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Korean food has been a staple of London’s dining scene for decades. You only have to step foot in New Malden to realise how lucky us Londoners really are when it comes to Korean cooking. And good bibimbap and tteokbokki aren’t exclusive to southwest Londoners, either. Soho’s Arirang has been serving up table-top BBQ since 1975, Bloomsbury’s HanKang since 1991.
London is historically great for K-food, sure, but Korean culture has also been having a moment over the last few years, thanks to the record-breaking success TV shows like Squid Game, boyband royalty BTS and Oscar-winning film K-Pop Demon Hunters. A whole new wave of London restaurants creating fusion dishes and modern takes on traditional Korean cuisine has followed, like Hackney’s second outpost of Miga and Calong in Stokey.
Now, a food festival coming to London next month is planning to up the city’s South Korean cooking game once again.
Jung Festival, taking place in King’s Cross in May, is named after the Korean concept of jeong (정), the emotional bond formed through sharing food. Its organisers have said they want to ‘go beyond trend-led dining’ and show off the ‘unexplored’ foods that the country has to offer. Expect 30 stalls offering everything from gimbap to bulgogi and desserts like kkwabaegi, AKA twisted doughnuts.
Jung is the brainchild of creative agency Market Root and content creator Rollin Lee. If you’re already a big fan of London’s Korean food scene, you’ll likely be one of Lee’s 210k Insta followers for @rollinjoint. At the very least you’ll have spied one of his videos searching out the best Asian restaurants in London.
The four-day fezzy also brings together some of the best of the best of London’s Korean culinary scene – think pancakes or ‘hotteok’ from Hoho London, street food goodies from Kiwa and Cheemc’s iconic fried chicken. Hongdae Pocha will be bringing ’70s Korean pub vibes.
Plus, a roster of Korean brands will be selling packaged foods so you can stock your cupboards for the next time you plan on making your own kimchi. The best part? Entry to Jung Festival is free, so you can soak i Seoul vibes without spending a penny.
Jung Festival will be at Canopy Market, West Handyside Canopy, King’s Cross, N1C 4BH from Friday May 1 to Monday May 4.
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