Koba

I took my boyfriend there to celebrate his 30th after reading good reviews online. However, the food, service and price were not as expected. The portions are a lot smaller compared to other better korean restaurants in London but more pricey, which is fine if it's a high end korean restaurant but it's not. Not only the portions are smaller they charge higher than other korean restaurants. I thought I would go to Koba for a change since I've been eating at my regular korean places for the last 5 years. They don't serve you the usual stuff like other korean places, such as 2 or 3 different dips for your BBQ and complimentary side dishes (kimchi/cucumber/sprouts etc) that comes with the BBQ. The spring onions were not enough for two people. Quality of good was not great; glass noodles and stone bowl rice were cooked differently and rather tasteless and missing some usual ingredients. This place is packed with tourists and locals who probably don't know their korean food very well. You don't really see many oriental people there coz surely they know it is not the korean place to be! I work in high end hospitality and usually dine around in top places such as Mosimann's and I just don't understand why this place has such a high rating on all the websites.
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2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, July 15, 2011

Nice and modern restaurant with good tasty food. Prices are reasonable but the portions are not huge.

Service was attentive where you can tell the staff is trying their hardest. Our bill came to £30 per person (inc a beer each), and the service charge is 12.5%.

If you dont want the oily smell from the barbeque, sit by the bar at the front but the back has better atmosphere.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Last Thursday we went to Koba for the first time for my fiance' birthday.

We love spice and tasty korean food there.

Don't ask for the price - it was a bit high but we were very full and happy with the meal and service.

Eventhough there are a service charge added on the bill, we also put on top for staff.

Koba is really good! We definitely will go back for more!!!
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Pam
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Came here for dinner with four friends.

The venue is ok. It feels a bit sterile in the back room - I'm not sure what it is. Maybe they need to paint the walls a warmer colour. The venue was full of Korean people which was a good sign.

All food was very nice and tasty. Although a few dishes seemed to draw heavily from Japan - which was fine with me. The portion sizes were quite small so you will need to order quite a few dishes. The sake prices were a bit steep but it did taste nice.

Overall a nice night out. The service was very good and the food was good. Not the cheapest place to eat in London but ok for a bit of a treat - and the novelty of eating from a BBQ. We had entree and main and half a bottle of sake each for £25 a head.
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max
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I've been living in London for the past two years on business and I think Koba is one of the best Korean restaurants in London. The atmosphere is very nice and the staff are very helpful and friendly. The food is highly recommendable, especially the BBQ selections. I also took my parents to Koba when they came to visit and they really loved the experience!

It's a restaurant definitely worth going to!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 17, 2009

The WORST Korean restaurant I have ever eaten in my life.

I did do research and read the reviews here before I went, I know that different people have different expectations for food, and our taste buds are created differently (from rough to fine), whereas I can understand if some people can come out from Koba not feeling too disappointed or agitated (or angry), I definitely cannot understand why you could possibly rate it as the best Korean restaurant in London.

Ok fine, I also pay a lot for Gordan Ramsay, or GOOD food. But it just has to be good. If you ask me to pay 9 pounds for a bibimbap (a kind of rice) which is done in a way that tastes more like an insult to me, then I cannot accept it. I actually start to doubt (even though the serving staff are Korean), I have serious doubt that the cooks are actually Korean. OR may be they are Korean students that don't know how to cook? Or is the owner Korean? "How can he allow such food to exist in a Korean restaurant?

The kimchi is just not done properly. I don't mind if it's not spicy enough, because we are not in Asia. But I know how to do kimchi myself and the way it is done it just very short-circuit.

The pancake is the WORST I have eaten. Completely deep fried with no softness left, only soaked in loads of oil and tastes like chips from burger king.

The restaurant does not have typical/ traditional food like ricecake and chicken broth. It's a bit strange that it serves miso (Japanese) that turns out to be lukewarm.

It usually tells if a restaurant is good or not - if one small thing is good, then the rest should generally be ok. But if one small thing is not good e.g. tea is not hot enough, then generally the rest is not well done either. I did not see much Koreans there, I think only 5%.

For this price charged, I can only say this is the worst I have ever eaten. Plus the portion is pathetic. I have eaten 4 courses and I still need to go home and bake a pizza. And if you order a still water, they actually give you a bottle (without asking or teling you) and charge you 5 pounds for it. The water is surprisingly even more expensive than a Michelin restaurant. How pathetic.

I think this restaurant is only good if you completely don't mind how food can taste like, well the atmosphere is alright (actually just like any other Korean style - soft and dim), the service is alright. Otherwise, I really wouldn't recommend it.

I have been in London for 3 years, tried quite a few restaurants, good or bad, and this is my first time that I feel so compulsed to write a review here. My first review, unfortunately prompted by an extremely disappointing experience.
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4 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Saturday, March 14, 2009

Having tried several Korean restaurants in London, Koba has been the best so far. The food has always been excellent, and very tasty, well priced, with a good atmosphere and friendly staff.

Being half-Korean myself, and missing my mother's cooking, I find it an excellent substitute when I can't go home and force mum to knock something up!

Regarding previous remarks about the non-communicative nature of some staff - all I can say is that it's mostly a cultural thing. They won't speak to you unless you speak to them first. Having first-hand experience of eating in South Korea, this is the type of behaviour you can expect to find.

I have been back to Koba several times, taking various friends and family there. My mother rates it quite highly, although she claims the Kim-chee could be better.

A good sign of a restaurant like this is that you often see Koreans eating there - and if it's good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for westerners like us.
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James
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 13, 2009