Koba (Korean) – London, England (8/10)
Sep 18th, 2007 by admin
[UPDATE: 28/04/2009 I revisited Koba, so please read review here.]
Koba is my favourite Korean restaurant in London. It has a sleek chocolate brown interior and none of the unpleasant greasy layer of cooking oil that covers the furniture of older Korean restaurants. The ventilation system works rather well too, so diners are not left sitting in a smoky environment, although you will still smell a bit of barbecued meat when you leave.
When I have lunch here, I choose from a selection of 7 or 8 dishes on the set lunch menu. The vegetarian bibimbap is one of my absolute favourites, even though I’m a dedicated carnivore. This consists of mixed vegetables and a raw egg on rice served in a extremely hot stone pot, which cooks the ingredients and keeps the food hot to the very end. You mix everything up with a metal spoon and there is also an accompanying chilli sauce which you can add as much or as little of, depending on your preference.
The lunchtime bibimbap comes with a small salad (the only thing I don’t like about the meal as the salad dressing seems to consist solely of soya sauce which I find too strong), miso soup and three cold side dishes – usually kimchi, spinach and bean sprouts. In the evenings, bibimbap can be served with raw minced beef, which cooks perfectly in the stone pot.
Once we ate here with legendary Brazilian musician and composer Joao Donato, who absolutely loved it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t already composed a song about bibimbap…
I’ve also been here a few times in the evening, when I have barbecued meat cooked at the table by the waitress (you can do it yourself as well if you prefer). I love the bulgogi and kalbi cuts (both beef in marinade). The meat comes thinly sliced on large plates and so cooks quickly on the grill. Once cooked, it can be dipped in a delicious accompanying sauce. You can also have this at lunch time, but because it takes a while for the barbecue to heat up, it’s best to have it at dinner when you have more time to relax and enjoy the food.
The seafood pancake is a really delicious starter and large enough to be shared between two or three people. Along with some cold side dishes of kimchi and vegetables to share, this is more than enough to whet the appetite before starting on the barbecued meat. Even if you don’t eat spicy food, there’s still plenty to choose from, and vegetarians will be happy here too.
The verdict?
Without alcohol, it usually costs around £20 per person for dinner, including service charge. The service is always polite and efficient, which means Koba provides a very enjoyable and reasonably priced dining experience in central London.
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact Details:
Koba
11 Rathbone St
London W1T 1NA
Tel: 020 7580 8825
www.koba-london.com
Thanks for the recommendation, I’m about to go for lunch there to check it out
Let me know what you thought! Look forward to seeing your great photos as always…Helen Yuet Ling