Just down the road from Chancery Lane and Holborn is Kimchee, London’s latest Korean restaurant, where quick dishes are prepared in a bustling, open-plan kitchen.

The Venue
Surrounded by the tall business buildings and regal hotels of High Holborn, Kimchee almost looks corporate, with its hordes of suits flowing in and out of its glass-door entrance. Anticipating the queues of customers, Kimchee has a quaint seating area by the entrance, made up of neat, black, wooden benches beside a cute little water fountain. The wall of this seating area is black and covered in Korean gold lettering that extends up to the high ceiling.

Across one side of the restaurant is an open-plan kitchen, where chefs work away on the charcoal grill, generating an appetising, smoky smell across the dining floor. The rest of the restaurant is split into two sections, the larger one opened up to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and filled with black benches and tables in an Oriental style, so expect to find yourself sharing the table with adjacent customers. The other area is sectioned off by a tall, mesh partition. This area offers a more intimate experience for diners, with Oriental lamps setting a romantic mood at each table. Indeed, eye-catching lamps are suspended from the ceiling throughout Kimchee and help add to a decor that puts a modern twist on Eastern style.

The Atmosphere
During lunchtimes, most custom comes from suited business folk. There's a frenzied atmosphere, with a quickly moving queue at the front of the restaurant and staff running around to accommodate the lunchtime rush. The frenzy of the restaurant is quite exciting though, and Kimchee will probably come even more alive at night, when those lamps are lit a little lower. Staff are dressed in severe black uniforms with a flash of green, but are very friendly and eager to please.

The Food
Kimchee’s placemats outline how sharing food is a key part of Korean culture, and as a result, the food on the menu is designed for a tapas experience. Side dishes are ideal for sharing, like the vegetable tuigim (£4.30) - tempura vegetables with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. Rice and noodle dishes represent good value for money, with big bowls of neatly presented food coming in at under £8. The bibimbap and dolsot bibimbap are Korean speciality rice dishes all served in big earthenware pots. The seafood dolsot bibimbap (£7.90) combines charred mixed rice and vegetables, helping to bring out the flavours of the scallops, calamari and prawns. Chicken katsu udon (£7.40) is stacked high with chunky bites of crispy, coated chicken served on a bed of sticky noodles and al dente, stir fried vegetables. The katsu curry sauce is delicious, thick and tangy with mustard.

Other exciting dishes come hot off the charcoal barbeque, like the beef bulgogi (£7.20), made with thin strips of beef in a fruit, soy and garlic marinade. For simplicity, the Korean speciality of pork belly (£6.50) is seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper before charred on the barbeque. Skewers are also served straight off the grill, with a beef tongue skewer served with Korean barbecue sauce costing £3.50. Pot dishes also offer lots of tasty food for reasonable prices, like the yukgaeyang (£5.90), a spicy red broth with beef, onions and bean sprouts, or the vegetarian favourite, spinach yjigae (£6.20), a soybean soup with spinach and tofu.

The dessert menu is limited, but dishes are light and delicate on the palate. A soothing green tea ice cream costs £2.40, as does the natural frozen yoghurt. Chap ssal ddeok (£1.95) is a soft chocolate rice cake, the only option on the menu for chocoholics.

The Drink
Kimchee has an exciting and appetising range of Oriental drinks. Cold Korean tea costs £2.20 and has a nutty and delicate taste. Plum tea (£2.60), also served hot or cold, is deliciously sweet and thirst-quenching. Smoothies and fruit juices pack an Oriental punch, with aloe vera juice (£2.60) and a green dream smoothie (£3.40) made from kiwi, celery and pear being just two of the exotic options.

The alcohol menu is just as enticing. Cocktails are made with an Asian twist, with either soju or makgeoli cocktails on offer for £4.95. Both spirits are Korean favourites and are used in delicious drinks like the citrus kiss (£4.95) with soju, ice, lemon and lime, or the kimberry (£4.95) made from makgeoli, raspberry liqueur, ice and fresh raspberries. Korean beers Hite and Asahi cost £3.70 a bottle. White wines start at £16.00 a bottle, but only go up to £26.50 for a bottle of Chablis Laroche. Reds are similarly priced, and a small glass of house red wine will only set diners back £3.10.

The Last Word
Kimchee offers reasonably priced, reasonably authentic Korean food in an attractive and vibrant setting. The quirky drinks menu and charcoal barbecue are very appetising, but it's debatable whether Kimchee has enough in its locker to really set itself apart from the crowd.

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