Restaurant Review: Bari Bari Korean Restaurant. If you’re looking for Korean restaurants in East London or new places to eat in Whitechapel, you should seek out the Bari Bari Korean Restaurant.
“Share Korean Barbecue Dishes and Kimchi Sets or tuck into comforting Stews and Bibimbap Bowls in this new Whitechapel located restaurant. The food is delicious with large portions,” Homegirl London
Homeboy and I were walking home from Shoreditch one day when we passed by this new Korean Restaurant. It was on our list to visit so when our Kimchi loving friend asked to stay at our apartment, we booked a table. The food is delicious, and the interiors will be nice when they are fully completed!
Bari Bari Korean Restaurant Dinner Menu
The list of starters was lengthy. We opted for the Kimchi Set because Cookie (the friend) is really into kimchi and has started making his own. If you haven’t tried Kimchi before, its fermented vegetables seasoned with chilli powder, scallions, garlic, and ginger. The Kimchi Set comprised of cabbage, radish, and cucumber which you could order separately if you wanted or a tofu variety. I had a little taste of each which was delicious, I loved the cucumber which I hadn’t tried before. Cookie and Homeboy devoured the rest very quickly!
Kimchi Set
We shared the Chive Pancake which was crispy and deliciously. I adored this and must admit that I ate most of it. Other pancakes included Seafood and Kimchi. We also divided up a steaming bamboo basket of Vegetable Dumplings which were noticeably nice.
Vegetable Dumplings
For mains, I opted for a Vegetarian Bibimbap which is a Korean rice dish. ‘Bibim’ means mixing various ingredients together while ‘Bap’ stands for rice. The bowl is very hot so don’t touch it! The ingredients sizzle inside and you mix in a chilli sauce and give it a stir. My bowl of rice was topped with mushrooms, spinach, courgettes, radish, and an egg. It was a high standard, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Vegetarian Bibimbap
Homeboy and Cookie both went for Noodle dishes. Homeboy tried the Seafood Noodle Box. This featured Korean noodles with mixed veg, bok choy, a large steamed bun and a couple of sauces. Cookie opted for the Spicy Noodle Soup with Beef which he made light work of. He also had a plate of Korean Fried Chicken which he said was excellent and I must admit even though I am a vegetarian, it did look rather good.
Seafood Noodle Box
Korean Barbeque is a big part of the menu. They recommend selecting three portions for two people. You wrap the meat or seafood in lettuce, add garlic, chilli, and a paste before you eat. The Barbecue options included Ox Tongue, Pork, Chicken, Duck, King Prawns, Scallops and Mushrooms. During the cold months, you might want to tuck into a tasty Spicy Kimchi or Soybean Stew.
Spicy Noodle Soup with Beef
To give you an idea about prices, Stews were priced at £8.50-9.50, Barbecue Dishes are £9.50-18.80, the Kimchi Set is £6. Drinks include wine, beer, and various Korean teas.
Bari Bari Korean Restaurant Interiors
Restaurant Interior
The interiors are contemporary and minimal. The walls are clad in large rectangle neutral colour tiles. I did spot that they hadn’t grouted the tiles and tile spacers were still present, so it looks as though they have opened in a hurry. I doubt if many people would notice but I did and so did Cookie because he works in the building industry. When they finish the interiors, it would be a pleasant place to enjoy your Korean meal. The tables have built-in grill plates, we saw customers grilling their meat which looked fun.
Bari Bari Korean Restaurant Information
Restaurant Exterior
For more information go to the Bari Bari Facebook Page. The restaurant address is 24 White Church Lane, Whitechapel, London E1 7QR. The nearest stations are Aldgate, Aldgate East, and Whitechapel. Current opening times listed are Monday to Saturday 11.30 am until 11 pm. You can order takeaway via Deliveroo. Enjoy your meal.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Homegirl London and interiors image from the restaurant Facebook Page. Thanks: Cookie and Homeboy for dining with me.
