Assa, the reason behind my Korean food appreciation.....

Korean food, one of the most amazing cuisines out there and one of my favourite! Here in London we are spoilt for choice when it comes to Korean restaurants, but there is one that fits the bill when it comes to authenticity, price and taste.......ASSA 

There are currently two branches, one in Giles Street and one in Romily Street.

The Giles Street branch, their first branch located near Centre point in Tottenham Court Road. 53 Giles high street, 020 7240 8256

Me and ASSA go way back, before the days when they weren't even as popular as they are now, there was no queues of hungry customers.....My first lunch at ASSA was about 4 years ago and back then hardly anyone knew about them!

Once you sit down, you are greeted with a bottle of cold bland Korean tea, but it's and plentiful which is always good if you have a low intolerance for spicy food! They also give you two side dishes, the pickled kombu and bean sprouts marinated with sesame oil.

Stir fried spicy chicken with rice is my favourite dish at ASSA, Succulent spicy and hot chicken with splashes of chilli oil punching your every taste bud! I have recommended it so many friends who have all fell in love with this dish! 

The sister dish of the stir fried spicy chicken rice, the hot flavours are not so intense but the beef is cooked to perfection as the spiciness of the sauces really brings out the rich flavour of the beef.

Marinated beef with rice, the beef is marinated with a Korean style barbecue sauce; the sauce itself is made with soy sauce, onions, garlic, and juice from Asian pears and more.

The pancake is filled with spring onions, carrots and the seafood mainly; prawn, mussels, and squid, served with a dipping sauce. I hardly order this pancake as I find the pancake rather greasy and bland.

And finally.......
The Assa branch in Tottenham Court Road is not the most comfortable and glamorous Korean restaurant, but the food really worth putting up with the small spaces, the hard wooden chairs and put up with their open planned kitchen. Another thing is that, Assa does not serve hot drinks, but they do serve a range Korean alcohol and soft drinks. 

 The Romily Street Assa is the second branch of Assa, located on 23 Romily Street, 0207734 9050. The interior is more modern and slightly more comfortable, and sans the opened planned kitchen. 

The menu is the same as the other Assa, but I feel that the food at the old branch is more fiery and tastier. But this branch has better seating and is better to meet up with friends here.

Dolsot bimbimbap is basically delicious mixed rice in a stone bowl. The dish is served in a hot stone bowl, the rice on the bottom and covered with different vegetablesbeef mince and egg. Before eating the rice and you should mix the whole thing together, usually with gochujang (Korean chilli paste).

Assa finally does a loyalty card!!! Collect up to 20 stamps for a 20% discount, well it isn't much but its certainly an improvement!

I always advise people to try Assa during their lunch time 12:00-15:00, they have lunch specials with prices ranging from £5.50 to £7.90. All of the food displayed in the blog post were taken during lunch. Although I have been back during dinner times as well, the portions are slightly smaller but at a similar price. 

Lastly I would always recommend Assa as a great authentic Korean restaurant with hearty portions at a reasonable price! Perfect for students or those looking to save some money!