If I’m honest, I accidentally discovered Bi Bim Bap. Having walked past the funky Korean restaurant on Greek Street many times and being completely oblivious to its existence, I only decided to give it a try out of hunger from weaving around the backstreets of Soho (no, stay with me), incidentally, in search of another certain restaurant to blog about.
I haven’t had great experiences with Korean cuisine in the past. With a few standout exceptions, I’ve often found that Korean restaurants in London try to recreate extravagant surroundings with price tags to match, but unfortunately the quality of food does not. Order a few sizzling barbeque beef dishes and you’d probably get a call from your bank manager. One thing that I have particularly liked about Korean cuisine is bi bim bap. Bi bim bap is a rice dish with stir fried beef or chicken, vegetables and a fried egg resting on top.
The restaurant interior is brightly coloured with Polaroid shots of ‘friends’ stuck on the wall in a heart shape (perhaps they took tips from a 14-year old girl’s bedroom) and the staff are quick to seat you, which is always a bonus. I ordered the classic beef bol bo gee with prawn katsu and kimchi pancake as starters.
The prawn katsu arrived and was nicely presented. It was crispy and flakey due to the traditionally light batter. The kimchi pancakes were also delicious and for the price, there was a relatively substantial amount on both plates. The sour pickled taste of the kimchi seasoned the pancakes well and it still remained crunchy inside.
My beef bool go gi arrived in a sizzling hot clay bowl. That is one of my favourite things about eating Korean – hearing the sizzling of my food upon arrival. The clay bowl retains heat for a significant amount of time, as a result, the rice at the bottom becomes crispy (this is a personal taste though; some will like, some will hate). I squirt a bit of soy bean paste for extra flavouring but the beef is perfectly seasoned enough. The courgette and carrot strips are crunchy, the pickled cabbage compliments the unami taste of the meat, and the semi-fried egg adds bulk to the dish. Mix through all the components of the dish and you will have the Korean equivalence of kedgeree!
I’m pleasantly surprised that I didn’t pay Bi Bim Bap a visit before. I wouldn’t go back for any special occasion but if I wanted a delicious, quick meal – something that most diners present that evening also had in mind – then, I wouldn’t be walking hastily past this joint anymore.
BiBimBap Soho, 11 Greek Street, London W1D4
Monday-Saturday; 12pm-3pm & 6pm-11pm
The Food Pot 