I have tried my best to visit Little Seoul for years but for one reason or another, something goes wrong. The car breaks down, a freak storm, struck by illness, a national lockdown. You name it.

Well, tonight. I wasn’t having it! Nothing was going to stop me visiting Little Seoul. I packed my lucky rabbit foot, my four leaf clover, and my lucky signed photo of Rik Mayall and I was on my way.

I cringe at the overused term “hidden gem” but for once I think it is an appropriate description. Little Seoul is no bigger than a doorway on Regent Street. Hiding in plain sight. Entering, you are led downstairs into a small basement that is reassuringly filled with groups of Korean students all having a great time.

The service here is friendly and polite. I was given a menu with a decent selection of classic Korean dishes. I was also delighted to see one of my favourite beers available, Hite Beer (the No1 beer of Korea, made from “natural well water”).

I was recommended the house red by one of the Cambridge Foodies, so I decided to give it a whirl. It came to just over £6 for a glass with no more information other than red or white. The wine didn’t offend but didn’t particularly inspire me either. A good all rounder, I suppose.

Dumplings

I started off with some ‘Korean style fried dumplings’. These cost just under £7 for 5 and came with a choice between pan fried pork, chicken, or vegetables. Being entirely off the wagon and slowly turning into a horrible gelatinous blob, I naturally picked the pan fried pork…these…were…incredible!

I’ll admit, I haven’t come from a huge wealth of experience when it comes to dumplings but these tasted so fresh. They were beautifully crispy on the outside, juicy and succulent on the inside, and came with a lovely little side of soy sauce for dipping. Absolutely perfect!

Korean spicy noodles with spicy pork

Being a complete hot head who enjoys having a runny nose and watering eyes, I decided to order the dish with “spicy” written twice in the name…Just to really make sure!

I used to eat spicy Korean noodles all the time in my twenties (somewhere between the Jurassic and Cretaceous era), so I am aware of how hot they can be and this dish is by no means an exception. It had a lovely fiery kick that really lets you know who’s boss.

It came with an egg as the centre piece, along with carrots, bean sprouts, noodles, and spicy pork. The pork was lovely and tender but not so much so that you couldn’t pick it up with your chop sticks. Needless to say, I made a right bloody mess and likely embarrassed myself in front of the Koreans surrounding me but it was worth it.

Bibimbap

You cannot go to a Korean restaurant without ordering the bibimbap – it’s the law!

Bibim in Korean means “mixed” and bap means “rice”, equating to a bowl full of steamed rice with a mix of different things garnished on top – vegetables, a fried egg, and beef, all served with chilli sauce.

The dish was colourful, practical, balanced, and fun. I’m not sure it quite justified the £11.50 price tag but it was a perfectly decent example of what authentic bibimbap can be. I was quite keen on the egg, which seemed to have a more robust flavour for an egg. I’m not sure what they did to it but it worked. All the vegetables tasted really fresh and the rice was cooked perfectly.

My spicy noodles finished with some left over sauce, so I mixed in some of the left over rice from the bibimbap. It really hit the spot.

Conclusion

I was worried that Little Seoul was going to disappoint after my numerous failed attempts to visit but I left feeling like it lived up to the hype. I never get tired of Korean food and thought that their cuisine was humble, honest, and as authentic as it came. Everything was prepared well and I enjoyed every meal.

I will be returning again! 🇰🇷

Thanks for reading.