London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Korean Menu Week at the Vincent Rooms

The Korean Cultural Centre UK and Westminster Kingsway College are proud to present a Korean Cuisine Menu Week at the college’s ‘The Vincent Rooms’. From the traditional dish samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup) to sensational Korean fried chicken, join us for this celebration of Korean food. For one week only, The Vincent Rooms Brasserie will … [Read More]

An introduction to be-oom tea shop and garden

와우! be-oom is a new addition to London’s tea scene, serving hand-picked Korean teas sourced from small farms in the Boseong and Hadong regions. They also sell tea ceramics and run Korean tea tasting and tea blending events (see Facebook page for dates). Their tea house in the vibrant Exmouth Market offers a peaceful ‘garden’ … [Read More]

On the Bab brings you On the Dak

Walking from SOAS to the KCC yesterday to mark the book launch of Lee Yil’s selected writings I came across a new venture from the Korean street food chain On the Bab. At 1 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, is their new foray into KFC, On the Dak, bringing different flavours of fried chicken with kimchi … [Read More]

A good list of restaurants in Seoul

It’s so rare to find a list of recommended restaurants in Seoul that focuses on Korean food as opposed to French and other cuisine, and which includes honest, salt-of-the-earth type places as well as the fancy ones with Michelin stars. So I don’t want to lose this particular link, which includes two very humble places … [Read More]

Kimchee opens new St Pancras restaurant

When Kimchee Restaurant opened up in Holborn in 2011 it was one of the few Korean establishments in London to invest really heavily in the decor and fittings. Their second restaurant, recently opened behind St Pancras station, continues the trend. It also has table-top BBQs, and I hear they had some half-price deals to celebrate … [Read More]

In praise of Sancho and Flat Three

When you tuck into your bowl of warming chueotang muddy loach soup, with its tangle of green vegetables, shoots and mysterious fishy bits suspended in a tangy reddish-green-brown broth, the condiment you reach for to give it that extra taste sensation is a liberal sprinkling of sancho powder. The pungent, fragrant taste rounds out a … [Read More]

Jinjuu Mayfair opens

Marking the opening of Jinjuu Mayfair at 39 Albemarle Street W1S 4JQ there’s an interview with Judy Joo in Food Republic. There’s a nice quote about how she came to open her first restaurant at the beginning of last year: I got a random phone call. My business partner just cold-called me. He said “I’ve … [Read More]

A souvenir of the Old Justice

A bit of London’s Korean history dumped outside the sadly missed Old Justice pub. These plywood panels would make a great focal point on the wall of your luxury penthouse apartment. Old Justice proprieter and head chef Mr. Kim is now running K Place in the City of London, serving quality authentic Korean food to … [Read More]

London Korean restaurants – the scores on the doors

When chosing a Korean (or any other) restaurant you might want to consider their food hygiene rating. The score (0-5) can be found by searching www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk. Full reports are not made public but can, if you’re that curious, be obtained through a freedom of information request to the relevant council. The idea of the ratings … [Read More]

An easy way to drink poktanju

This somaek tower (and others like it) is probably why my brain isn’t functioning too well today. On the Bab in Covent Garden provide you with these fiendish devices, loaded with ready-mixed poktanju (in unknown proportions), as an easy way to get the booze into you as fast as you like. Great with their sliders … [Read More]

Farewell Old Justice, hello K Place

As 앤서방 reported a few days ago, the Old Justice Korean pub in Bermondsey closed last month. But the owner, Chef Kim Jin-wook, has taken the bold step of opening up in the City. His new Korean BBQ restaurant, in a downstairs venue that until recently was the Indian restaurant Jamdani, has the name K … [Read More]