Myung Ga
1 Kingly Street (in SoHo; near Piccadilly Circus Tube)

On Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas to many of you), me and the friend from the previous review wandered around looking for places to eat and drink. Despite the amount of shoppers devastating the area (it was a zoo!), many pubs shut by 6pm. We were disturbed until we found a safe place for a few. Then it was food...everything was shut!

We had a good meal at a Korean BBQ in the area, and we found it again -- Myung Ga. A very inspired choice, a place good even if everything else was open. With a bottle of red plonk, we embarked on our very wonderful and meaty journey...

We split two starters -- the mandoo (beef-filled dumplings) and the fried oysters. Excellent both of them, and that got us excited for the main BBQ session. We also had a side of kimchee to savour. My friend ordered the peppered sliced tenderloin while I got my usual kalbi (beef ribs) for the BBQ session. Smelled great, and it was very tasty.

With a second bottle of wine moving and the night still young-ish, we added a pork BBQ to it and enjoyed more. That was a good choice, and both of us were stuffed as we finished the second bottle of wine.

Myung Ga is an unpretentious place in the middle of SoHo, very popular with Koreans and non-Koreans alike. You will smell like BBQ as you find your way home by Tube (and hungry drunks may sniff at you with a smile!), but it is good fun and solid food. Not bad for Boxing Day!

Food: A--
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B (*)