Hands up if you remember the Korean Barbecue in Covent Garden’s Maiden Lane, tucked away in a little courtyard? Back in the day (I am talking the 90s, baby!) you would select the fresh ingredients and condiments and take them to the barbecue chef who would grill them to perfection.
I still have fond memories of those dining experiences.
Recently I ventured to Kimchee in Holborn, all sleek interiors, feng-shui’ed within an inch of its life (in a good way!), attentive staff and hectic cooks in full view.
A less “democratic” dining experience about the Korean barbecue of yesteryear, however the dishes were all cooked beautifully.
The menu is rather complicated and the website displays the food pictures separately from the text-only menu. Surely the pictures could show up next to the dishes on the menu to make choosing your meal a bit easier?
I studied the menu before going to the restaurant – I had actually chosen the Roseu Puen Che (rolled up slices of roast beef with vegetable and dipping sauce) but that wasn’t included in the Holborn menu.
I chose instead the radish pickles as a starter (who went down very well among my vegetarian friend while she waiter for her own starter) and as a main I chose the Kimchee Jjigae, a fragrant and spicy soup with thin slices of beef, tofu, kimchee (which I had never tried before – fermented cabbage) and enokitake mushrooms.
The food was very spicy and the flavour was very satisfying. The restaurant was buzzing with the Friday trade of office workers and friends’ gatherings.
Kimchee is at 71 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON WC1V 6EA.