Koba is one of London’s hidden gems, a restaurant tucked away between Oxford Street and Charlotte Street. Korean food has quite a low profile in London as people can be wary of the unknown, but many of the dishes are very familiar and borrow heavily from Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine, bwith one key difference – Koba are barbecue specialists! This place is really one for the carnivores, there are veggie dishes on the menu, but to miss out on the meat would be sacrilege.
Your order comes out of the kitchen raw and is cooked by your waiter on a hot plate in the middle of your table; it doesn’t get any fresher than that! We’d recommend the mixed barbecue to sample as many different meats as possible – beef, chicken, pork belly, duck and prawns the size of baby lobsters, all served with chilli sauce and lettuce leaves in which to roll up the meat, fajita-style. A little veggie noodles or rice on the side and you have a filling, healthy and tasty meal. If barbecues aren’t your thing then try babimbap – rice, veg and meat in a hot bowl, or various chow mein-style dishes.
Great food, fab service and not bad value either – definitely one of London’s best Korean restaurants. In the words of Diana Ross and the Supremes “I’ll Try Something New” who knows you just might like it!
Koba Korean Restaurant – 11 Rathbone Street W1T 1NA