It’s not surprising that London’s Korea fans spend a lot of time in the centre of town: the Korean Cultural Centre is just off Trafalgar Square, mini K-town is in Tottenham Court Road and there are a number of restaurants and shops dotted around Soho and Chinatown. But I’d urge any keen Korea lover to stray just that little bit further and pay New Malden a visit.
This suburban area has attracted Korean residents since the 1950s, and is now populated by more than 8000 Koreans. It is bustling with Korean organisations and businesses ranging from churches to hairdressers to travel agencies to corner shops to estate agents, and so on.
Korean is widely spoken here, and signs are written in both English and Hangeul. It is a place where Korean people can truly feel “at home” in London.
As you can imagine, some of K-town’s main attractions are the dynamic restaurants that dot the streets. These come in many forms and styles yet as with everywhere else in London, you know what you’re getting in terms of menu (pretty much the same generic spread of Korean munch as in any other London Korean restaurant!)
I’ve picked out two favourites that really deserve a mention:
Sorabol
I spent a wonderful evening here with a large group of friends. The quality of food was wonderful, definitely some of the best in London. The vivacious staff were full of character and charm (telling us which dishes to go for and which we definitely shouldn’t, despite liking the sound of them!) which added to the fun and sparkle of the night.
Jee’s Korean Restaurant
The only London Korean restaurant that I know of to provide free banchan, just like they do in Korea! Other places in K-town charge £2.50 for a small portion of kimchi, so if that’s what you’re into, this is the place for you. Four side dishes are provided with every main meal, and they are absolutely 맛있에. The overall authenticity of this eatery is also rather special.
Banchan: yummy and free
In other activities, the New Malden norebang of choice is Han Bar. This is slightly pricier than central London’s Assa, and more alike to Seoul’s luxury norebangs, with cute kitty pillows and super-clean rooms.
Aside from this, New Malden is a place to discover and explore. Pay it a visit; I’m certain that you won’t be disappointed!
- Reach New Malden by overground Southwest train from Waterloo or Richmond (you can use your Oyster card)
I love that I’ll be able to go for Korean food so easily when I get home. Thanks for all the recommendations!
Pleasure! There are lots of slices of Korea right here in London, so you won’t have to miss it when you come home. Enjoy your time out there!
If only there was a jimjilbang and sauna!
That would be perfect for crashing out after the norebang! We can only hope they’ll bring these additions to K-town in the future…
great post! do you know if there’s any place that serves sannakji? still haven’t tried it!
VERY good question! I haven’t seen it anywhere, but will make it my mission to find some this year. I think you should try it, even though as a veggie I never will!
thanks!!
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arirang in golden square gives 3 free banchan..kimchee, potato salad, beansprouts namul..and fill them up again if u want..the bibimbap is great and they make it veggie for me with tofu instead of meat…and at lunchtime replace the crab sticks with fried tofu..all excellent with smiling staff!!!
Hey Linda,
Thanks so much for the recommendation. Always great to hear from another veggie K-foodie. I will definitely check it out!
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If you turn right out the station there is actually a much cheaper Norebang sandwiched between a beauty parlour and an estate agent. Its rooms are huge and it doubles up as a korean pool hall too!
Ooh! Amazing tip. Will have to be checking this out VERY soon! ^^
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Hi, i was just wondering, do you know the addresses of the Noraebangs? I visited New malden last year but wasnt able to find any of them
Hi Liu,
Here are the details of the one I went to.
Hope you find it and have fun there! ^^
Han Bar & Restaurant
Apex House, 1 High Street, Town Centre, New Malden KT3 4DQ
020 8949 7730
Hi! I came across your blog while researching new malden for a uni project. Is there something you feel is missing in new malden from the korean culture point of view?
I can’t wait to try one of the restaurants your recommended
Hi Maritzafigy,
Sounds like a great uni project!
In an ideal world, I would love to see a DVD bang, PC bang, hoff bar, 24-hour convenience store and cheap fashion market. I don’t which UK trading laws would prevent any of these though!
Hope it helps. ^^
Hey, I found your post whilst researching for my undergraduate dissertation. I am trying to find out whether there are Korean shamans/mudangs operating in the London/New Malden area. Have you heard of any?
Hey,
Thanks for posting! I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to this, but you could try posting a comment on http://londonkoreanlinks.net/
The curator there may well be able to help!
I do hope you find what you’re looking for! ^.^
Hi, i’m SOSOSO! glad I found this. Been searching every where for a place in the uk which has Korean stuff. K junkie aha, and a question. Do they have any stores with Kpop like where you can buy merchandise ?
Hi! Great to hear from another K-junkie!
SO, if you’re in London, you can get K-pop merch from Seoul Bakery near Tottenham Court Road: http://kpopconcerts.com/kpop-features/hohos-k-pop-shop-in-london/
Also, look out for events like the London MCM Expo: http://www.londonexpo.com/
There are some other blogs that may be useful: http://www.kpopteam.com/ and http://koreanclassmassive.blogspot.co.uk/
London may not be the best place to get K-pop stuff though, so you may be best searching on e-bay and direct-from-Korea sites like http://www.koreaproxy.com/
Hope it helps! ^^