History

For a better environment her grandmother moved in the age of 30s from South Korea to China to start her very own Korean restaurant. Which had become the most famous and popular restaurant in the 90’s.
Having helped her grandma’s famous restaurant in the city of Harbin ever since she could walk, the founder moved to Belgium at the age of 13 and continued her journey in cuisine halfway across the world.

The founder had a huge passion for cooking at a young age. She always stood alone in the kitchen like she was really cooking. Until her uncle found out and threw her out of the dangerous kitchen. She started cooking at the tender age of five, helping her grandma crush soybeans in her famous restaurant in Harbin. People rich and poor would flock there, the town’s mayor included.

The founder apprenticed under her parents, both from a long line of restauranteurs, Chinese and Korean. She learnt to meld the umami flavours and smoky scents of Korean cuisine with the nuances of her grandma’s cuisine in Harbin.

Noticing young Leuvenaars wanted a fresher take, she developed her own concept more suited to younger palettes and nutrition norms. She started her first break away.

XLNOODLES was her first chance to show Leuven’s students who she is and what her cuisine is about. Located in the heart of Leuven’s student lunch quarter, Alfons Smetsplein, it was an utter hit.

Coming out of the epidemic, the founder wanted to show Leuvenaars something they had never seen before. Popular the world ever, Korean BBQ is a mainstay of a young crowd as far as London, New York and San Francisco. XLBBQ was an immediate success with its 30 covers full.