Seoul Born — Local services in Norwich

I was looking forward to this! ever since I found out that Seoul Born was owned by the same people of run Kimchi in Norwich, the rice and chicken bowl sounded perfect. the atmosphere is lean and street with some functional but cool seating inside and a few functional metal tables and chairs outside for the sunny weather. Our server was kind and informative, helping me through the order and getting ahead of any errors I was going to make. we ordered a regular Born Ultimatum for £9.50, a Seoul Grill for the same and to try it all- a fried chicken box with a lovely lime and orange sauce. the food popped out within 8 minutes, and looked amazing. we all thought the portion size was generous. The broccoli was blanched and a deep vibrant green and the cauliflowers crunchy and uncooked- just like they ought to be!. One thing that I found a bit disappointing was that the chicken, rice and (delicious Vermicelli noodles) were all on the cooler side of lukewarm. At first it felt so together that I just ploughed through, but as I got on, I just had to check if this is how it was meant to ve served. so I checked with the very nice server, who was really kind and concerned that I was enjoying my meal (which is lovely 5* servce) I found the chicken had been siting under a heat lamp and the rice ready made in a rice cooker was steadily warmed. to be honest even though I enjoyed this meal, it needs to be 50% hotter (in temperature not chilli, these were great) I don't it would be a hardship to make the chicken in batches on a slow day so they stayed piping hot (just like in Kimchi's) So the food is good, and the presentation excellent- just turn up the heat folks! Really a must try- perhaps let me know if the food gets hotter in...

A very popular local street food kitchen. (Albeit rather Seouless on the inside)

The dishes are a nod to the Bourne movies, which is a fun touch and clear it’s a local, independent with some character.

No chilli / spice ratings on menus, which might prove a problem with those who are sensitive to spice (think of those friends who go for the lime or garlic sauce at a well known chicken joint) or children. But as fans of spicy food, no problem.

The Bourn Ultimatum was “blow your head off” spicy - prepare for runny noses, watery eyes and lots of other diners commenting on how spicy the food is. This spoilt it for me (-1 star for the food being too spicy - even for someone with an Asian taste palette - and for no clear spice rating on the menu) and the majority of drinks are £2.10 for a Diet Coke or for something a little more exotic.

The food (Bourn Ultimatum) was great though! (See pic!) full over flavour and beautifully presented.

The only other negative was that the restaurant was very smoky (poor ventilation) and the windows had thick condensation (too busy) and was very busy. (-1 star for this - but easily...

Edit: had to remove stars because the veggie options are just terrible in comparison. I got 7 pieces of aubergine while the person with me got 15 pieces of chicken! Doesn't feel fair especially when aubergine isn't as filling. My aubergine barely had any sauce and the batter had fallen off most of it. Now that I'm not eating meat I probably won't be going back until there's a better option, which is sad because this was one of my favs :(

Previous review: The best meal you can get in Norwich for under £10 hands down. I love that there's a decent amount of vegetables - its rare to feel like you're getting a nutritious meal when you eat out. The portions are great and I usually have leftovers. The staff are very nice too.

My only criticism is that jackfruit and aubergine is not a great meat substitute, it has very little protein and doesn't keep you full. I love tofu + it's so easy to cook but no where serves it! please don't be scared to...