place, Coventry, is run by Ken Tsang, his wife, Camay and her brother, James Kwong.

It was chosen from 45 eateries across the country and named Restaurant of the Year by the delivery firm, Uber Eats.

Tsang said: "This award isn't just recognition for our food, but for the hard work of our whole team and the support of our community. The £100,000 prize will allow us to expand our business and we can't wait to take the next step in our journey."

Korean barbecue is a style of cuisine that allows diners to cook a range of ingredients to their own taste at their table, using a built-in charcoal fire and grill.

However, for the less adventurous, there is also a staffed kitchen to cook meals and prepare more specialised dishes.

Tsang, 49, started in the food industry as a teenager at his parents' Chinese restaurant in Coventry, before the family sold it to Kwong's family.

He then married James' sister and the three decided to open as a specialist Korean restaurant in 2017.

"We saw a niche in the market when we were running a small café on the High Street in Coventry.

"We've run a few businesses and we saw the popularity of K-pop culture 10 years ago", Kwong said.

At first, the majority of their custom came from international students at Coventry University, but the trio said they managed to diversify to attract people of all backgrounds.

The judges, led by comedian and self-confessed foodie, Ed Gamble, said the restaurant "stood out for their unique flavour profile, authenticity, and their commitment to quality".

Kwong added: "I can't wait to see how this prize makes a difference for the business".

All three went to London for the final, which featured a cook-off against the other finalists, before the judges selected Jinseon as the national winner.

"As soon as we walked into the venue it's just like you're going to the awards nights for celebrities and that, I was in awe", said Tsang.

He added: "It's the first time ever I've done this and there were a lot of influencers, a lot of free food and drink as well. It's a once in a lifetime experience".

The award comes with a prize of £100,000 and the trio are now planning on how to use that, which could include selling bottles of some of their specialist sauces.

"Our Sam sauce was very popular with the judges, especially the influencer, Eating with Tod, so we might think about doing that as a table sauce where we could sell all over the country", said Kwong.

"Sam sauce is a combination of soybean paste, a little bit of chilli paste.

"We have customers just buy it when they come in every time and they said 'oh we could finish it like within two weeks'."

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