I love Korean food, but it's not often I go out for a Korean meal. For a start, I find it pretty scandalous how London restaurants can charge for assorted kimchi, essential for any Korean meal, which is unheard of in Korea or indeed many other places. We were charged £5.90 for this little lot.
But, no matter as the soondubu jiggae, a spicy stew of barely set tofu and seafood (tiny little mussels, prawns and octopus) was bloody delicious. Served with a bowl of steamed rice, this was a gorgeous meal of textures and worth returning for alone. It's not as horrifyingly spicy as it looks but deeply flavoursome.
Oh! And there was a perfectly poached egg nestling inside, enriching the broth nicely as my chopsticks speared the eggy sphere. It was so comforting I was finished in mere minutes, burning my tongue in the process.
A spring onion pancake, packed with mainly octopus and squid was crunchy yet squidgy, pretty addictive stuff.
It's not a cheap lunch, coming to around £15 but I know for sure I'll be coming back for that jiggae.
Koba
11 Rathbone Place
London W1T 1 NA
Tel: 0207 580 8825
5 comments:
Rathbone Place? Really?! I have apparently spent years walking straight past this place... Alarming. Will keep an eye out in future.
I had a disappointing meal at Koba. The presentation was beautiful but most dishes were bland. Here is what we had. I would not recommend it at all.
Koba is one of my faves but the extras can rack up. Not only do they charge for kim chi but they also charge for the lettuce and spring onion to use as wraps for the BBQ.
I usually go to Koba when i'm having a pajeong (that spring onion pancake you described) craving - theirs consistently has a crispy exterior and a thick interior, packed with seafood. I've had more mixed results with Koba's BBQ, though.
Oh, I do love Koba. It's dangerous that it's around the corner from my office too - but in a good way.
Congrats on the Red magazine thing! Just got the press release in my inbox ;-)
Post a Comment