Arang, Soho, London

Excellent! I tried this the week after I tried Jindalle, and this place wins hands down. It is a classy place suitable for dates, friends, and family.

Service was very prompt and helpful. Out of the non-alcoholic drinks, I recommend the cinnamon punch, which was something out of this world! Their prices are slightly on the pricey side especially for the barbeque, but their other dishes are really good too and come in quite big portions to share.

Now I know why its consistently rated one of the best Korean restaurants in town!

Arang is a Korean Restaurant just off the back of Piccadilly Circus. On first impressions the restaurant is very modern with table tops of white marble and black bottoms. Our first hurdle was choosing from the menu where options were wide and varied. Our waitress, a native Korean, was very helpful on this point and made a number of suggestions in line with customary Korean eating. Our second hurdle was knowing what to do with our food. In prior Korean eating experiences we would have cooked the barbecue ourselves but on this occasion every piece of meat was cooked by our waitress. Good service but I felt it was a touch OTT.

We went with Spring Onion & Fried Korean pizza with seafood, Fried squid with vegetables & red pepper paste sauce (very spicy), and for the barbecue dishes Bulkabi (beef rib) and Bulgogi (beef) plus some rice and lettuce. We were also given some complimentary sides including Kim Chi and Potato Salad. Oh we also received complimentary fruit which was a nice end to the meal.

Overall I was pleased with the quality of the food and the service was fantastic. I would have perhaps liked to cook the food myself next time as it felt like the waitress was there for the WHOLE meal. Arang is a very popular place and booking is recommended.

A friend and I turned up to Arang tonight with no reservation, and were told it would be a 30 minute wait for a table. We decided to stay, which was definitely the right move. The wait ended up being less than quoted, and we were soon shepherded to a nice table complete with gas “barbecue” (more like a Japanese teppan) in the centre. The service was slick, and we soon had large plates of meat and smaller plates of kimchi, potato salad, beansprouts etc, these being on the house as is customary in Korea. Despite the authenticity of the food and the flavours, we had an attentive (and attractive) waitress who did most of the cooking for us at the table, unlike in Korea/Japan where you’d be left to fend for yourselves. However, this was not an unwelcome variation!

The marbled beef was pretty good, and the marinated pork belly bulgogi was excellent, extremely tender and full of flavour. The latter was as good as anything I’ve had in Korea/Japan, as were the kimchi and other side dishes. Finally we had a spicy beef soup, which was outstanding. Arang has a wide-ranging menu, and I will certainly be back to try out some of the other dishes. The prices are reasonable, particularly considering the quality and the area, and we stuffed ourselves for 20 quid a head including beers and tea.

The place was buzzing with a young, good-looking clientèle when we went there, and I’m not surprised at its popularity. Despite this, the service didn’t miss a beat. I would make sure to book if I went again, but judging by axisofunity’s review, this may or may not make a difference! There seemed to be a fair number of Korean diners too, always a good sign. Highly recommended.

Food: 5
Service: 5
Value: 4 (marked down for cans of coke being 2 quid, which seems an extreme mark-up, although it’s probably standard)

Summary: A Korean Restaurant near Picadilly Circus that serves excellent Korean food, including BBQ at the table. Prices are very reasonable and service is good.

Review: Arang is situated on Golden Square and has some parking around however it is easy to reach via Tube or walking from Charing Cross of Leicester Square. Arang is comprised of a bar, front-room, back-room that is usually used for private dining and a downstairs private-bar and karoke/club area which can be hired.

The owner and most of the waiting staff are Korean and there’s always the latest KTV drama theme-tune or music quietly in the background.

Arang appears a little ‘rough and ready’ and is always very busy so booking is essential. However in my experience booking doesn’t mean you’ll get to sit down at that time, a number of times I have booked and then still had to wait up to 35mins for a table! The manager has bene very kind and given out free drinks but it’s still annoying. Never-the-less when it is your turn to sit down the food is excellent and quick to arrive.

I really recommend some of the set-menus that include the BBQ. As well as the BBQ (at your table) you also get numerous starters including noodles, seafood, kim-chi and other dishes. I’ve found that for £20 - £28 per head you will be stuffed :)

If set-menu doesn’t take your fancy then there are lots of authentic dishes on the menu including Bi Bim Bap cooked in stone dishes. Their current website has a great menu list with some pictures, (www.arang.co.uk) and if you have a look there you should get your taste buds going :D

I’ve found that overall the restaurant is great besides from the slightly packed front-room and often delays in seating. If these didn’t happen every now and then, then this would get five starts for just being fun with good food.

Overall, I have not yet found a better Korean restaurant in London at this price range. Let me know if you try it and your feedback :)