Approx 12:30pm-1:15pm
Asadal
Asadal
Before I start on this one; I have been to Asadal before, and it is great for Korean food (probably in my top 2 Korean restaurants in London)!
I am currently in the middle of (and struggling through) a Korean language course on Saturday mornings, and so I thought it would be a great idea to nip into Asadal afterwards for a spot of lunch, and maybe to practice my Korean speaking (it is only around the corner from my school). In the end, I got way too scared to speak any Korean in there, and just ate quietly instead. I'm in no way complaining - it was delicious, and very reasonable.
You'll notice when you first go through the doors here that you have to go downstairs for the restaurant - I have always found this very daunting for some reason, but don't let put you off! The decor is great - very clean and modern with dark wood, leafy details and moody lighting. There is a lot of room in here, and a lot of tables, but it can still get very busy in the evening (expect to queue).
The lunch menu is a lot smaller than the evening menu, and concentrates on a Bi Bim Bap special of beef, chicken or pork. During the evening there is a much larger menu; one of the main focuses being the Korean BBQ, which is always a lot of fun. If you choose to go for Korean BBQ, it's best to eat it with a group of people, as the portions are generally quite large. On the larger tables is a BBQ stove, which will be lit if you choose to go with the BBQ option. The staff will show you how to cook the meat at your table, and then you can cook it to your own liking. Such a good laugh!
Here was the lunch menu for my Saturday afternoon visit:
I chose to go with the Marinated Beef Bi Bim Bap; This is a sizzling stone bowl filled with rice, vegetables and beef. I was surprised to see that when the stone bowl of goodness came out, it was accompanied by 3 kimchi sides, a bowl of miso soup, and a pot of hot sauce (to add to the Bi Bim Bap as required). For a price of £9.50, the amount of food I got was an absolute bargain! If you add an extra side it would easily enough to feed two people for a light lunch. Luckily, I was very hungry, and ate the lot!
The main dish and the sides were delicious. The rice bowl was packed with flavour, and I love the crispy bit of rice that cooks on the hot bowl - it really adds some depth to the texture. The cabbage kimchi was delicious - I would happily have paid for a bigger portion of this if I had been greedier. The last time I visited, I tried the pork fried kimchi, which was amazing! I topped this off with a cheeky Hite beer, which went down a treat.
The only thing that could make this better is if:
- The beef was added to the bowl raw - the bowl would have cooked it perfectly
- An egg was added to the top of the rice bowl - this always goes great with Bi Bim Bap
Overall, I loved my lunch here at Asadal - I can't wait to visit again with friends!
ThymeTip: If it's your first thyme doing Korean food, try a pajeon starter - nothing is better as comfort food!!
Food: 8/10
Drink: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Fun-ness: 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment