We wouldn’t recommend a restaurant solely on friendly servers. But if we did, we’d recommend this little Korean spot in New Malden to everyone we meet. There are plenty of restaurants trying to emulate that whole ‘cool friend who hosts casual dinner parties in their Notting Hill apartment’ atmosphere. But You Me Korean has got the—arguably more charming—‘great aunt whose love language is overfeeding you’ thing going on. Oh, and the Korean food is some of the best you’ll find in the city.

This cosy neighbourhood spot has BBQ grills on each of the four-person tables, so come in a group any larger than that and there will need to be some rearranging of the furniture. It's a compact dining room, with touches like framed selfies of the proud owner's daughter with famous footballers on the walls (they’ll explain if you ask). It doesn’t seem like much thought has gone into keeping the decor modern, but that’s not necessary when every other aspect of a meal here is so special. The generosity of the servers—who come handing out banchan and smiles, and freebies in the form of fresh fruit or mochi at the end of your meal—is what makes us leave feeling like we’ve just spent an hour and a half at therapy. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

When you flick through the picture menu, don’t be overwhelmed by all the different options. Instead, immediately order crispy and generously filled squid and spring onion pajeon, the jajangmyeon (that we’ve craved at least once a week since first trying), and the fiery, garlicky fried prawns. The great thing about You Me Korean is that they serve excellent traditional Korean dishes you won’t find everywhere, like dak galbi. We overheard other tables claim the hour-long journey was worth it for this spicy stir-fried chicken dish. If you live nearby, you’re a lucky person, and if you don’t, make the trip.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Jajangmyeon

Extra long handmade noodles that come with scissors, drowning in a black bean sauce that we’ve been known to eat with a spoon at times—this is our favourite dish. These noodles have us exactly where they want us: obsessed and ready to part with £8 every time they pop into our brains. Which is a lot.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Pajeon

Perfectly golden and uneven from the chunks of seafood in the middle, it’s illegal to enter the premises without ordering this. OK it’s not illegal but it is frowned upon… by us.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Fried Garlic Prawn

The lightly battered, meaty prawns are tender and soft, and coated in a slightly spicy, bright red sauce with sliced green peppers and thinly sliced carrots that add a nice crunch.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Bibimbap

This arrives at your table in a piping-hot stone bowl. Give it a couple of minutes before diving in, and once you do, add plenty of the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. Make sure to get that crispy rice stuck to the bottom of the bowl—it’s the best part.