Naru (Korean) – London
Sep 7th, 2009 by admin
Background:
Despite our recent Koba tweatup, Catty from The Catty Life and I were craving yet more Korean food. So after reading a positive Time Out review of new Korean restaurant Naru in Covent Garden, we decided to see what it was like. It’s a pretty space, simply decorated, and interestingly, there are no barbecue grills set in the tables, commonplace at other Korean restaurants I’ve visited. Although empty at 6.30 on a Wednesday evening, it did get busier after 7pm. The two waitresses were very welcoming and remained friendly and helpful throughout the meal, carefully explaining each dish and even showing us how to eat bulgogi and kalbi with lettuce and sesaoned soybean paste.
What we ordered:
The menu (which you can see online) featured some dishes that I’ve not seen in other restaurants, such as Dae Ha Twi Kim – tiger prawns wrapped in Korean soft noodles with citrus yogurt sauce and Ke Jang Bap – marinated baby crab in rice with tobiko. The dishes also appeared to be a little more expensive, but as I was to learn, the portions are quite substantial and the lettuce and seasoned soybean sauce were included. And kimchi and namul (the little servings of seasoned vegetables) are never free in London. If I’m wrong, please point me in the direction of the restaurant that doesn’t charge for these!
- Yook hwe – thinly sliced raw beef with sliced pear and egg yolk (£9.00) – this is Catty’s favourite dish, so it had to be ordered. I’ve only had it twice, once at Sorabol, where it was horrible, and at Koba, where it was delicious. The ingredients are all mixed together and the beef should be served very cold. I preferred the Koba version as the pear there was intensely sweet and so provided a perfect contrast to the beef. I also like the beef in thin matchstick strips as opposed to minced. The Naru presentation was exquisite though
- Bulgogi – soy sauce marinated sliced beef with lettuce and steamed rice (£10.00) – this dish reminded me of one of my favourite Korean restaurants in New York, which again was unusual in that all the meat was cooked in the kitchen rather than grilled at the table. The meat was tender and nicely flavoured, with an additional garnish of enoki mushrooms on top
- Kalbi koo-yi (beef ribs barbecue) – roast of thinly sliced beef rib marinated in a special sauce with lettuce and steamed rice (£12.50) – when I have Korean barbecue, I always order this. However, the ribs can be a bit tough and chewy, as on this occasion. It’s a shame, because it was stylishly presented, as was every single dish
- Dubu dwen jang jeongol – fermented soybean stew with tofu (approx £10, sorry, I can’t remember) – this is my favourite Korean stew, which I first tried nearly thirteen years ago. When we first tasted it, it was a little bland, so remember to leave the stew to simmer for a while as the rich flavours gradually developed over time. The best dish of the evening, in my opinion
- Gone With The Banana – deep-fried banana with Korean sweet bean wrapped in rice paper (£5.00) – impossible to eat with a little spoon! We had to request first a knife, then a fork, before cutting into the tough fried rice paper. I love fried banana, but didn’t like this at all
- Well Being Tiramisu – sweet potato, sweet red bean and cream (£4.50) – this was the better of the two desserts. I like anything with red bean, which is commonly used in Asian desserts and sweet soups.
The verdict:
If you enjoy the smokey atmosphere of a traditional Korean barbecue, then Naru isn’t the place to visit. If you’re a fan of Korean food, however, give it a try. The ingredients are extremely fresh and much thought has gone in to the presentation of each dish. I also like the fact that it’s not just another barbecue restaurant, which means you won’t leave smelling of meat, so vegetarians will feel welcome too.
I’d like to return to try some of the non-meat dishes, including Kal Kuk Su – green tea noodle soup with clams, my favourite Dolsot Bibimbap and the starters mentioned earlier. I’d probably skip dessert though, and have an extra dish instead, probably the Dubu dwen jang jeongol again.
Dinner came to £29 per person, excluding drinks but including service charge. The set of Naru photos on Flickr can be viewed here.
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact details:
Naru
230 Shaftesbury Avenue
London WC2H 8EG
Tel: 020 7379 796
www.narurestaurant.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-22.30pm
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
“this dish reminded me of one of my favourite Korean restaurants in New York” — You’ve made me curious, Helen – what’s the name of said restaurant?
£10.00 for bulgogi sounds great, though from your photo, it does seem to be a small portion. If forced to choose, would you choose to eat at Naru over Koba, or vice versa?
I agree with everything you said
I think, considering they are in quite close vicinity, I would go back to Koba before Naru, but the non-smoky-clothing is a big plus for Naru!
I love beef short rib and it’s a shame your kalbi was tough and chewy. I tried beef short rib as dim sum in Beijing recently – they were steamed like mini pork ribs but without the black beans. It was one of the better dishes but I won’t be blogging about it as the dim sum overall was pretty average.
Thanks Helen for sharing this recipe. I haven’t been to a lot of Korean restaurants in London since we’ve moved to the UK but we used to go to one in Paris called Koba, Rue de la Michodiere. A very small place that nobody wouldn’t dare getting in but the food is excellent, cooked in the traditional way and you usually need a take a good nap afterwards!
It has been too, too long since I’ve had Korean food! Seriously, I think it’s been more than 20 years – too often, it is folded into one or another Asian cuisine. But I should try harder at finding a place; you’ve got me craving bulgogi!
Jindalle on Panton Street does free kimchi and namul
The presentation looks quite posh compared to other Korean restaurants I’ve been to in London. I’ll give this place a try the next time I got a Korean craving.
arang give free kimchi, beanspout, n the potato salad for free too!
thanks for sharing this….. when i crave korean, i gna go to this one to try.. ^^
An American in London – the Korean restaurant in NYC I wrote about is called Dok Suni in the East Village. The waitresses were real ice princesses, but I loved going there! I would go to Koba for BBQ and it’s my favourite Korean restaurant, but I would give Naru a try too, as they have dishes that I haven’t seen in other restaurants.
catty – I agree that Naru being smoke-free is a big bonus! Koba is my preferred choice though.
Mr Noodles – dim sum in Beijing? You should blog about the not so good experiences as well as the good ones!
Mathilde’s Cuisine – Koba in Paris sounds adorable, just like a restaurant that would become my favourite.
Tangled Noodle – 20 years! You must have some before the year ends!
loulouculafroy – does it really? Thanks for letting me know!
Wild Boar – the presentation is quite unique compared to the other Korean restaurants I’ve been to in London. Very stylish!
suzie – Arang didn’t offer anything free when I was there earlier this year. It’s the restaurant that started my quest for free side dishes. It wasn’t bad, but no freebies for me!
Helen Yuet Ling
Never tried Korean food in London. Save for next time. Naru looks contemporary. Am going back to HK this week to fulfill my cravings : )
Gourmet Traveller 88 – really? You should try it, it’s quite different to other Korean places in London. And enjoy HK, you lucky thing!
I was walking past Naru to get a sandwich today and they’ve started doing a little takeaway lunch thing outside. £4.50 for a big portion of chicken, vegetables and noodles. They even gave me a taste test of the beef vs. chicken to see which one I wanted.
Lovely lunch, not too heavy and well priced for the portion. Will have to try this sometime for dinner.
Amanda Jahn – takeaway at Naru! Thanks for letting me know. It’s close to my office, so I will try it next time I have a Korean craving. Let me know what you think of dinner…
Helen Yuet Ling