Bab n Suul. it's Okay. 25.3.25

 

Bab n Suul. It’s Okay. 25.3.25

 

1 Gerrard Place, London W1D 5PA.

 

The last time I went to a Korean barbecue place was a long time ago. I remember very little about it. Figured it was time to try another one. Food blogging is an odd sort of thing to do. On a previous trip to Leicester Square, I passed the Bab n Suul and it seemed like an interesting joint. I don’t recall what used to occupy that space in Gerrard Place, but I think it was a Chinese restaurant of some sort. I guess it’s part of the ongoing diversification of Chinatown.

 

As someone who’s only recently started a food blog, I find myself trying to figure out what the blog is for. One of the main reasons I decided to do it was to keep working on my writing. Blogging about food is challenging on the adverb front – I mean, how many ways can there be of saying ‘delicious’ or ‘disgusting’. There’s also the question of how does one fairly evaluate an eatery? Does one judge it purely on the food? If you want to contextualize it by commenting on the ambience etc etc, then how much of a weighting do you grant the non-food elements? I did read a food review from a well-regarded columnist who slated a restaurant for having loud piped-in rock music which she felt was inappropriate and detracted from her enjoyment of the food. In the context of the restaurant she was writing about – some sort of buzzy bistro on a fashionable high street, I felt this made no sense. It’s like going to a strip club and complaining about the absence of decorum. It’s a strip club. People remove their clothing and twirl their bits in your face. We’re not eating in a temple of gastronomy here. Which is my back-handed elliptical way of saying that I did not enjoy my experience at the Bab n Suul Korean BBQ restaurant but that this should not detract from its positive qualities of which it had a few.

 

The ambiance was upmarket canteen, with solid furniture, a long bar with a wide selection of beverages, a high ceiling which made it feel less claustrophobic and a relaxed vibe. That was early Tuesday evening and quiet might have helped. If not for the raucous rock music being pumped out from speakers mounted high on the walls. Service was friendly and professional. We were moved to a relatively quieter table at our request. Having perused the menu before entering, my dining partner and I had already settled on the BBQ. The menu was quite extensive but the barbeque options were the most expensive. But it would have seemed somewhat odd to go to a Korean BBQ joint and order the kimchi fried rice. We ordered the Beef BBQ set which came with pa muchim (green onion salad), a bowl of green leaves, three types of kimchi and a selection of dips for the beef. Service was swift with the silent waitress efficiently grilling the meat veggies and rice cakes for us. Not a fan of kimchi but none of the trio provided were objectionable. The beef was good, tender and tasty. The Korean BBQ sauce did an excellent job of enhancing the flavour. The matcha powder seemed like a dubious option and I was unable to really taste it. The pa muchim was a palpable hit, fresh crunchy and delicious (that word again). Almost everything was devoured save a little bit of the beef brisket. The only minor thing I would ding it for was that my Terra beer was not cold enough. That said, my partner’s choice of cocktail was yummy. Odd as it feels to say this, the food was great, but I wouldn’t go back there again but this is where I’ve landed. I realised that I’m not much of a fan of consuming large quantities of grilled meat these days but that’s no knock on an establishment that does it well. So, if you’re someone with a yen for good quality beef grilled right, alcohol, and hordes of fellow punters – pretty sure they do well of a weekend – this is the place for you. Maybe I too need to visit temples of gastronomy.

 

Bill was £120 including tip for food and drink.