Restaurants

Edging into theatreland on a side street off Haymarket, Jindalle looks like a 1950s vision of the future. Perhaps its the brushed-steel extractor fans that hover over each table, sucking away the curls of smoke from sizzling Korean barbecues. Exposed brickwork, wooden panels and a giant frieze in Mondrian colours on the back wall add more visual interest a refreshing change from the unimaginative black and white colour scheme employed by most West End Korean restaurants. Food is good too, and the menu runs to regional specialities like neng myun (cold buckwheat noodles) and trumpet shells in rich seafood stews. We decided to put the extractor fan to use with a well-marinated kalbi (beef rib) barbecue, which arrived rolled up on the bone (the meat was chopped up with shears during the cooking process). Melting squares of battered cod cheon were decorated with faces made from red and green pepper, and seafood chigae had oodles of flavour, though there was rather more silken tofu than clams or prawns. Overall, Jindalle is a great choice for a pre-show dinner.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008