April 2024 - Food

Arang Restaurant

An OG central London Korean barbecue joint that’s been going since 2006. It’s one of those rare places you want to keep coming back to and selfishly keep schtum about. Inside is a slick operation with impeccable service and a lovely crew that will help with the cooking (if requested or needed), otherwise it’s DIY Korean barbecuing at your table. Bring a big group to make a dent in the overwhelmingly large menu, roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. Begin with banchan – the diverse array of small plates that often crowd the table consisting of kimchi, kongnamul muchim (seasoned soybean sprouts) and sigeumchi namul (seasoned spinach). For all the smoky caramelisation barbecue fans out there, this is the place to be. Arang serves a variety of cuts you won’t find elsewhere, such as ojingeo-tonggui (spicy grilled squid), duck and beef tongue, as well as strip steak, galbi jjim, braised beef short ribs and pork belly. Wrap each tasty morsel with unlimited bouquets of lettuce and perilla leaves and dunk in a range of vibrant sauces. Be sure to balance out the meat fest with sides like the jiggly dubu kimchi tofu, yukhoe seasoned raw beef with pear, jjajangmyeon black bean noodles and bibim-naengmyeon cold buckwheat noodles in spicy sauce.