Mexican Seoul — Restaurant in London

As someone who has lived either on the West Coast or in the Southwest of the United States my whole life, when I saw this restaurant pop up on my map during my recent trip to London, I knew that I had to try it, especially as I'm a sucker for Californian fusion concepts. I am pleased to say that this is the sort of fusion idea that could be transported to Los Angeles tomorrow and would fit right in as a creative and pretty damned delicious restaurant right off of Koreatown.

We went and ordered the elote ribs, the pork belly tacos, the bulgogi tacos, the tuna tostada, the gochugang wings, and the panko bananas with dulce de leche ice cream. The elote ribs were sweet and smoky, and I liked the addition of pecorino, which added a nice counter-texture to the dish.

After that, I have to say that four of the best things I've eaten so far this year - or maybe this lifetime - are the tuna tostada, the wings, and the tacos. The tuna tostada basically wowed me by being made with such high-quality ingredients, especially the sushi-grade tuna and the corn tostada shell. The wings were complex; sweet, smoky, and not as hot as you might guess considering that gochugang paste was used. There was still just enough heat that the complexity of flavor blew me away. I can conjure up that taste in my buds right now and my mouth is watering. The wings themselves have apparently won awards, and it's easy to taste why; beyond the flavor complexity, they're just perfectly cooked. The execution on these dishes was superior, and that's before considering the creative mingling of flavors.

As for the tacos, I preferred the pork belly and my wife preferred the bulgogi, but that's a mere preference as both were excellent. If you love tender, perfectly seasoned and cooked meet, these tacos are for you. Bulgogi is such a natural match for a street taco in particular.

The tacos and tostadas were stuffed, so as I found out, me and my partner really could have only ordered those and been fine splitting the food between the two of us, but I wanted to keep eating for the enjoyment of it because the food was that good.

The only minor negative-ish critique I have is for the panko-crusted bananas and ice cream. Maybe it's because of how I tend to season my panko when I make fried plantains at home, but I felt that the bananas were a bit bland. I just wanted a hit of cinnamon or nutmeg or something when I bit into the banana, though the ice cream was wonderful.

The service was excellent and friendly. Everyone was attentive, and they kept the food coming at well-timed intervals. We talked to the person who drives this concept. He was probably the only person more enthusiastic about his food than we were. I am rooting hard for this restaurant to do well.

It was so good that I insisted on going back a couple days later to have more gochugang wings and tuna tostadas (don't get me wrong; the honey buffanero wings are delicious, but the gochugang wings were one of the megastars for me).

Finally, the margarita is excellent and no dinner is complete without a soju shot (I prefer plum).

I can't drop enough superlatives on this restaurant. It's a...

Prepare to get messy! The small, street food-esq menu is focused on quality not quantity, with big flavours that really satisfy. Despite the limited food items, there's still a choice for almost every palate, including vegan plates. During my visit staff also offered to accommodate less adventurously spiced requirements - which I politely declined. If you do like a bit of heat I thoroughly recommend the Honey Buffanero wings, but whatever you order you'll need some extra napkins.

The drinks menu is surprisingly large, with a good selection of beer, wine and original cocktails. Our table ordered a bottle of organic orange wine that went down very well. Both food and drinks were reasonably priced, with a couple of dishes and a drink or two coming in at around £30 per person.

Indoors the seating is basic but reasonably comfortable and well spaced, so you don't feel cramped. There is also some outdoor seating if the weather is fine. Either way, good for small groups or couples, although maybe not a first date, unless you don't mind ending the night with sauce all over your face.

It's a new venture in its first few weeks, so I was able to book at short notice, but I expect it will become very popular and more difficult to find a table as word gets out. I will...

Have walked by this place for over a year and always said "We should try it out..." so FINALLY decided to book a Saturday night reservation - and gosh, do I wish we had done it sooner! Lots of outdoor seating on their lovely front porch. Everything we ate (and drank) packed a punch!

Foodwise: The Elote Ribs & Choriqueso appetizers were a super tasty and seasoned start to the meal. Shared 2 plates of tacos and 2 orders of wings between 3 friends and no one left hungry -Tacos: Spicy Pork Belly & Bulgogi Beef ~ opposite flavor profiles, but both equally delicious. Would recommend both for some well-rounded flavor sampling -Wings: Soy Garlic Butter & Gochu-Gang ~ similar recommendation with these wings. The Gochu-Gang wings were absolutely coated in delicious sauce. However, the Soy Garlic Butter wings were our sneaky favorite - with their less in-your-face flavor profile coming through beautifully!

Drinks: A round of Mango Margaritas was a delicious and perfect way to get the vibes high for a fun dinner. Followed up with the Mezcal Negroni (beware - it is STRONG! but tasty). Tried a bit of their Somaek/soju as well - which was really tasty and absolutely recommend if...