If you are stuck for a Korean restaurant in Central London - don't try Koba
Well, finding a venue for a birthday dinner to be attended by all your friends is always going to be a challenge. So, when one of my mates suggested that 16 of us go to Koba, a Korean restaurant at 11 Rathbone Street, London W1T 1NA, I thought that it would be something special. To the restaurant's credit, they did make us feel welcome by giving us on long table to all site at, but that was about it.
The menu was an array of Korean specialities and we did our best to order an arrangement of dishes - the raw beef starter, various versions of Korean BBQ, hot pot stew, etc. It was a veritable schmorgisborg of Korean food. Drinks were flowing with very good Hite Prime Beer and the house read and white lubricating our appetites for the feast ahead.
It was when the food came out that everything started falling apart. Firstly, the raw beef starter (the Korean version of steak tatare) was more than raw it was made of shredded frozen beef. This frozen meat theme prevailed during the provision of all the "raw" meats for the "at table" BBQ. Secondly, their timing was so far off we're glad there wasn't a benchmark to rate them against. The first people were given their meat to cook on the BBQ (their main) 1 hour before the hot pot stews finally were brought out. Finally, the portions were tiny. Our duck BBQ at £8.50 consisted of 4 thin slices of frozen duck breast. Now I understand that there are mark ups, but this amount of duck couldn't have cost them more than £1, particularly as they probably bought it frozen anyway!
It's a real shame that they completely ruined our dining experience through the careless provision of frozen meat and not getting the timing on our mains right. Such carelessness when couple to a £26 per head price tag gives rise to a desire to never eat there again and to advise my friend to not risk going either. There are many other Korean BBQ's in London that do get it it right and believe me when Korean BBQ is done right, you are guaranteed a night of good food, fun dining experience and smiles all around.
To Koba's credit, the Kimchi and other pickled side orders were good (of course, they would be as they come out of a packet!)...
I give Koba...
2 / 5 for food (you just don't serve frozen meat!)
4 / 5 for ambiance (to their credit we did feel like we were foreigners in Korea)
3 / 5 for localness (the food does feel authentic)
2 / 5 for value (at £26 per head, you would have expected a lot more)
2.5/5 Overall
So if you are in Central London and would like some Korean for dinner, whatever you do, don't go to Koba. The place is run by Korean's that should know better, particularly when they are representing their country and it's cusine in the UK. I love Korean BBQ, so I will find an good one and let you know about it.