I’ve always believed that one of the most revealing ways to understand a restaurant is to listen to the people who bring it to life each day. Taking recommendations from the waiting staff not only tends to guide you towards the most loved and best-executed dishes on the menu, but also opens the door to conversation, offering a knowledgeable, confident, and passionate team that truly is. At Soom, that passion is immediately apparent. This is a team who understand their food, their concept, and their restaurant inside out, and who take genuine pride in guiding diners through the experience.

During our visit, the recommendations led to two of Soom’s standout offerings: Wang Galbi Jjim and the Korean BBQ selection. The Wang Galbi Jjim arrived as an impressively generous dish of king-sized beef short ribs, slow-braised and served alongside tender vegetables that had clearly absorbed the depth of flavour from the rich Korean soy sauce. The beef itself was exceptional—rich, deeply savoury, and incredibly tender. What elevated the experience further was the tableside preparation. Our waitress expertly used scissors to cut the meat cleanly from the bone before portioning it into perfectly sized pieces for sharing. It’s a small detail, but one that speaks volumes about the care taken with both the food and the experience. The dish sat comfortably among the other dishes on the table, shared naturally alongside the BBQ platter. Reaching in with chopsticks and eating collectively subtly mirrored Soom’s wider focus on connection and shared moments.

Alongside this, the Korean BBQ element of the menu o equally rewarding. Opting for the pork platter, the table became the centre of activity, with the circular electric grill encouraging conversation and participation rather than passive dining. The platter arrived with a variety of pork cuts, accompanied by a selection of sides—seasoned spring onion salad, crisp lettuce leaves, pickles, and sauces—inviting diners to explore flavour combinations at their own pace.

Before cooking, we dipped the meat into sea salt, sesame oil, or tofu paste, allowing each cut to absorb flavour as it cooked on the grill. Once ready, it was wrapped in lettuce leaves and topped with pickles and spring onion salad. This layering of flavours and textures is what makes Korean BBQ so engaging, and Soom executes it with clarity and balance. It’s interactive, tactile, and deeply satisfying. The meat itself was lean yet deeply flavoured, a clear indicator of quality sourcing and thoughtful preparation. The standout from the platter was undoubtedly the secreto pork. While thinner cuts might initially suggest something less indulgent, this was quite the opposite. The pork was tender and richly flavoured, with a character reminiscent of the kind of cured meats you might find on a Spanish charcuterie board—only here, served hot and gently caramelised by the grill.

What’s particularly impressive is that Soom had only been open for six weeks when we visited, yet the restaurant operates with the ease and confidence of a long-established favourite. The menu feels refined and assured, the staff move through the space with calm efficiency, and nothing about the experience feels tentative or unfinished. It’s the sort of operational confidence that many restaurants take years to achieve.

Design plays a central role in this sense of confidence. The concept behind Soom revolves around arches, circles, and rounded forms, all rooted in the idea of bringing people together to share food, conversation and time. This is inspired by the Korean jing, a large brass gong used in traditional music, around which families and friends gather to celebrate through rhythm and dance. That sense of togetherness is woven seamlessly into the restaurant’s visual identity.

Upon arrival, attention is immediately drawn to a striking two-metre circular artwork, commissioned specifically for the space and inspired by the jing itself. From there, the design unfolds beautifully. The interior is dark yet warm, dramatic yet inviting. There are no harsh overhead ceiling lights; instead, softly illuminated arches line the restaurant, marking the entrance to each booth and guiding the eye through the space. Each table feels intimate and private, ideal for relaxed dining, while the open arches between booths create a subtle sense of connection and openness. It’s an environment that encourages conversation without ever feeling intrusive, striking a rare balance between intimacy and sociability. I genuinely cannot overstate how beautifully designed the space is; it feels modern and luxurious, yet grounded in tradition and purpose.

Despite its prime location between Covent Garden and Leicester Square, pricing at Soom is refreshingly reasonable. This was a deliberate choice by owners Ho Kim and head chef Won Choi, who were keen to introduce authentic Korean food to London without alienating diners through inflated prices. That intention is felt throughout—from the generosity of portions to the absence of unnecessary excess. The focus remains firmly on quality, authenticity, and accessibility.

One area where this commitment to quality is particularly evident is in the dumplings. All are made in-house, a distinction that immediately sets Soom apart from many London Asian restaurants that rely on frozen alternatives. These dumplings are large, juicy, and packed with flavour, and it’s instantly clear that they’ve been crafted with care. It’s a point of pride for Ho Kim, and rightly so—the drinks menu complements the food thoughtfully. Once in a Summer, a refreshing blend of mint, gin, lemon, and cucumber was beautifully balanced. I wouldn’t usually gravitate towards cucumber in a gin-based cocktail, but here it was subtle and clean, enhancing rather than overpowering the other flavours. Korea Sunset, a blend of peach, soju, Malibu, pineapple, citrus, and grenadine, evokes the feeling of being somewhere far removed from the energy of central London, watching the sun dip below the horizon somewhere warm and unhurried.

Soom describes itself as “a pause – a moment to breathe in the flow of everyday life.” Inspired by the Korean word for ‘breath’, it invites guests to slow down, breathe deeply, and share food that warms the heart. It’s a philosophy that resonates throughout every aspect of the experience. From the thoughtful design and confident service to the deeply comforting food, Soom succeeds in creating a space that encourages connection, conversation, and presence—an increasingly rare achievement in the heart
of London.

W: Soom Korean
T: +44 (0) 20 459 72123
E: Information

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Written by Sam Mead for Luxuria Lifestyle International