On the Bab

The name may bring to mind nights of boozy excess soaked up by a doner kebab, but this slick, industrial-chic restaurant is in fact Korean. ‘Bab’ means ‘rice’, so ‘on the bab’ refers to dishes such as bibimbap, where meat, vegetables and eggs are piled onto rice and then stirred in by the diner. But it’s not just the usual Korean suspects of bibimbap, beef bulgogi and kimchi pancakes on offer here – although these are all well-made, generously portioned and reasonably priced. The menu also has a few wild cards up its sleeve, including a so-called ‘burrito’, which turned out to be two jumbo futomaki (sushi) rolls overstuffed with beef bulgogi and shredded vegetables, then sprinkled with deep-fried garlic. The gloriously junky Korean fried chicken, which retained its crunch despite being rolled in sweet and potent garlic mayo (one of four available dressings), also got a thumbs up. During the darn the dining room, with its subway tiles, marble tables and long bar surrounded by plum-coloured high leather seats, is a pleasant retreat from the chaos of Covent Garden; staff are eager to please yet discreet and everything arrives promptly. At night, the lights go down, the K-pop music goes up, and you could be in a bar. If that’s the way the night is heading, order up a couple of soju cocktails or a Hite beer.