On the Bab Covent Garden

Korean street food

KFC 4 ways, sweet & spicy, soy, garlic mayo & Spring onion

From the same people who ran the famous Korean restaurant Koba in Fitzrovia, On the Bab is an informal Korean street food restaurant that started life in Old Street, barely 1 year later, it is now 3 chains strong with surely more under way in the near future. It gains high popularity from its simple street food items, from salads, buns, noodles, chicken and rice dishes. It is hardly authentic as flavours wise, they are mostly carefully engineered to make it more approachable to the western palate, but this formula has proven to be a big success. 

shrimp dumplings

Spicy pork buns

We went for the in trend Korean fried chicken and tried all four flavours, garlic mayo packed a real punch with its powerful and creamy garlic and I was a big fan. Special soy was also very pleasant with its mild sweetness and saltiness, it was not as good as Jubo's fried chicken (hard to beat!) but still a real winner. Spicy pork bun was one of those dishes that is just perfect for lunch, mild spicy slices of well marinated pork in a soft and smooth bun, an item that I would have no problem to consume on a daily basis. The classic Bibimbab rice bowl with bulgogi beef was also decent with a range of cooked salads and a creamy egg that all linked up nicely with the sweet and spicy gochujang sauces.

bulgogi beef with rice

Bibimbab rice bowl

While On the Bab's food is hardly top notch or cheap, it was indeed very comforting with some lovely signature Korean tastes in its cooking. Staff are mostly Korean, not the best service in the world but that is to be expected in most Oriental fast food restaurants in London, due to the popularity and limited spaces, it is not easy to get a table in the evening and you can't really stay long, so this place is more ideal for a quick catch up with friends, expect to pay around 20 pound per person with a drink. They also do take away so it can be an ideal lunch time choice if you work nearby.

Food 2.5/5

What I paid: 
£18 pp with a glass of beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£15 pp 

36 Wellington St, London WC2E 7BD

http://onthebab.co.uk/