Groceries
There are numerous Korean food shops in New Malden. The leading supplier seems to be Korea Foods, with three large stores in the area and one in Cambridge. Details on their website. I saw one of their vans outside my office in the City one day, so obviously they do deliveries (unfortunately, they weren’t delivering to our canteen that day).
The food store I go to in central London is the Hanna Supermarket, off Tottenham Court Road at 41 Store Street WC1E 7QF. You can buy Kimchi and soju there, as well as lots of other stuff which I don’t really understand. Take a Korean friend to show you around and tell you what all the ingredients are for. Downstairs you can rent videos of the latest Korean soap (no subtitles) and buy a bibimbap for under a fiver.
There’s also the Centre Point Food Store at 20-21 St Giles High Street, WC2, which also does Japanese groceries. It’s on the ground floor of the annex to Centrepoint. Their selection of fresh veg is slightly better than Hanna, they have ready-marinated bulgogki and similar stuff in the fridge, and the staff have better English than Hanna; but I still end up going to Hanna for their anchovy kimchi.
There’s also a shop in Golders Green, mentioned in the comment section below.
Update 25 June 2007: I’ve now pulled together a consolidated list of Korean food stores here.
Restaurants
Korean restaurants in London are listed here: http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/korean-restaurants.php. Of these, my favourite is Asadal for evenings (book before you go - it’s a popular place). Some others I’ve visited are listed here.
Translations of Korean dishes
http://www.clickkorea.org/ contains a link to a food dictionary
Links:
26 Comments
My favourite restaurant would have to be 비원 by choice as it is the closest ive actually had compared to Korean food in Korea. the 오징어 (squid) and 해물파전 (seafood pancake) are fantastic. Although they can be stingy with the반찬 (ban chan) and barbecue portions, its my favourite by a country mile.
I have to say that some close friends took me to 아싸달 in new malden and it was fantastic: food, price and service. im counting the days when i can next go back there lol
this blogging gets addictive very easily…
I buy all my Korean food from this place in Golders Green. They have lots of korean food (everything from home), and good (and cheap!) kim chi also, my favourite. 869 Finchley Road, London NW11 8RR. It’s very close to Golders Green tube station. There is this korean restaurant a few shops down also, but I have never been there yet!
Kimchi is a really good restaurant as well. Their lunch set menus are excellent and also they are one of the genuinely few restaurants that will give ban-chan (side dishes) for free without prompting.
“Busan is closed for refurbishment for 18 months.”
This leads me to question the authenticity of said restaurant.
A real Korean restaurant would undergo refurbishment in 18 days, not 18 months
I’d like to recommend Myungga.
Tthis restaurant have got a long history since 1990.
Timeout chose this restaurant as a critics’ choice.
It’s very famos for seafood pancake(pajon), Kalbi(BQQ Ribs). Glass noodle, Spicy prawn. Bibimbap etc…
It’s very delicious of Kimchi HOT POT.
Last time I saw two premier Korean player in the restaurant. I will go there this Friday with my girlfriend.
I’d like to know where could i get korean food online. pls……..
I have to say that BiWon is my favourite, although I’ve only been there twice because its so far for me to travel.
I usually go to New Malden. I think You Me is really nice, on burlington road. The portions are big and its nice and quite.
Asadal is the worst place I’ve been to so far.. they gave me some nasty kimchi..it was so gone. I can’t forgive that!
Hi Sally,
Don’t know about Korean food online, though the Korea Foods website (linked at the top on this page) say they’ll start to do it soon.
And Kirsten, thanks for clarifying that it’s the New Malden Asadal that you were disappointed with.
Keep the recommendations coming, everyone.
I am trying to get hold of Korean garlic…the good spicy stuff.
Can you get it in the UK?…if so where…if not does anyone know the name of the spicy korean garlic…
thanks
Bungeobbang.
Anyone seen them for sale here? I keep hoping that Seoul Bakery (Centrepoint) might do them.
Anyone in New Malden?
(Or maybe the japanese version “taiyaki”? Oooh, I said the J word)
I need a fix!
Thanks philip
Hi to everyone in this web site.
It’s very nice to meet you all who are intereted in Korean things.
As a korean, I hope I can give you some help on your questions
regarding to anything about my country.
Firstly, to Sally and Phlip
Here is a korean grocery website that is based in wimbledon and does delivery as well. Unfortunaltely, this website is in Korean only, but I am sure if you call them to ask about delivery in English, they will be helping you in English.
http://www.skmart.co.uk
Secondly to Paul.
How does “Bungeobbang” look like and what does contain inside? Actually I don’t know what it is myself apart from ” bbang”, which means bread in Korean.
If you give me more detailed descptions about that, I think I can help you with that.
Bytheway, How is Seoul Bakery, if you’ve alreay been there?
I’d like to try.
I was just wondering if anyone know wheres to buy Gochujang (which I believe is the sauce for Bibimbaps), in London. Woudl prefer somewhere nr the city but am desperate would travel anywhere!!
Hi. Jabie.
Try Centre Point Food Store at 20-21 St Giles High Street, whic is just below Centre Point building off the Tottenham Court Rd station. Ask them for Gochujang for Bibimbap, as there normally in tube and specially made for bibimbap.
Replying to Sunyoung… “Bungeoppang” is, as far as I can tell, the romanised spelling for ºØ¾î»§ except I was being lazy and pasted in the wrong spelling (”bb” instead of “pp”)! Oops.
It’s the fish-shaped, battered azuki bean cake.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tchmilfan/399338089/in/set-72157594550596840/
Bungeoppang!
Now I know what it is. I don’t think any place in the UK does this fish-shaped cake. It’s because, as you know it is hard to get the metal frame that shapes and bakes this cake here.
I like Bungeoppang without red-bean. But you have to be lucky to meet a kind cake baker who gives you a favour to make it for you.
Hello,
Does anyone know where I can get kimchi and rice cake from in Birmingham. I work in Korea a lot and usually bring some back with me, but I’ve run out and am not going back for about 6 months, so I’m getting withdrawal symptoms. I know that I could get some from New Malden area but I’d like to see if there’s somwhere nearer first.
Thanks
Doug
I found a new place that sells a few Korean products Asian products in general…..Doug it has Kimchi aswell.
http://www.orientalmart.co.uk/
Asadal got a good review in this piece in the Joong Ang recently:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2876835
Hi everybody!
I’m new on this site,but I’ve enjoyed ur comments so far.
I will be moving to London soon(Crouch End) and the thing is that I have no friends in London and the place I most want to visit is New Malden,I want to eat kimchi, kimbap and jja ja myun.
Sorr for posting like this,I just need some instructions and to make new friends!
Have a lovely week!
Hi
http://www.skmart.co.uk
this website sells all Korean foods and everything.
It is FREE delivery and all the people in SK mart are really nice.
They are always nice and kind.
I love SK mart . The first reason is peoples are really kind
and second, it is a free delivery and many other good services.
Also , there is a supermarket in 1minute away from Finchelly Road Station
and that is such as a cool place.
Hmmm. June:
You’re not connected with SK Mart by any chance are you? Your comment is suspiciously effusive.
I’ll let it pass this time. I have already linked to the SK Mart website on my Listing of Korean Food Stores page.
Hi a shot in the dark really, I am in the early stages of tracing my father. My mother lived in London in 1966. I was born in the September of that year. By all accounts my Korean father owned a restaurant somewhere in central London possibly Soho. In 1966 before I was born it was reported that he lost the restaurant in a game of cards and travelled back to Korea. Would anyone know of such a story borne during 1966. I am at present trying to find a name that might help me a little more.
Kind Regards,
Harvey German
Fascinating. I’d come across an urban myth that one of the Korean restaurants in Soho had changed hands as part of a gambling debt. Maybe there’s some truth in it, but I can’t believe that there was a Korean restaurant in central London 40 years ago.
The restaurant I thought this story related to is Dong San in Poland Street, and I thought this was quite a recent story (but maybe I thought the change in ownership was recent because it place looks as if it had a refit in the past few years).
I know that You Me Haegwon in New Malden has been going for at about 30 years…but obviously the location is wrong and perhaps it is not old enough. Still, it might be worth approaching the restaurant owners if they have been here that long to see what they remember. Best of luck with tracing him…I am sure that someone has the information you need.
…on the topic of Korean food shops, I have to endorse the Korea Foods supermarket in New Malden for such an excellent selection and I find the staff are very friendly and helpful. The rice cake which is sold there is top notch. I would not do a whole shop there though…if I was cooking a meal, I would go there for the bits I could definately not get soemwhere cheaper. For example the samgypsal meat is about £4 but you can pick up pork belly cuts in Asda for less than £2 per packet.
One thing I have not been able to get any round London yet is Makoli…I guess because it goes off so quickly….if anyone has found it in London please let me know!
I looong for Korean food, at this very moment I’m craving for rice cake (gyung dan, songpyeon) I haven’t eaten it for about 30 years, but I still remember how it tastes!
In the Netherlands there is only 1 korean webshop (koreanonline.nl), recently opened, but no rice cake
Who can help me with finding an online koreanshop with Korean sweets?
The skmart.co.uk seems pretty good, but it is only in Korean…
Food…the basics!
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