Restaurants

When most people look for Korean cuisine in the West End, they head to the barbecue houses in central Soho, but there’s another cluster of cheap Korean cafés squeezed shoulder to jowl on St Giles High Street, behind Centrepoint. Woo Jung is the liveliest of these laid-back caffs, attracting student diners from lunch till late. The faded mock-Tudor interior seems to belong to a different kind of restaurant, but paper-screen trim around the serving counter adds a Korean feel to the ground-floor dining area (a second room upstairs feels a bit disconnected). Service is rapid, but food can be a mixed bag. We found the mandu soup a little plain, though the dish was redeemed by flavoursome meaty dumplings and some tangy, almost effervescent kimchi on the side. Our main course wasn’t a big hit; deep-fried shredded beef arrived in a gloopy batter with an overpowering syrupy sauce. Woo Jung is a decent choice for an inexpensive lunch, but it might be worth following regular diners and sticking to fail-safe options like chigae, bibimbap and bulgogi.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008