Restaurant review: This was easily the best Korean fried chicken I’ve tasted

"Korean Table is a must-visit - there is heart and warmth in the cooking and in the welcome, no shortcuts are taken, and the food is simply joyous."

Sat, 07 Jan, 2023 - 12:00

Leslie Williams

Korean Table
50A Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, D07FV09
Tel: 083 8858759
Email: koreantablestoneybatter.com
Instagram: @koreantable
Tuesday-Friday: 17.00-22.00; Saturday: 12.30-23.00; Sunday 12.30-22.00
Booking not required.

As you have no doubt noticed South Korea is having a moment. K-Pop is everywhere, you have likely seen Squid Game and the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, and and have tasted Kimchi and K-FC (Korean fried chicken) which are a common sight on even Western restaurant menus these days.

The Oxford English Dictionary added 26 new Korean words in 2021, and I was pleased to see that these included Bulgogi (marinated beef slices), Japchae (glass noodles in broth) and Kimbab (rice seaweed roll), the favourite food of Netflix’s "Extraordinary Attorney Woo", surely the most charming show on that platform.

We have a few Korean restaurants in Dublin but I have yet to find one to rave about unconditionally - not until Korean Table opened in Stoneybatter this past Autumn following its previous success as a market stall. The restaurant is narrow and small but comfortably furnished, and when four of us visited on a cool late November Sunday we were immediately offered warming tasty glasses of hyeonmi-cha, a savoury tea made by soaking brown rice in boiling water.

There are no official starters but I recommend you begin as we did with a shared plate of “Saucy Crispy Fried Chicken Breast” (€13.50) - 8 baby-fist sized chunks of crunchy chicken breast in a sweet-spicy coating that had both heat and sticky sweetness in perfect balance. I know I’m supposed to prefer thighs (and I often do), but when breast is cooked this well and retains its moisture I think it is even better - this was easily the best Korean fried chicken I’ve tasted.

Side vegetables arrived free of charge including fried courgette slices, broccoli, fried tofu, lotus root, seaweed pieces and of course a bowl of punchy tangy kimchi, without which no Korean meal would be complete.

Bibimbap means “rice mix” and is a staple of Korean cuisine. I opted for the Tofu Bibimbap (€19.50) and besides the fried marinated tofu, came with aubergines, bean sprouts, carrot, onion, courgette and of course fried egg strips. Each ingredient had clearly been prepared separately and once I had mixed in the bowl of richly flavoured Gochujang sauce I realised that I had not understood this classic dish properly until now. The textures and flavours all stayed distinct but were held together by the sauce which added depth and sweet-sour umami, it was perfect.

Beef Ribs (€26.50) were described as ‘slow cooked meaty beef top rib with potato, white radish and carrot in traditional Korean broth’ - beautifully tender meat in a light but substantial broth that had an intriguing touch of sweetness. After some quizzing our host explained that she marinates the beef for 24 hours in grated apple, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil which tenderises the beef before she slow cooks it in broth. It is extraordinarily good, meaty and complex but with a lightness of touch - the apple sweetness just a background flavour to the savoury richness of the beef and the broth.

Butter-Kimchi Fried Rice (€18.50) was warming and almost meaty tasting with the kimchi cutting through complex rice flavours while the soft-fired egg added extra texture.

The wine list has just over a dozen wines and includes some good choices such as Cuatro Reyes Verdejo (€29), Paco & Lola Albariño (€33) and Guigal Côtes du Rhône (€34) which was the most expensive wine on the list excluding the Serena Prosecco Spumante (€35). Tiger beer is also available. We went with the Guigal which was packed with berry fruits and was a fine match for the beef but also for the richness of the flavours in general

Sadly there are no desserts on offer at Korean Table which is a pity as I know they would do them properly. I’m waiting for some Korean restaurant to offer some of those fish-shaped ‘Bungeoppang’ pastries filled with red bean paste.

Korean Table is a must-visit - there is heart and warmth in the cooking and in the welcome, no shortcuts are taken, and the food is simply joyous.

The Tab:

A substantial lunch for four including five shared main courses, side vegetables, beers and a bottle of wine cost just €148.50

The Verdict: