Welcome to Market Root – K-Creatives in London! Join us at 1 Adelaide Road for a day brimming with creativity and inspiration. Connect with fellow K-Creatives and explore unique handmade products including fashion, accessories, ceramics, and hand-woven textiles, complemented by authentic Korean desserts and drinks. Discover K-cosmetics, lettering posters, vintage jewelry, and even a flea … [Read More]
Category: Shops and services
London Kpop Street – the online K-Pop store with a difference – opens its first Pop-up Shop in London in August 2021
LKL is happy to provide space to inform readers of new ventures which may be of interest. Below is a guest post from London Kpop Street letting you know about their pop-up near King’s Cross at the end of August: London Kpop Street Pop-up Store We at London Kpop Street are thrilled to be holding … [Read More]
Nature Republic comes to London
We’ve had temporary pop-up beauty stores before, and since earlier this year the independent SOKOLLAB has been in Soho selling K-beauty and K-pop products. But now the big Korean beauty brand Nature Republic is opening up in London as part of an international expansion plan across Asia, America and the Middle East. The store, at … [Read More]
KOJA Beauty pop-up store at Boxpark Shoreditch
Cruelty-Free K-Beauty Pop-Up Store: KOJA Beauty 18 – 23 June 2019 Unit 26 | Boxpark Shoreditch | 2-10 Bethnal Green Road | London E1 6GY Visit the event’s Facebook page for updates KOJA Beauty is opening the first Cruelty-Free K-Beauty Pop-Up Shop. Come and discover our favourite K-Beauty brands and get the chance to try … [Read More]
An introduction to SOKOLLAB – Soho’s K-beauty and K-pop store
Ever wanted to try that BB cream shade, test that exfoliator out, and listen to K-Pop artists at the same time? Now you can, in Soho – the heart of London’s West End. SOKOLLAB’s Victoria Martin introduces her tempting store: SOKOLLAB is the first UK store to specialise in Korean beauty and Kpop. The name … [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]
So now you can buy posh soju at Fortnums
LKL’s soju of choice is 좋은데이, distilled in Sancheong County using the pure waters from Jirisan Mountain. You can’t get it in London as far as I’m aware, and it’s pretty hard to find in Seoul, the two most familiar brands being 참이슬 and 처음처럼. All these are entry-level brands, and the latter two are … [Read More]
Introducing White Mountain Tea Company: bringing the best Korean tea to Britain
LKL is delighted to hear of a new venture specialising in bringing the best 녹차 to Britain. Kevin Church, the man behind the venture, introduces White Mountain Tea Company. If you’ve read Philip’s article on his trip to Hadong Tea Festival, you’ll already know a bit about the history of tea in Korea, how it’s … [Read More]
Postcard Teas, near Bond Street tube – for your supplies of Korean nokcha
One of my top tips for London is Postcard Teas, tucked away in Dering Street, close to Bond Street and Oxford Circus. The genial and knowledgeable proprieter Timothy D’Offay sources his teas from small family estates using traditional tea growing methods, and the impressive list includes fine teas from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, India, Sri … [Read More]
Rain Rain, Come Again
Bella Frey gets star-struck. And who can blame her? Rain in London in January, nothing unusual there. However Rain, as in Jung Ji-hoon, South Korea’s delightfully handsome mega pop star and actor, in London is definitely a once in a blue moon event. As soon as the news hit Facebook that he would be here … [Read More]
Hanna Bites the Dust
This is not new news to many of you, but I only found out about it a week or so ago. My favourite Korean food store in the centre of town, Hanna Supermarket in Store Street, is closed down. And by the looks of things, pretty permanently: There are other Korean food stores in town, … [Read More]
A new variation on a familiar pun
We all groan when we come across yet another pun involving the Republic of Korea’s capital city. Maybe I should get out more, but yesterday was the first time I had come across the Mart » 마트 » Mate pun. So, welcome Seoul Mate: not a London Korean dating agency but the latest Korean food … [Read More]
Korean bookshop in New Malden
Thanks to David Gomez for writing in with an answer to a question which lots of people have asked: where to buy Korean books in London. Not books about Korea, not books about how to learn Korean, but books written in Korean. My standard answer is that I haven’t the foggiest idea, but that if … [Read More]
A listing of Korean food stores
Update 12 December 2018. The current exhibition of Jeonju cuisine at the KCC has a handy “Korean Food Map” of London, listing out restaurants and food stores in the area. It seems pretty comprehensive, so I’ve rewritten this post, which was originally compiled in 2007, using data from that leaflet, at least for London and … [Read More]
Learning Korean in London
I had a query recently from a visitor to this site as to where she could take beginners classes in Korean. The only place I know of is SOAS, and no-one else could think of any other places. By coincidence, I got an email from Cho Jaehee, the co-ordinator of Korean courses at SOAS, asking … [Read More]
More bookshops in central London
While in the centre of town for the session on Mingei at the British Museum yesterday I thought I’d check out some bookshops. It turned out to be an expensive trip. Firstly, Arthur Probsthain. A lovely pokey little bookshop for Oriental and African books just opposite the British Museum (41 Great Russell Street WC1B 3PE). … [Read More]