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Please note, Cah Chi Raynes Park has now closed. Time Out Food editors, June 2018.
There’s a real warmth to this residential Raynes Park restaurant, which pulls an appreciative crowd of Eastern and Western diners. Even on a cold, dark evening, the dining room feels light and bright – and comfortably cosy. The smiling staff are happy to talk you through a menu that contains more than just the standard array of barbecues, stews and stir-fries. We’re always impressed by the depth and complexity of the flavours here, and our most recent visit was no exception.
Cah Chi is known for its excellent sundae: black pudding stuffed with cellophane noodles. You can have it either au naturel in thick slices with a little salt for dipping, or stir-fried with cabbage, onion and chilli on the table-top grill. The latter version was a glorious combination of textures and flavours, including deeply savoury perilla leaves (kkaennip).
Also first-rate was a side dish of raw, pickled squid strands in a silken, sweet, spicy koch’ujang-based sauce; the seafood had just the right amount of resistance as you bit into it. Even the complimentary panch’an are better than average, with subtle own-made kimchi and sweet, nutty adzuki beans a regular feature. Without doubt, this is one of the best Korean restaurants in the London area.