I am not a Korean food aficionado; to be truthful my experience of the cuisine is ultraminimal though not entirely absent.
I saw some article or the other quite recently about Itaewon, a Korean restaurant in Station Street, opposite New Street Station, next door to the historic Old Repertory Theatre and two buildings down from the now closed but famous Electric Cinema. The Old Rep is said to have been the first repertory theatre to be opened in Britain and the Electric is said to have been the oldest surviving cinema in the UK. Venerable neighbours indeed.
I had completed a 2 hour walking tour dedicated to the buildings of Station Street and Smallbrook Queensway and finding myself in Station Street once more I seized the day and opted to have an exotic late Sunday lunch at Itaewon. When I entered the restaurant I discovered a colourful, small dining area with seating for 18 people and a small bar at the end furthest from the door gayly decorated with a slogan in pink fluorescent lighting with the inscription, “Choose your own adventure”. I was greeted immediately on arrival and seated comfortably next to the bar and the extensive menu was handed to me. The very helpful and friendly East Asian waiter was delighted to answer my questions about the menu and I learned a lot about Korean dishes and drinks in a remarkably short time.
I chose a Korean beer-soju cocktail, soemak, to accompany my meal. Soju is a clear, colourless alcoholic drink made from rice with a flavour akin to vodka. This, after all, was an opportunity to experiment. Soemak is a popular combination of beer and soju with varying alcohol content ranging from 12.5% to 53%. I enjoyed the drink - the overall impression was one of a lager and I did not experience any symptoms deriving from excessive alcohol content.
The soemak is available with added fruit flavours but I shrank from that, recalling the ghastly fruit-flavoured ciders which were once in vogue. I wasn’t sure if the meal would be served in courses or as small plates. The waiter told me the dishes would arrive together which they did although those I chose were eminently suitable to have been served one after the other and indeed I think that would have been preferable. The ‘appetiser’ took the form of six pleasing fried pork dumplings which were very tasty with nice, light dumpling dough but they were a little more oily than they should have been (13/20)
The ‘main’ was a robust and rustic Korean beef curry. The spiciness was moderate but pleasingly discernible and the beef was nicely tender and enjoyable. The cubes of adequately cooked potatoes and carrots gave a generous bulk to the dish though the onions might have been softened a little more. The steamed rice was well cooked. This was comforting, home-cooking style food and none the worse for that (13/20).
The range of desserts was not large and I wanted something fairly light after my generously sized main. I opted for the ice cream flavoured by the infamously smelly durian fruit which I can not remember ever trying even though I have visited south east Asia and the Far East a number of times. The ice cream was not, I’m relieved to say, particularly malodourous to any degree but the flavour was unique - not really sweet at all, more, I thought, the flavour of meat and I concluded that it was probably an acquired taste.
I had enjoyed my meal and looking around me I was surprised that a large percentage of the female diners - all of them under 30 years old - were wearing headscarves. I was not sure why the restaurant appeared to be so popular with young Muslims until the penny dropped and I noticed on the menu the indication that the food served was Halal. While respecting religious customs I have my reservations about the way animals are killed (not all are stunned for instance prior to being killed which means they die a slower death) to produce Halal meat and therefore, though I enjoyed my Korean dishes I do not feel I can eat at Itaewon again which I regret as I otherwise like the place very much.
Having thought that this was a small ground floor, off the street restaurant, I discovered there to be at the top of a rather glitzy staircase a very large dining room where some of the diners had opted to eat. Itaewon proved to be full of surprises.
Rating - 🌛🌛🌛🌛 8 September 2024.
The tour of Station Street and the probably doomed Smallbrook Queensway prior to lunch had been very interesting and the retired senior architect who accompanied the small group pointed out the merits of some old and modern buildings which the ordinary punter such as myself would never have noticed without his input. So here we have -
A view down Station Street with the former Shaftesbury Coffee House and Temperance Hotel (1890) next to the Crown public house -
The steps down from Grand Central and New Street Station to Station Street -
The Crown public house (built 1876, Grade II listed, on the corner of Station Streetvand Hill Street) where the veteran popular music group Black Sabbath played regularly in the group’s early days. To be fair the pub has more merit attached to its musical heritage than to its architectural heritage) -
The Electric Cinema, Britain’s earliest cinema building (1909) -
The Market Hotel (1883) and further along The Old Rep Theatre (1912) -
The rear of the Old Rep Theatre (once The Tatler Theatre) in Hinckley Street -
Smallbrook Queensway (1962) probably soon to be demolished -
The Albany Hotel (1962) -
Norfolk House -
News.
On 28 August 2024 the Michelin Guide announced that Albatross Death Cult was one of six British dining establishments to be included in its August list of recommended restaurants. In my opinion this might be the surprise new Michelin star for Birmingham come next year’s announcements by Michelin but then again, who can predict what the Michelin inspectors will come up with given the as ever quirky nature of their astral donations?
