Favourite Korean Restaurant - Kimchee

Just by writing about the dishes at KimChee makes me hungry! 

This Korean Restaurant is set few minutes walk away from Holborn Station and you will notice it immediately as there will either be a queue of people waiting to be seated at the door ( dinner time), or you will be attracted by its beautiful interior with their signature light shades made from bamboo. 

I have been to this restaurant a few times now and the food never disappoints! 

With an open kitchen visible as soon as you enter the restaurant, I always enjoy watching the Chefs at work prepping all the delicious food or BBQ-ing the meat, viewing from their lovely reception/ waiting area which has a beautifully put together water feature with pebbles on the floor.

 Usually at traditional Korean Restaurants, the BBQ (Bulgogi) is done at your table and this is one of the reasons which discouraged me going for Korean food because you always end up smelling of the food after leaving the restaurant!

At KimChee, the BBQ is done by the Chef in the open kitchen where you can still see the cooking process without taking in the smell all over! 

Here are a few dishes tried so far and I would definitely recommend all of them! 

First, the Sides ... 

Crab Tuigim - Soft Shell Crab

Veg Tuigim - Vegetable Tempura is the familiar name ...

Yuk Hwae - Raw Beef served with egg yolk and pear slices at the bottom

This dish requires an acquired taste to enjoy. I was first put off by the look of it as everything is raw on the dish, but once I tried it (with peer pressure), I loved it and now ... always have it on my order!  

Gogi Mandu - Chicken Dumplings

Kimchee Pa Jeon

Pa Jeon is Korean pancakes. Here we tried the Kim Chee one but there is also a seafood version which is also really nice! 

Calamari Tuigim

Now the MAINS : Bibimbap is a MUST try! 

I hope I am not wrong in saying that it is the most popular dish in all Korean restaurants, as I always see everyone ordering this... so here in 2 versions. 

It is basically a rice dish served with vegetables and your selection ( Beef, raw beef or seafood) in a super hot stone bowl. The way to eat this dish is to mix everything while the stone bowl is still super hot so that it cooks everything in the bowl and the flavours of the meat and veg is well incorporated with the rice.  If you like it spicy (like I do) you can add a spoon or 2 of the chilli paste provided with this dish and mix mix mix!  Then eat ... so yumm!!! 

The Raw Beef and the Seafood version below. 

Raw Beef BiBimBap 

Seafood BiBimBap

 So Korean loves their BBQ meat (Bulgogi)! 

In the Bulgogi section you can choose from different meat and fish dishes and we chose the Beef and the Pork Belly. Served with Lettuce leaves, the way to eat this dish is to dip the BBQ meat in the sauce provided and then use the lettuce leaf to wrap the meat and take a bite! 

Pork Belly Bulbogi

Beef Bulgogi

And now to the DESSERTS ...  ( if you still have space! ) 

Green Tea Jelly with Red Beans 

Black Sesame and Strawberry Pannacotta

This dish didn't look exactly like the one on the picture but was still a nice dessert to have!

Patbingsu

For the 'Healthy' option? :)  As soon as the Patbingsu arrived, we all had eyes on it! 

This dessert looked huge and massive enough for all to share but in reality ... there is a good amount of crushed ice below to keep the fruits cold so ... it's just enough for one ... not for EVERYONE to share! Hehe! Sorry guys!! :p 

For Drinks, I usually go for the Hot Plum Tea. Served in the really heavy cast iron tea pot, it can be really really sweet so then I ask for some extra hot water to mix it in. The cocktails and mocktails are also good and they have a good selection of fresh juices to choose from. 

Overall, I've always enjoyed the food at Kim Chee and I really like the casual yet elegant atmosphere it offers. The only downside is that there is a NO-BOOKING policy ... so on busy nights, prepare to wait for quite some time!

Service-wise, sadly, it is not as consistent as the food. It depends on who you get serving your area. 

We had occasions where we had great service (good dialogue, recommendations, smile, constant checking if we were ok!) and others when we could see that the waitress felt overwhelmed and could not cope with the 'business' of the place. She failed to bring our drinks, took ages to clean our table once the dishes were finished and did not even offer us the dessert menu ... Depends on your luck!
Let's hope you are lucky when you do go there! 

Price-wise, it is a little bit on the pricy side as the dishes are quite small and you do need to order quite a few to feel content but I'm guessing it reflects on the quality of the food. It always felt very fresh and tasty. As a guide, prepare to spend about £25-£30 per person if you'd like to go for a selection of everything ... sides, mains and desserts with drinks. 

KIMCHEE Restaurant 

71, High Holborn London

WC1V 6EA

Lunch at Antico Restaurant & Bar

Bermondsey Street. Located just a few minutes from London Bridge Station and The Shard. 

Not usually our hangout area but that weekend, we fancied trying something local and as we were walking up towards Bermondsey Square, we ended up in Antico Restaurant & Bar. 

As we walked into the restaurant, we were warmly welcomed by the hostess who seated us in the very bright dining room with very rustic decor and very large windows. I loved it! The room also had a few pots of lavender by the windows which looked surprisingly real! (they were plastic!)   hehe. 

Nevertheless, it made the room pretty! 

As we were handed the menu, they had a great Set Menu Lunch which was perfect for us to try out a few of their specialities. We learn that the Chefs used to work at Theo Randall, an amazing Italian place on Park Lane, and that their passion was for traditional Italian flavours (more specifically from Tuscany) which they automatically transfer on their dishes. 

 

As a starter, we decided to share the Antipasti Board. The trio of colours on the board were all really yummy. The Focaccia bread was really soft and tasty, the selection of meat were of good quality as well and I really enjoyed the Olives! I wish they gave more focaccia bread!! :) 

Antipasti Board - Selection of Cured Meats, Olives and Focaccia

Then came our Mains. I chose to have the Pan-Roasted Hake, Capers, Cavolo Nero and Lemon Butter while Mr. Hubby had the 'favourite of the menu' as recommended by our waitress, the Slow roasted Pork Shoulder Tortelloni with Sage Butter.

Beautifully presented Tortelloni with sage butter and parmesan

Both dishes were absolutely fantastic! 

The Tortelloni had an amazing flavour and the pasta was just perfect. Not too thick, not too thin. Perfectly cooked with just the right texture to go with the slow roast pork shoulder filling and the sage flavoured melted butter ... it was almost heavenly! :p 

Just needed some freshly ground pepper on top to add that last bit of Ooumpfhh!! 

Pan - Roasted Hake with capers

My fish was also very good. A crispy layer on top but still very soft on the inside, covered with capers and much more than a drizzle of lemon butter! I am not to complain as I love butter! 

Wasn't too sure what the Cavolo Nero was but at that time I thought it was just the Italian name for Kale but when I 'googled' it later, it was from the Kale family but just a different type which is popular in Tuscany. I do love my veg so enjoyed that too! 

As we finished our mains, we were very hesitant to go for dessert but as we were enjoying such a comfortable setting, we said 'why not!' ...

Pot of Chocolate mousse with a sprinkle of seasalt 

Traditional Lemon Tart with Mascarpone

While the Chocolate pot was a bit too much, the Lemon Tart however was very 'lemony' and tasted really nice! Felt like a homemade dessert which had lots of flavour and just the right amount of sugar! 

What a Great Treat this was! 

My. Hubby and I left very satisfied and happy and definitely will be going back. 

(Please note that this restaurant can get very busy in the evenings so best to book in advance! We tried going there few evenings after work but always always buzzing and difficult to get a table. So it is more advisable to go for a Weekend lunch! ) 

ANTICO Restaurant & Bar 

214 Bermondsey Street

SE1 3TQ

Tel: 0207 407 4682

 

Lunch at The Great British Restaurant Mayfair

With friends visiting from abroad, we booked a table at The Great British Restaurant in Mayfair hoping to experience traditional British cuisine in style! The reviews were good and located conveniently off Oxford Street made it even easier for us to select this establishment.

 The booking process was very easy and having the membership to Tastecard, we were able to enjoy a 2 for 1 main course offer! How fabulous! :)  Who doesn't love a good deal! 

As we entered the restaurant,  the place looked very small but had a long corridor leading to the back. We were happy to see that there was already a buzz with customers enjoying their morning coffee. The hostess was lovely and directed us all the way inside to the 'back room' where there was more space to accommodate our party of six! Don't worry... the back room was not a dark scary room :) ! 

We were given the Lunch Menu to choose from and although we initially were going for the Classic / Traditional British Dishes, we ended up choosing different items from the Mains Menu. All the options were so tempting! 

The dishes we chose were as follows :

Goosnargh Duck with duck leg faggots, turnips & blackberries, mead sauce 

Devon Plaice fillets, Cornish Squid, Sea purslane in Shellfish juices

The Longhorn Beef steak served with Watercress, roast bone marrow and Duck egg

The Great British Restaurant prides itself in using fresh, local produce and this was definitely reflected in the dishes we had and how they tasted. I had the Devon plaice fillets and I was so impressed by the presentation! The fillets were shaped into a medallion and this must not have been easy to prepare and cook, and to make it sit so beautifully on the plate... Ah! Well done to the Chef!

We had a great time with friends and enjoyed a lovely meal but the only downside which will also be memorable for us (sadly) is that the food took a looonnngggg time to come!

We waited almost an hour for our food to come and it was a bit much. Luckily we were in great company so it wasn't so bad but if you are in a rush ... I would recommend you to let the hostess / waitress know so that they can get organised!

Complimentary Sweets to go!

Before we left, we were each given a little treat which I thought was very thoughtful! :)
Traditional British Sweets!

Overall I would say the Food here is excellent, the pricing is reasonable given that lots of efforts are put into finding the best local produce and I will definitely recommend if you are looking for a modern yet traditional place to enjoy British Cuisine.

They also offer a Brunch Menu and a Sunday Lunch Menu which is worth a try!


The Great British Restaurant
Mayfair
North Audley Street
London
W1K 6WE

Lunch at the SAVOY GRILL - Gordon Ramsey

To celebrate the New Year in 'style', we booked a set lunch menu at the SAVOY GRILL expecting a quintessentially British experience at one of the most exclusive London Hotels. 

Since 2007, The Savoy Hotel was closed and underwent a massive refurbishment which took almost three years to complete and reopened its doors end of 2010. I have not visited the premises since its reopening and with this beautiful Lunch Offer of 3 course meal at £26, it was a good time for a visit! 

As we were seated in a very comfortable corner of the restaurant, the surrounding of the dining room was (as expected) very glamorous and elegant with a 1920's theme, with majestic chandeliers illuminating the room. The atmosphere was formal, yet comfortable. 

Our three-course meal was lovely although not extraordinary ...  I will let you see for yourself the dishes enjoyed from the modern menu with classic French and British twists. 

Celeriac Soup with Crispy toast with blue cheese

This entree was made special by the delicious crispy toast. If you like blue cheese it's a winner, if not,  be warned ... the smell can be overpowering! 

Chicken Liver Parfait served with chutney accompaniment and toasted brioche

The other entree we chose, the Chicken Liver Parfait was smooth and light. The Chutney was the perfect accompaniment and I loved that it was served with toasted brioche instead of normal toast. 

I Love brioche :)  I could have this entree any day! 

Now to the Mains. We each had a different Main as below. 

All presented beautifully, portraying the British and French influence on the each dish. 

Grilled Hanger Steak served with Potato Puree and Kale

Pan fried smoked trout with shallots

Smoked salmon and brown shrimp fish cakes with lobster sauce 

Game pie with swede mash

The food was faultless. We could see that each element of every dish was carefully prepared and thought through. All classically prepared but presented in a modern way to suit the evolving and demanding customer, we were not disappointed as we moved on to our desserts ... 

Sherry Trifle

Treacle Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Overall an impeccable experience at the Savoy Grill and for the cost, very worth it! 

I would definitely recommend going for the Lunch Set Menu and take your friends who enjoy sophisticated service and environment. All for a very affordable price! 

SAVOY GRILL

91 Strand , The Savoy Hotel

London WC2R 0EU