Little Miss Piggy in London : Koba

Although this is another Korean restaurant and I have already written about one, this one is definitely worth mentioning and it was a whole different experience. I came here with my boyfriend because I wanted him to try Korean BBQ which I used to always have when I was younger. Tucked away down Rathbone Street, you can access this restaurant easily from Goodge Street or Tottenham Court Road station. We came here on a Friday night.

Koba on a Friday night is full of business men and their colleagues, and most of them seem to be Korean - which can´t be a bad sign! The crowd were all very dressed up and with everyone appearing to be very sophisticated they seemed to fit well into the stylish and minimalistic surroundings. The dining area has a sleek décor with industrial looking light fixtures - these hang down from pipes which we later realized acted as chimneys for the BBQ smoke to be ventilated through. It was quite a fun structure and a good idea! The restaurant is quiet and chic with modern lounge music playing in the background.

As is usual with many Asian cuisines, we shared our dishes. I think we got rather a lot – maybe a bit too much for me as after the first two starters I was full and the BBQ hadn’t even started! We paid £33 each so it was a pricey meal but it is a very nice restaurant with great service and amazing food.

This was a good, fun and hygienic way to start our meal! We were brought little hand towels that came in a dish which was then filled with boiling hot water that was absorbed by the towels.

1. The first starter we had was kimchee –a must have whenever you go for Korean food. Actually, on a normal everyday basis I would be happy with just kimchee and rice :) - simple and delicious.

2. The second starter we had was Pajeon which is spring onion pancake with seafood. This was really tasty and I hadn’t had it before but it is a very traditional dish in Korea.

3. The third starter we had was Yook Hwei, which I had had before but couldn’t remember and I had read in lots of reviews that people raved about this dish. It is raw beef, sliced pear and egg yolk. It is an odd combination and I was definitely up for trying it again, but I wasn’t that pleased by it. The beef was semi-frozen before it was served so it was very cold and crunchy and tasted very sweet. I was happy to try it but I don’t think I will order it again.

4. We then began our BBQ which is what we had planned to go for! We had bulgogi which is marinated beef – it’s my favourite. They cook it in front of you on your own personalized BBQ. With the bulgogi you are meant to wrap a lettuce leaf around it with a dollop of chili sauce and little green veggies. You eat it like a wrap – I love it!