Please note, Ceena has now closed. Time Out Food editors, June 2018.
In a part of town where dining is fast and service is expected to be faster, Ceena deliberately brands itself as a Korean fast-food restaurant. The takeaway business is just as important as the eat-in trade, and packaging is eco-friendly.
On an evening visit, the surrounding City pubs were spilling over with suits supping pints, but the high stools next to the horseshoe-shaped counter were all but empty.
We suspect it’s more popular for lunch than dinner. The shortish menu consists of the usual roll-call of barbecue dishes, pancakes and bibimbap, along with a couple of fusion-style salads. The simple flavour of our nokdoo (mung bean) pancake – crisp-coated and soft-middled – was complimented well by a sharp-edged soy and vinegar dipping sauce. Beef dolsot bibimbap was an ample portion, complete with a raw egg cracked in the centre, but the toppings were a little skimpy.
The food at Ceena may be more filling than refined, but it’s an appealing alternative to the standard office worker lunch of packet sandwiches and supermarket sushi. For a change from the usual soft drinks, try the dried persimmon and cinnamon punch.