If you don’t live in New Malden, Surrey (Zone 4 – train from Waterloo) you are unlikely to run into Korean cuisine. New Malden has a substantial Korean population.<\/p>\n
But central London has Naru \u2013 at the Holborn end of Shaftesbury Avenue. It’s difficult to compare it with others because there are so few. Therefore, it’s back to the primitive taste test \u2013 do I like it? And would I recommend it to others?<\/p>\n
The answer to both is \u201cyes\u201d. I don’t know how it matches up against other Korean restaurants. All I know is that I enjoyed my visit.<\/p>\n
In Korean, Naru means a place where you get a ferry boat to cross a river \u2013 a sort of landing stage and those who arrive here will feel they have landed well.<\/p>\n
It’s not fancy but neither are the prices. You can eat and drink well at lunchtime for \u00a320 each as there are number of fixed price dishes (around \u00a313) \u2013 expect nearer \u00a330 in the evening when dining is more a la carte.<\/p>\n
The presentation and the service are both good. I had \u201cPa Jeon\u201d (\u00a37.90) to start with \u2013 it’s a crispy pancake filled with spring onions and mixed seafood or kim-chi, the ubiquitous Korean fermented vegetable dish. I had the former and it was delicious. My dining partner went for \u201cTo Po Kki\u201d (spicy street food<\/a>, with rice cakes, fish cakes and vegetables). She found it too spicy at first but soon got used to the chilli. After which, she wanted more.<\/p>\n For my main course, I ordered \u201cYang Nyam Dak\u201d (\u00a311.90) \u2013 crispy fried chicken in a sweet and sour plus chilli sauce. It was generously portioned but without any noticeable sugar \u2013 the ingredient that ruins so much Oriental cooking (it’s assumed it is for the \u201cEuropean Taste\u201d). Plus rice (\u00a32.20).<\/p>\n My fellow diner went for the \u201cNaru Boo SSam\u201d (\u00a313.90) a pork dish cooked in a house sauce. Again, the amount was good and the sauce, basically ginger, scallions and hot spicy oyster sauce, was very good. She had noodles (depending on exact sort, around \u00a32.50).<\/p>\n