Seoul Matjib 서울맛집 — Restaurant in London

We went there cos it's been a while since we have had Korean food and our regular one was closed. On arrival it was nearly full but for one table so we felt quite lucky to get to sit down. My wife is vegetarian and lady who served us was helpful to suggest what's suitable, and quickly came to take our order.

From that point it went completely down hill. We ordered some typical Korean dishes and waited for some kimchi to arrive. When they did i asked if they had others like Spinach since wife preferred non spicy Kimchi and lady said no. Thex kimchi arrived but the portions was more suited for one not two. Mains then arrived and the Korean veggie pancake was soaked in oil. You can tell it was not cooked hot enough so the pancake batter just soaked up the oil. The bibimbap was just with meat taken out without adding a substitute so after mixing you get just rice with little else showing. Needless to say it was tasteless.

I asked for Chapchebap and the lady said no, just Chapche. So I had to order chapche with a separate bap (rice). When it arrived it was also swimming in oil, and the rice was a gooey mess. The sweet and sour chicken came it was just sweet, not crispy and just covered in corn syrup. I don't think the chicken was freshly done imo else the batter would have been crispy.

In my opinion every dish was cooked with no real care or pride as if their cooks (visible from our table) had no more passion left. The place was drab too.

I have lived in New Malden for over a decade and have visited Korea and worked with Koreans during that period too, so I do know the cuisine quite well. We weren't even served with the Korean barley tea which is customery. In fact we weren't even offered a drink of any kind at all. When I did ask for some Korean barley tea in their language the reply i got was tap water or (English) tea. I just gave up in the end trying to explain and asked for the bill and left.

Never will I...

I had a lovely meal at Seoul Matjib in New Malden — a cozy spot serving up authentic, home-style Korean food that really delivers on flavor.

We ordered the steamed egg, bossam, bibimbap, and gamjatang, and overall, the food was satisfying and well-prepared. • The steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) was soft, airy, and comforting — a great way to start the meal. • The bossam had great flavor and was served with all the right sides (cabbage wraps, ssamjang, garlic), but the pork itself was slightly overcooked and a bit drier than expected. Still enjoyable, but not quite as tender as it could’ve been. • The bibimbap was excellent — colorful, fresh, and served sizzling hot in a stone bowl with a great mix of textures. • The gamjatang (pork bone soup) was rich, hearty, and deeply flavorful — a real standout.

The side dishes (banchan) were fresh and generous, and the service was friendly and attentive throughout. Prices are reasonable for the portion sizes, and the overall experience was very positive.

If you’re in New Malden and craving solid Korean comfort food, Seoul Matjib is definitely worth a visit — just maybe double-check the bossam if you’re picky...

Yesterday I ate Sundubu-jjigae - Korean soft tofu stew at this restaurant. Never go to this restaurant. I went to this restaurant yesterday and was shocked to see the food I ordered. The food I ordered was not Sundubu-jjigae. It was a food of unknown nationality that I had never eaten since I was born. It just didn't look like the food I knew. It didn't taste like anything, and it was a dish made without sincerity by simply cutting soft tofu. The woman who owned this restaurant looked at who came from the kitchen. She is Korean, she has lived in Korea for a long time, and she knows the taste very well. She eventually had a con plane with her and she didn't pay for it. The person watching the service told me I was sorry. Business mind is not good. Today, while talking to other friends about what happened yesterday, they ask why they went to that restaurant. They used to taste good, but now they say it's really bad. Even though it was a Friday evening somehow,...