Real Food, No Shortcuts. A Former Pastry Chef Carries On a Korean Restaurant

“Instagram-worthy spots are everywhere these days. Places that are trendy even if the food isn’t actually good. I don’t want to lose to places like that.”

Owner Zen speaks with a steady, unwavering gaze.

Flashy interiors, influencer campaigns that go viral overnight — there’s no shortage of restaurants playing that game. But this place is different.

BI-TON sits on Kumoi-dori in Sannomiya, Kobe, a five-minute walk from JR Sannomiya Station. Here, a former pastry chef runs a double act alongside his mother: donuts in the morning, Korean food at night.

From Yakiniku to Standing Bar to Korean Restaurant

BI-TON’s story begins with Zen’s father, who ran a yakiniku restaurant at this location for twenty years. After that, the space became a standing bar — and Zen, still a student at the time, worked there part-time.

Then he chased a dream to Osaka, honing his craft as a pastry chef at a well-known establishment.

Just as he was thinking about going independent, the pandemic hit. He returned to Kobe, and the family rearranged things: a neighboring unit opened up, his father moved the standing bar there, and his mother launched BI-TON in the original space.

Zen began helping his mother, learning the flavors that had always been part of their family. Today, his mother handles all the prep and sauce-making, while Zen takes care of cooking and service. Mother and son, running the restaurant side by side.

Donuts in the Morning, Korean Food at Night

Two years later, Zen took on a new challenge: a donut shop called “Co les DONUT” in the mornings, and BI-TON in the evenings. A true double act.

“In the morning I go there (the donut shop), in the evening I come here (BI-TON).”

Isn’t that exhausting? “It’s pure grit. I’m still in my twenties,” he laughs.

At the donut shop, he spent countless hours experimenting with dough ratios and fermentation times until he landed on a fluffy, chewy fresh-baked donut. On opening day, 300 donuts sold out in an hour and a half — a massive response right from the start.

Kimchi Made by His Mother’s Hands

BI-TON’s kimchi is entirely handmade by Zen’s mother.

“My mom makes all the kimchi herself.”

The sauces, the dips, the kimchi — she prepares everything from scratch.

“We take the home flavors and adjust them a little so Japanese palates feel at home with it.”

Rather than serving Korean flavors exactly as they are, mother and son carefully tune the balance so it suits Japanese tastes without losing its soul.

Kyushu Pork, Cut Two Centimeters Thick

BI-TON’s signature dish is samgyeopsal.

“Once people eat here, they say they can’t go anywhere else.”

That confidence comes from the thickness and tenderness of the meat. They use pork from Kyushu, cut to about two centimeters. Zen visited supplier after supplier, tasting as he went, before finally finding the right one.

“People say it all the time — the meat is incredible.”

The thick-cut pork hits a sizzling iron plate, crisping beautifully on the outside while staying juicy within. Dipped in his mother’s secret sauce, wrapped with vegetables, and eaten in one satisfying bite.

A particular crowd favorite: the garlic mayonnaise.

“The garlic mayo is hugely popular.”

The combination of sweet-spicy sauce and garlic mayo multiplies the depth of the samgyeopsal’s flavor many times over.

Freshly Fried Chicken and Silky Bossam

The BI-TON evening menu goes well beyond samgyeopsal.

There’s yangnyeom chicken and honey mustard chicken, both fried to order. Crispy outside, bursting with juices within, and coated generously in their respective sauces.

And for a completely different texture: bossam. Skin-on pork, slowly simmered to a silky finish. Every bite releases a deep, rounded umami.

Here, too, Zen’s pastry background quietly makes itself known. The plating of every dish is careful and considered — color balance, spatial arrangement — the aesthetic sensibility built over years in the world of fine confections.

The sharp punch of the fried chicken and the gentle depth of the braised pork: both indispensable, both stars of a BI-TON evening.

Athletes Who Trust the Food

BI-TON draws athletes of various disciplines through its doors.

“Li Jingxin (a well-known rugby player) — his older brother is my classmate, and through that connection…”

Japan national rugby players, soccer players, golfers — athletes whose bodies are their instruments seek out BI-TON’s meat.

“Rugby players eat a lot. They’re massive,” Zen laughs.

Thick-cut samgyeopsal, generously portioned chicken — professionals with discerning palates keep coming back. The food earns their approval.

A Kobe That’s Changing

Inside standingbar ZEN

“Kobe has fewer and fewer people these days. It’s just not the same as Osaka.”

Even compared to when Zen was a student, Kobe’s entertainment district has clearly changed.

“There used to be way more people. Higashimon was packed with touts — you couldn’t walk through. Now you can ride a bike straight through.”

Fewer people, fewer shops, a city losing its vitality. And in this environment, going viral on social media is said to be the shortcut to success.

“Some places are really flashy. They’re good at it — invite an Instagrammer, boom, it blows up. That’s how it works these days.”

But Zen doesn’t choose that path.

Handmade flavors, carefully sourced ingredients, recipes kept alive together with his mother — quiet, deliberate work. Donuts in the morning, Korean food at night. Running two operations in his twenties.

One Bite and You’ll Understand

“Yeah — I just want people to try it once. You can taste the difference.”

No lavish décor, no influencer tie-ins. Yet people keep coming back, seeking the real thing.

One bite and you’ll know why. Handmade kimchi, thick-cut Kyushu pork, crispy and juicy chicken, his mother’s secret sauces.

“You can taste the difference.” Those words carry the pride of someone who has tested and refined obsessively, and who stands fully behind every ingredient on the plate.