The Kimchi — Restaurant in Norwich

Let's start with the awesome: The food is amazing. Full of flavour and made by people that obviously understand flavour. The selection of food is small, which is fantastic as you know they know how to cook this food.

The average: Decor. There is nothing wrong with Kimchi but it's not a luxury place, or a place to impress. They have focused on the food which is as it should be.

Staff: Although the staff are great, wonderful people that do care, there are a few rough edges. Nothing that ruins the dinning experience (again because the food is great) but just strike me as a little odd for a restaurant.

Things like: Not checking that all is to your liking a few mins.

Asking for a drink and having the unopened can plonked on the table.

Not checking when you have finished you main if there is anything else or the bill.

Nothing there to put me off, but those finishing touches do make a difference.

The bad: Access is terrible. This is in no way the restaurants fault. You have to get up a fairly steep narrow staircase. Think of a 1930s terrace house and you are nearly there. When you get to the top of the stairs there is a waiting corridor, but again this is less than ideal as the staff are using this to deliver food etc.

There is a automatic system to tell the staff that someone is coming in or leaving. Fine, but does the entire restaurant have to listen to the door bell every time some starts and leaves. This is not so bad in the evening as people move about less, but at lunch time your backing track for the hour is "Ding dong"

I would have no hesitation to go back for great food cooked by people that really know what they are doing. I would prefer a different location, but we can't have it all. Prices are very reasonable, not cheap, but not silly.

I have rated this 5/5 despite the issues, but I go to a restaurant like for the food and this they...

I’ve been meaning to try The Kimchi for a number of years… tucked away off of Gentleman’s Walk in Norwich City centre it’s quite easily missed unless you’re a Norwich pro.

I dined out as a party of 1 during the middle of lunch rush hour, I didn’t think to book as I was a solo hero however it appeared when I ascended the steep stairs to brothy heaven it would have been advisable to call / book ahead as it appears TKC gets a little busy.

The vibe is laid back, no pretension here, and though cosy the site lends itself to spacious tables so you don’t sit on top of other diners which is so often the case in South Korean themed restaurants in London etc. I like that as I dislike hearing other conversations when I’m eating.

The waiter made space for me luckily and I was seen to with haste.

I order the chicken noodle soup which was absolutely on point; the chicken was tender and delicious, the broth well balanced - not too spicy but enough to keep my tummy pleasured on a fairly chill early Spring day. The perfect ratio of broth and noodles also made sure I was satisfied when finished. Absolutely delicious from the first spoonful to the last.

From what I could ascertain the SK chicken was the main draw of TKC as many a patron was indulging in the star dish of the menu but, as I say, it was chill Spring day and I needed some warm liquid to see me through, though I would add the chicky fried looked equally as delicious.

The service was on point and attentive, the food superb. The atmosphere busy but vibey and generally I felt it was visit I shouldn’t have put off for as long as I did!

SK food seems to be on trend at the moment but TKC has been around for a while. Others will come and go but if they keep up the standard I experience today TKC will be here for a long, long time!

Hats off to...

Situated near Debenhams in the heart of Norwich city centre is a small doorway leading up to a new Korean restaurant. We went in the evening and the food was delicious. The Korean Fried Chicken was to die for. And the coleslaw style salad was the best coleslaw I've ever had. We've eaten a fair bit of Korean food in our time. The Chain restaurants are acceptable, and making it at home is lovely. But this feels very authentic and we had no washing up afterwards. The coffee was a lovely sweet treat and the ginseng tea was refreshing. If you look at the menu, you'll think it small. But they serve all the things you could want. Along with free kimchi. A staple Korean dish. They literally eat it with everything. Kimchi has lots of health benefits as well. So no excuse for not trying it. Think spicy sauerkraut. The staff were very friendly. The food impecaable and everything was clean. Th prices are very fair and the servings were generous. We shared the small Korean Fried Chicken and had it as a starter. Most the dishes are spicy, so just ask for recommendations if you prefer something milder. If you've never tried Korean food, then this is a great place to start. And if you have and enjoy it, tjen this is alap a great place to enjoy even more. We shall be returning sooner rather than later. About time we had a...