Korean food has been under-represented in London for too long. Chinese food and Japanese food are as popular now as they ever have been, but there are too few Korean restaurants for our liking. The few that are available however, such as Koba near Charlotte Street, are always packed, so it seems that there is certainly an appetite for Korean food. Kimchee on High Holborn regularly has queues around the corner, so it was only a matter of time before they expanded to bring Korean cuisine to even more people.
Kimchee to go is now open on The Strand, and as the name suggests, it is a take-away inspired concept similar to Leon or Itsu, except with Korean food (of course!). Our experience on one Saturday afternoon proved that Korean cuisine lends itself particularly well to lunchtime and small-portion food, with a range of salads and soups, wraps and hot boxes. Traditional foods such as Bibimbap, a mix of rice, vegetables and chilli with meat or tofu, are represented on the menu too, either in a box or in a wrap.We tried the chargrilled chicken salad and the spicy chicken dosirak: a hot box of chicken in a spicy sauce, rice, dumplings and omelette. Those looking for a healthier, lighter lunch will love the salad, fresh crunchy leaves and grilled chicken, served cold. Salads are available with either wasabi or soy, citrus or tangy chilli to drizzle, and for the ideal lunch, we recommend a side of kimchee - Korea's national dish of spicy pickled cabbage.
If you're really hungry and looking for a lunch to fill you up then the dosirak hot boxes are perfect. Presented with a choice of beef, chicken or tofu, we tucked into the chicken in a spicy sauce, accompanied by a large portion of steamed mixed grain rice and a fresh crisp salad making us feel at least a little virtuous. As if this wasn't enough, a baked omelette and two vegetable pancake dumplings completed a very filling meal.
Fast food that is healthy seems almost too good to be true, and Kimchee to go provides a whole range of different options for all types of lunch. Korean food has been kept out of the spot light for too long and now with food to takeaway in two central London locations; The Strand and New Oxford Street, it looks like Korean food is about to get much more popular.
388 The Strand, WC2R 0LT
Average price of salad/dosirak: £6.45
Average price of drinks: £1.45
Food/drink: 3.5/5
Value: 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment