K-Town in New Malden took over the site which Noodle Express once occupied for as long as I can remember. But now they’re doing good things with Korean BBQ, and if you don’t know, that’s cooking your chosen marinated meat on electric grill plates positioned in the centre of your table. There’s the famous galbi, a short rib left to mingle in soy, grated onion, garlic, Asian pear, sesame oil and other virtuous things to tenderise the tough cut, ready for the sizzle on the grill – the smells are intoxicating. There’s baby octopus, pork, boneless chicken thighs too, left to soak in a choice of other tongue-tickling goodness like the ripe kick of gochujang. The kitchen in the back spins out KFC – that’s “Korean Fried Chicken”, not the anonymous animal anatomy from the other one. There’s also luscious japchae mung bean noodles, tempura vegetables, pajeon and sushi for those who are missing the point of the outing. We all love a USP, and the one here, in comparison to other Korean restaurants, is that this is a buffet – you pay £20 and eat until you hate yourself. That was when I went, now it’s £33 for an adult for 90 minutes – they’ve cotton on to those competition eaters who can go on for days.
A choice of marinated meats, chicken thigh, pork belly, short rib and onions that aid digestion.
Pajeon
Utility sushi
Chap chae
KFC
We load up!
The chicken thigh – one bathed in a soy-based marinade, the other wearing the boisterous slap of gochujang. It hits the table grill and starts to snarl, spitting and caramelising, Maillard magic in full swing.
The baby octopus – leave it on the grill too long and it snaps like rubber bands, pull it off too early and you’re flirting with botulism. No mercy, no middle ground.
Wriggle, wriggle, sizzle, sizzle.
The galbi with all of it’s sweet-sticky, sizzling majesty is a must when having Korean BBQ, it’s a quintessential item.
Caramelised to the point of being blackened in the right places – the crispy edges
The KFC, the sticky, sweet flavours are there, and there flesh pulls nicely off the bone.
Thickly battered prawns
Utility sushi
A couple of months later…
And then we feast
We commence with chicken thighs – gochunjang and soy marinated
This time there’s squid, tender, slick, actually edible – a far cry from the rubbery octopus nightmare of my last visit.
The chap chae noodles one of the sublime simple pleasures in life – this one is no exception, chewy, sweet, slicked with sesame oil and soy sodden as it should be.
Verdict
When did I go? Apr 2019, May 2019
The damage: Expect to pay £20 per head
The good: K-Town is pure Korean BBQ carnage, best tackled with a friend, a partner, or a pack of hungry humans so you can join the clatter. Chicken thighs hit the grill – one soaked in soy, the other slapping you with gochujang — spitting, caramelising, Maillard magic at full power. Galbi glazes the table coating your tongue with sticky, sweet, sizzling goodness. Baby octopus teeters between rubber and danger; overcook it and it snaps, undercook it and you flirt with botulism. Get the squid as its much better. By the end, you reek of caramelised meat from head to toe, and your stomach is a monument to excess. For my other Korean restaurant reviews you can click on these: Haru, KJ, Jin Go Gae, Chick and Beers.
The bad: The KFC loses its crunch from its wait to be eaten under the heat lamp; the same could be said for the pajeon – it’s just missing the chef cooking them to order, but you can’t have it all. The baby octopus is a bullet that ought to be dodged unless you have the jaw strength of Jaws. But for all its flaws, it follows through with some gems of delight, and I’m happily satisfied in its company.
Rating: 3.5/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: 8-12 Coombe Rd, New Malden KT3 4QE
Web: http://ktownbbq.co.uk
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