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”.

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!