One of my favourite things about living in a big city is discovering new restaurants.
About a year ago, thanks to the power of social media, I stumbled across Hongdae Pocha – London’s first Retro Pocha! Those who follow me on social media will know that I love it there. The food is amazing. Side note: Hongdae is an area of Seoul, South Korea famous for a long list of things that include: indie music culture, shopping, cafes, street food, street performances, night life. Pocha is the Korean word for an informal bar. Together they make a good description of what the restaurant is like. In early April, as I was on my merry way to visit Hongdae Pocha (“HP”), for probably the third time that month, I discovered an upcoming Korean restaurant being renovated ahead of its opening. Upon further research, I learned that this restaurant was to be named Chungdam and much to my delight, was/is a sister restaurant of my beloved HP. As you may have guessed, it is named after an area of Seoul. Specifically: Chungdam-dong, which is a district known to be a great place to visit for good food, restaurants, fashion and art.
About the restaurant
Chungdam the restaurant, however, is located in the heart of Soho, London. The vision behind its creation is to bring “Korean delicacies into London by encapsulating the essence of Chungdam-dong”. The restaurant is guided by “traditional Korean traditional Korean cooking techniques, as well as the combination of finely selected ingredients in an interactive dining experience.” If you click here, it should take you to the menu.
When my parents said they would take me out for dinner for my birthday, and that I should pick a special place, I chose Chungdam. It was also going to be their first experience of having a Korean meal, so I really wanted to select a restaurant that would give them the best possible dining experience. We were all really impressed with the decor, all the way down to the tableware. The aesthetic is minimal, and I liked that. Getting my first experience of a tabletop grill was awesome. I think I was more excited about that than anything else — so was my dad, who was already trying to convince mum that they should buy one for home before the meal had ended. The staff working were really nice, and so welcoming.
They will happily answer any question you have about the menu.
What did you eat?
A lot of food. Probably most of what is on the menu! Including:
Sides (to share for starters)
- Kimchi
- Japchae
- Mandu
- Beef Jeon
- Seafood Pancake
Mains (also all shared)
- Ribeye
- Chungdam Bulgogi
- Dressings / lettuce to make a Ssam (a self made little bundle of food wrapped in lettuce)
- Soybean Stew
- Spicy cold noodles
- Steamed rice
How was the food?
All of it was incredible. Actually, just thinking about it now makes me hungry. The Mandu were the best I’ve tasted to date. I’d never tried Beef Jeon before. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was really delicious, and its now on my list of food I think about when I’m hungry. The Japchae was incredible.
The Soybean Stew was also a new dish for me but I am so glad I tried it. When it comes to spicy foods, I struggle — there are lots of foods other people don’t find spicy, but I do, and even though I’m getting loads better, I did find the stew a little too spicy for my tastes (you may not) but other than that, it really was delicious. The spicy cold noodles are, get ready for it…spicy but this time I would say by all standards of tolerance. I tried them but since I’m not quite at that level yet, I didn’t have a lot. My family loved them!
Faye says…
If you are in London and looking for a place to eat on a special occasion, Chungdam would make a really good choice.
The general consensus on the price range seems to be that the restaurant is: £££
The side dishes (bangchan) aren’t included in the meal in the same way that they might be in Korea, but since we’re not in Korea, that’s OK. When I visited the restaurant for the first time, it was with my then Korean teacher, and she said that the food tasted like that she gets back home.
There’s also a private Karaoke room!
Bonus: Faye on K-Food & Japchae
Somehow, I managed to survive for decades without Korean food, but now I can’t live without it. When I discovered Japchae, and you’ll have to excuse me for being dramatic about it, it changed my life. Japchae is the greatest food I’ve ever tasted. It has everything: meat (if you want it), noodles, vegetables, delicious sauce. Everything! I just love it!
I’m actually on a personal mission to try Japchae in as many restaurants around London as I can while I save up money enough to go to Korea. So far, the Japchae at Chungdam / Hongdae Pocha has been my favourite.