Bi Won Korean Restaurant

Every couple of months or so, myself and a friend, Sooyin, have dinner together. We usually end up turning going Japanese, but other Asian countries such as Malaysia and China get a look-in too. Last week Sooyin introduced me to a new cuisine - Korean, which oddly I'd never eaten before even though there were a couple of Korean restaurants in Auckland. Amusingly enough, the restaurant we visited is right next door to my old standard, Savoir Faire.

The restaurant, Bi Won (24 Coptic Street, London WC1A 1NT) is small and not particularly swish, but it was tidy, the staff (obviously students) were friendly and attentive, the chairs comfortable, and the toilets clean, so overall good marks for appearance, setting and service.

We started with entrées of Jellyfish in Mustard Sauce and Squid & Vegetables in Sweet Chilli Sauce. Both of these were fantastic. The jellyfish - which I'd never tried before - was nicely firm in a gelatinous way without being tough or slimy, and had a pleasant taste rather like good rice noodles. The mustard sauce had that razor edge to it that sharp mustards do, and was a taste explosion in my mouth. Together the textures and flavors of the two blended beautifully. The squid was just as delicious - melt in your mouth consistency, fresh and tasty flesh and nicely sweet and hot chilli sauce that enhanced rather than overpowered. I fear I probably ate more than my fair share!

For main we both had Beef Bibimbap; rice, sauce, vegetables and thin strips of raw beef (which was cooked by the food's heat) in one pot, accompanied by a dish of Spinach and a bowl of Miso Soup with cubes of tofu. I thought they were a little sparing with the vegetables and meat, however having said that, I couldn't manage to finish my portion after wading through the entrées. The dish was pleasant, filling and well-cooked, but nothing to write home about.

As another first, I was also introduced to Soju, Korean rice wine. This came in a 330ml bottle, and with an alcohol content of 19% I was glad to share. The taste, I thought, was rather like a cross between sake and vodka, was very refreshing and had a definite weight and slight oiliness to it. It was very enjoyable.

In fact, altogether, the entire evening was a great success. Sooyin and I had fun geeking out about the latest anime, manga, and fantasy/sci-fi books & TV programs, I scored the next two books of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series off her - yah! - and I got to find a new dinnerplace.

The total came to £55.00 including service charge (included on the bill) for two entrées, one sidedish, two mains incl. soup, one bottle of alcohol, one tea and two still waters. So, sparkling entrées, good hearty mains and reasonable pricing means this gets a thumbs up from me as a decent eatery.

ETA: Went back here with some other friends in December and had the Korean BBQ, which was very good, as well as having the entertainment value of DIY tabletop grilling. Another thumbs up.