Esher, Korean Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “One of the best of New Malden’s Koreans (and the only one we’ve found with charcoal grills)” – “the ambiance has its own pure charm, with smoke in the air from the table-BBQs and queues out the door on weekends”. “Service is a bit brusque and chaotic at times, but the flavours cannot be beaten!”

2022 Review: This “lovely little Japanese restaurant with a very decent range” is a “very welcome option in Richmond”. Run by a Korean family, it has provided “sterling service” for 17 years.

2021 Review: “The best kimchi in London” – apparently “voted by the South Korean Embassy!” – is found at this drab-looking stalwart, near Ravenscourt Park tube. Despite the name, the place is Korean-owned and run – and it’s the “fantastic Korean dishes” that garner the plaudits this year: “sweet, savoury, spicy and with generous portions”. But the Japanese dishes are also excellent and “service is always personal”.

The “small plates of big Korean taste bombs never disappoint” in this basement dining room (with a ground-level bar) off Carnaby Street, where traditional cuisine meets contemporary K-pop youth culture. Top Menu Tip – “prawn tacos and spicy cauliflower”.

2021 Review: Not far from West Hampstead station, this well-established, modern bistro serves “small but delicious portions” of distinctive, “Asian-French fusion cuisine”: no doubt a legacy of chef-owner Jae’s stints working for Nobu and Hélène Darroze at the Connaught. The “limited ambience” may represent a “missed opportunity” for cooking of this style and quality – the vibe is “nice local” rather than “romantic” – but it’s a “hidden gem” worth discovering.

2023 Review: This Soho canteen is “one of the better Korean restaurants in town”, serving “authentic” Korean fast food headed by the dish it takes its name from – hot rice with savoury toppings that you stir before eating. There’s also a take-away option in the City.

A new location for an old restaurant: this latest incarnation of a family-run business opened in New Malden – serving the sizable local Korean expat community – in spring 2023. Grace Dent of The Guardian visited in May 2023 and was a fan of its “simple yet delicious” cooking – “Cah Chi isn’t trying to change the world; it’s just quietly representing skilful Korean cooking and creating a haven for hungry passers-by”.

This “great local Korean” close to Notting Hill Gate tube station offers a “good variety of dishes” – including Japanese sushi and “super lunchtime bento boxes”. “It can get very busy, so booking is advised”.

On the Soho-fringe site of the much-lamented YMing (RIP), this April 2023 newcomer is a Korean BBQ bringing the pyeonbaek steam box to London – a three-tiered box made from hinoki wood, a type of cypress. It’s named after Cheongdam-dong, an affluent – and foodie – district of Gangnam in Seoul. It opened too late to inspire survey feedback – reports please!