Thursday 6 June 2013

BiBimBap



I know what most of you are thinking: what on earth is a “bibimbap”?! Read on to find out...


BiBimBap is a beloved national icon of Korea- and the restaurant in Soho of the same name specialises in this. Rice is served in a hot stone bowl with your choice of julienned vegetables, mushrooms, pork, beef, chilli chicken and egg (to name but a few) as your toppings. Ketchup and mustard are replaced by gochujang (chilli pepper paste) and denjang (soybean paste) here to customise your bibimbap to your preferences. Both white and brown rice are available, and after a stirring frenzy of mixing your toppings, sauce and rice together, you can tuck in to this hearty and flavoursome meal. The sizzling temperature of the bowl results in the outside layer of rice taking on a novel crispy texture, and the “nutritious” bibimbap option available means that you don’t have to feel guilty about this delicious and colourful ensemble (brown rice, ginseng, ginko, dates, chestnuts and julienned vegetables.)




My personal favourite would have to be the chilli chicken- strips of chicken marinated in chilli, garlic and soy sauce with silky julienned cucumber and spinach culminating in a savoury explosion in your mouth, combined with lashings of gochujang and denjang. Although the hot bibimbap is the main attraction here, they also offer a cold salad bibimbap perfect for summer.

Handy tip: don't go for the side dishes here. The portions are not very generous and the jap chae was drowning in oil...

Nevertheless, BiBimBap is a great, cheap place to eat with friends: the relaxed, modern interior’s yellow walls are adorned with Polaroids of happy customers, often embellished with scribblings and doodles. Fill your stomach with one of these satisfying rice bowls for only about £7- you won’t regret it!

4/5

11 Greek Street, London W1D 4DJ ~Mon-Sat: 12:00noon- 3:00pm, 6:00pm-11:00pm. Closed on Sundays ~More info at www.bibimbapsoho.com



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