Shoreditch is dominated by Vietnamese
restaurants in terms of Asian cuisine, but Korean is slowly but surely getting
their claws into the area. Jubo launched its first restaurant in The Bedroom
Bar a few months ago, and now On the Bab has picked a less discrete spot near
Hoxton Square on Old Street.
On the Bab sells Korean Street food. The
cute little restaurant sits less than 30 and tables are quite close together
with about 6 bar seats. Mister and I made it to their soft launch, which meant
we got 50% off the entire food bill. It also meant we had to queue for 20mins
before we were seated, and that we were entitled to go crazy with the ordering.
Luckily portions were quite small so it was great for sharing and trying different
things.
Kimchi
Kimchi is one of those foods that grow on
people. It really grew on me when I began surviving on it in my uni days. There
is something moreish about the slightly spicy preserved vegetables that had
soaked up all the tangy juices but retaining that crunch. At £2 a pop it’s
leaning on the expensive side, considering it’s very much supermarket stuff and
some restaurants serve them for free.
Pa Jeon Spring onion & Seafood
pancake
Another typical Korean dish, but also one that is rarely done well –
too much batter, too little seasoning. I can’t say On the Bab does it
particularly well either; there wasn’t enough seafood to give it the chew and
flavours, even with the watery soy-based dip. On the plus side, the textures of
the pancake was great, crispy and delicate on the outside, soft and doughy on
the inside. Should have gone for the
kimchi pancake though.
Japchae glass noodles with vegetables
I am a massive of Korean vermicelli, being
a tad thicker and a tad bouncier than the usual ones. These were well-made, al dante with a touch of sesame oil
mixed with thinly sliced veg. The mouthfeel was spot on, but the portion was tiny
and it would have been even better with sweetened eggs.
Yangyum Chicken Korean fried chicken with
crushed peanuts, sweet spicy sauce
The chicken retained its ultra crispiness
despite the blanket of more-sweet-than-spicy sauce. The pieces of chicken thigh
were freshly fried, and the viscous glaze clung well onto the brittle shell. It
reminded me of the buttermilk fried chicken at Upstairs @ Ten Bells, but
better. The peanuts, however, were just halved and half-heartedly sprinkled on
the chicken, not crushed and roasted to bring out the aroma.
On the Buns – spicy pork
These were possibly the highlights of the evening. Like Yum Bun, the
fluffy steamed buns were amply stuffed with thin slices of pork belly, plenty
of fresh crunchy veg and a generous squirt of that delicious sweet and spicy
sauce. The simple fussless combination was a winner, and I have no doubt the
bulgogi beef version was just as good.
This was going for 6.50 without the discount, which just re-iterates
how ridiculous Flesh & Buns is charging for a sub-standard equivalent.
Bibimbap rice and various vegetables
mixed with gochujang with bulgogi beef
And the visit wouldn’t be right without
checking out their bibimbap. Personally I prefer the dolsot bibimbap with the
rice served in a hot stone pot with raw beef and sesame oil, but barbeque
strips of beef in a metallic bowl would do too. It’s pretty standard stuff
here, except it is missing the raw egg yolk! Roar. That’s like having a hot dog
without onions, a burger without cheese or eggs benedict without the
hollandaise sauce! Not right.
Kimchi Bokeun Bab Korean style kimchi bacon
paella with fried egg on top
This was another winner. Paella was merely referring to mixed fried
rice with the chili pepper paste, which was moist and tasty on its own. Then
Mister broke the egg to mix the yolk with the rice, which really lifted the
rice with the subtle heat and made it even more delicious.
I don’t think On the Bab serves the best Korean in town, but on the
street food front, it hits the spot. Some dishes could have been better in
terms of seasoning, but it’s no worse than some of the more acclaimed Korean
restaurants in Central London. With the 50% discount we ended up with a £25 bill,
that’s 3 small dishes and 3 mains for 2 people – I think it was just right for a
very hungry couple that had a pretty darn stressful day. I’d come back for more
without the discount.
305 Old Street
London
EC1V 9LA
No reservation – walk in only

You may also like: Kimchee, Hoi-Polloi, Song Que
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