The food at this casual Korean dining room is cheap, varied, flavoursome, and well worth the trek to Golders Green.

The Venue
At first glance, Kimchee has the generic Orientalist look of any number of mid-range Chinese restaurants, all dark wood and jade accoutrements. But as you settle into the spacious dining room, it becomes apparent that it is actually a mindful pastiche of Korean art and architecture, tastefully embellished with ink paintings, screens, and ceramics. The polite, pleasant staff sustain the aesthetic in traditional dress.

The Atmosphere
For all its heavy beams of dark wood, Kimchee’s dining room is airy and bright thanks to big picture windows facing Finchley Road. The restaurant has a subdued ambience compared to the bustling roundabout outside. Depending on your mood, the quietude can be either stifling or relaxing.

The Food
For many, Korean means barbecue, and Kimchee’s grilled entrees shan’t disappoint. The bulgogi (£6.90 for a lunch set) is sweet, tender, and moderately spicy, and though it doesn’t quite have the melt-in-your mouth suppleness you get from some Korean barbecue, it certainly won’t give your jaw much of a workout.

Though every table is outfitted with a shiny new grill, barbecue is not necessarily the main event here, as the menu is dominated by an interesting range of soups, stir-fries, and rice and noodle dishes. The chilled, spicy buckwheat noodles (£5.90), for example, are superb. They arrive looking something like a saucy ball of yarn, a tangle of al dente noodles, crisp shards of cucumber and sweet pear, soft bits of beef, and a nutty current of sesame oil woven together in a tangy chilli sauce.

Another noodle dish, a chilli-infused beef soup (£5.90), is alarmingly red, brighter than a post-box. It’s not quite as spicy as it looks, but there is a rough edge of heat that catches the back of the throat as it goes down. The hunks of beef that bob within are a touch chewy, but pleasantly offset by crunchy bean sprouts. However, there are far too few noodles, all of which sink to the bottom of the bowl where they languish like an afterthought.

On the side there is perfectly cooked, firm-but-chewy Korean rice, along with an assortment of pickles. The daikon kimchi is crisp, sour, and ripe, and the cucumbers are as earthy as they are refreshing.

The Drink
OB (which stands for Oriental Brewery), basically Korea’s answer to Budweiser, is the default option for beer (listed on the menu simply as Korean beer, £3). Bottles of wine start at £9.80. Bottles of soju (£6.80), the clear, potent Korean spirit, are also available, as is plum tea, a delicate brew with a verdant sweetness that can be enjoyed hot or chilled.

The Last Word
Even veterans of Korean food should find something to like among the uncommon options at Kimchee, and the lunch sets rival takeaways for value at only £5.90 to £7.50.

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