Smokin’ Hot Jazz Hands at BiBimBap

Asked if you’re in the mood to enjoy some bibimbap in Soho of an evening, you may be forgiven for donning your finest black roll neck and heading down to Ronnie Scott’s jazz club.  You’d be in for a shock as you try and explain what sounds like the latest jazz craze but is in fact the name of Korea’s national dish and also of two sibling restaurants in central London serving up said favourite dish to locals, tourists, and Korean nationals alike.

What is it? Well the literal translation just means ‘mixed rice’.  The Marketing department have obviously got a word in here and decided the untranslated phrase incorporates a bit more punch as a restaurant name, a decision you couldn’t really get away with so easily for Fish & Chips.   So is that it? No chance.  Bibimbap comes in one size – large.  It is comfort food after all.  What you get is generous bowl of rice, vegetables and meat/fish/tofu depending on preference, all served in a stone bowl hotter than Kelly Brook covered in kimchi and topped off with a fried egg.  For the more adventurous you can take your egg raw but as we were pre-evening out, I took the safe bet and ordered my food cooked before it reached the table.

‘Mixed rice’

The menu offers noodles and soups as well as the namesake, but we stick with the headline act and the varieties of chilli chicken and spicy pork both delight as are well accompanied by ‘local’ Korean brew, Hite,

There is no hidden ‘S’ on this label

and a side order of deliciously crispy chilli squid.  All served up quickly and efficiently from the charred arms of the waiting staff.  Seriously, even at the end of the meal, those stone bowls would still remove skin, as no doubt proved to every new staff member.  On top of all this, every table is graced with a red pepper paste called gochujang to add even more kick to those brave enough and a homemade miso sauce which was so good I could have licked it off the floor.

This isn’t a three hour grazing venue, more of an in and out then hit the bars affair after 6pm or a great spot for lunch earlier in the day, but no matter what the hour, you can have just as much fun eating the dish as you can saying it.  ‘Mixed Rice’ is definitely one we’ll come back to again.

Find more on Bibimbap Soho at bibimbapsoho.co.uk and @bibimbapsoho and Bibimbap Charlotte St at bibimbapcharlottestreet.co.uk and @Bibimbapcharst

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