The spice is right

We're going to a local restaurant in Golders Green,'you declare confidently, and quite suddenly your dinner guests become strangely wary, as their preconceptions get the better of them. Only a few years ago, eating out in Golders Green meant falafel, salt beef or bagels (unless you opted for L'Artista, the rather good pizza place by the station), but things have changed.

In August 2003 a bright and modern Korean restaurant called Kimchee opened on the Finchley Road, just opposite the Vietnamese restaurant and the Turkish ocakbasi grillhouse - times really have changed!

Kimchee is a charming place with a well-mannered clientele split 50-50 between homesick Koreans and adventurous Golders Greenites.

It is hard not to feel like a gauche Westerner in the face of the charm offensive unleashed by the waiters and waitresses. Everyone seems so very polite and helpful, and nothing is too much trouble. Each table has its own bell push and the dining room resounds to doorbell chimes - so much more civilised than trying to catch the waiter's eye.

Korean food is unfamiliar and doesn't fall into any obvious category - it's somewhat like Japanese food, or Chinese, or Thai but then again it is also completely different. This is food that majors in strong flavours, and in dishes that are finished at the table. Each table has a barbecue built into the middle and your waitress will cook at least part of your meal in front of you.

Start with some pickles. Kimchee is the most famous - pickled cabbage or Chinese leaves with loads of salt and fierce chilli-hot red bean paste, it certainly shocks the palate into life. The sliced radish with vinegar is milder, and the pickled cucumbers are very good indeed, as they should be in Golders Green. There is also the Korean equivalent of steak tartare - shredded raw beef bound together with egg yolk and slivers of pear, this unlikely sounding combination is improbably good. The large pan-fried dumplings are also worth trying as they have very good crispy bits.

For main course you should try one of the table-grilled dishes. Marinated beef is cooked on the metal plate in front of you, or sliced pork, or sliced marinated chicken, or squid and scallop. Fresh and good. The 'pot dishes' are also interesting - a stone pot is heated up until it is sizzling, then a layer of rice is added and on top some meat, vegetables and an egg yolk. When it arrives at table your waitress mixes it all together and you get an instant fried rice cooked by the heat of the pot. To drink, either stick to Korean beer, or try soju, a clear spirit served in a minibottle, which comes with tumblers packed full of ice cubes and finely shredded cucumber.

Kimchee is a well-mannered and genteel place to eat, and you can rely on the advice of your smiling waitress - but be careful of the kimchee, and be very careful of the soju.

Kimchee
Finchley Road, London, NW11 8RR