Jin Go Gae
New Malden holds the largest Korean community in Europe, and this Burlington Road stalwart is where the kalbi hits real charcoal at the table rather than a gas burner.
Why go
The room sits off the high street and fills within minutes of the doors opening, per The Infatuation's December 2023 review: "Charcoal barbecues are fired up, the sound and smell of sizzling marinated pork hits ears and nostrils." Time Out's listing puts the kitchen's range past the grill, from marinated short rib to squid in sweet soy, and notes set meals that keep a table fed without menu roulette. For a live-fire cook the draw is the fuel: charcoal service is increasingly rare in London Korean BBQ, and it changes the char on thin-cut beef.
Order this / avoid
- Order: beef kalbi over the charcoal, then the gae jang, which The Infatuation describes as
a refreshing, chilled, raw crab dish slathered in spicy gochujang sauce.
Add the galbi tang; the same review flags it as the order neighboring tables covet. - Avoid: coming alone if the grill is the goal. The format prices and portions for a group working across banchan, grill and soup.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation (Sinéad Cranna, Dec 2023, 7.7): on the crab:
It's face-tingling, finger-licking stuff and you'll almost definitely need to request more napkins.
1 - Time Out London: signatures run to
marinated short beef rib, fresh squid marinated with sweet soya sauce, slivers of silver side beef and thinly sliced beef kalbi cooked over charcoal.
2 - Local rec: Jeff's save note credits Fuchsia Dunlop for the pointer. REAL.
Good to know
- Timing: lunch and dinner service historically, with good-value lunch menus; confirm current hours by phone, the published set dates to 2016.
- Booking: book for groups; the room fills fast at opening.
- Getting there: Burlington Road is a walk from New Malden rail (trains from Waterloo), in zone 4.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: Dunlop for Korean BBQ in London
Verdict
should-visit — Charcoal-grilled kalbi in the middle of Europe's biggest Korean community, with a raw-crab dish strong enough that a national critic led with it. The trek to zone 4 is the point: this is category-defining Korean BBQ for London, priced like a restaurant rather than a canteen, and the format rewards a group.