Han

Old school K food

Han, photo from management

Lately, Korean cuisine has somewhat become a hot trend in London with plenty of new age Korean themed restaurants opening, from celebrity chef Judy Joo's Jinjuu to expansion of On the Bab in Covent Garden. But all of these so called "Korean restaurants" are far from the real deal, mostly western engineered Korean food and not something you would find in Seoul. On the other hand, New Malden is the unofficial Korean town in London, you can find plenty of traditional Korean restaurants over there and Han is one the most popular one due to the prime location (next to the rail station) and its karaoke lounge. 

kimchi pancake

Han serves classical Korean BBQ food in a rather impressive authentic setting, once you've  ordered your choice of BBQ meat, your waiter will switch on the grill at your table and start to dish up some well marinaded and juicy meat for you. I enjoyed the pork belly the most, finely sliced with the perfect balance of lean and fat ratio that created a multi layered texture in your mouth with a good depth of smoky aroma. Steak tartare with sesame dressing and pear was a refreshing dish, it was sweet with just a hint of nutty aroma, my only criticism would be the meat was served far too cold (almost sub zero temperature) and it seared away some of the flavours. 

beef tatare

BBQ K style

I enjoyed what I had at Han, whilst the food was far from anything special, it does stick to the root of classical Korean cuisine, with plenty of bold and flavoursome tastes. Price wise was really outstanding, we had plenty of food and ended up only paying £12 each, you would need to pay double the price for something similar in central London so overall it was a really satisfying dinner, and maybe if I ever return in the future I might test my vocal skill in one of its private karaoke rooms...

Food: 2.5/5

What I paid: £12 per head

Average cost without drinks and services:
£15


Apex House, 1 High Street, New Malden KT3 4DQ

https://hankaraoke.wordpress.com/