Corean Chilli – Leicester Square

 I scurried past Corean Chilli a few weeks ago on the look out for a decent plate of grub and immediately noticed that it had the word ‘Korean BBQ’ written on a paper sign stuck with blu-tac to the window. A good portent as to the style and nature of the food within, I’m sure you’ll agree. Needless to say I carried on walking but this New Years Eve, I once again found myself strolling out of Leicester Square tube with Mrs P. on the noodle hunt and found myself outside the establishment. Curiosity got the better of me and we decided to risk it for a biscuit.

Once inside, it was warm and pleasant. No frills but certainly drier than the street outside which only lifted my spirits. Plus, once at the table and looking at my menu a quick squint was all that was required to tell me that my wallet wasn’t going to be punished if the food was horrid = double bonus.

 

First we were given some complimentary vegies. Generous and unexpected but not to everyones taste; Mrs P. stayed well clear. The seaweed was a bit slimy and made only bearable with the squirt of Sriracha they added. The beansprounts were, well, beansprouts. All in all, reasonably pleasant and certainly got me in the mood.

 

The Sweet Prawns were certainly that. The sauce was nice enough but it was like it couldn’t decide which way in the sweet or sour direction it was going to go. ‘Perhaps,’ the cynic in me whispered ‘it’s just a watered down bottled job’. Perhaps that is doing it a little disservice but either way it certainly didn’t grab your attention. The Prawns themselves were cooked well and straightfromthewok hot. However, the batter was clearly not man enough for the job and simply disintegrated into the sauce. Winners and losers there.

 

That theme continued with the mains; this was my ramen and while I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of minced beef in soup there was a lot to like about this dish. The veg was crisp, the noodles soft and you could pick out the depth of flavour I love about these broths. But it was very one dimensional with very little else going for it. I wanted a bit of ginger and chilli to get the party started but instead I got a basic broth which although very tasty was simply that. Very basic. Portion size was excellent though and I couldn't get to the bottom of mine.

Mrs P. faired slightly better with her glass noodles. Garlic and ginger danced their way across the plastic plate to add some variety, but even she said that she was waiting for the big flavours to come in. As ever it’s the little things that matter; there was little right, but also little wrong and at the end of the day for a starter, two mains and three drinks for just £35 in central London, there was little damage.

I might go back, if I needed an immediate and cheap noodle fix, perhaps next time I’ll try that BBQ….