Korean food is one of my favourite types of food and one that I often try to seek out when I'm on tour, for a bit of a calming rice in the stomach feeling. There are a few Korean restaurants in my current home town of Den Haag, and it is proabably time that I try them out and start writing reviews of them!

The Space

Kimchi House is one of the interesting Korean BBQ restaurants that were quite popular a few years back. Each table has a hotplace built into the table, and you can order various types of marinated meats and vegetables to cook for yourself on these plates. It is an interesting concept, that when you go out to a restaurant that you will cook (well, do the last part...) for yourself... however, as you can see from the pictures, the meat is sliced quite finely, and so it is quite a quick cooking experience. The only danger is keeping curious children's hands away from the dangerous parts of the table.

The space is very cosy, with a great double door entryway. This is something that should be standard on all restaurants, as it means when the outside door is opened, you don't get a freezing gust of wind running through the restaurant. It is little things like that that can make or break a comfortable dining experience.

The Menu

The menu is a varied selection of things that are already cooked in the kitchen and served up like a normal restaurant, and the marinated uncooked selections that you will cook for yourself on the BBQ hot-plate.

Whilst you can definitely order by item, it is probably best to order the all you can eat menu. Otherwise, you might find that then individual items end up costing significatnly more than the package. In addition, the "deluxe" package includes unlimited drinks, which is definitely a plus, as they come in pretty small glass bottles, and you will be knocking those over pretty quickly!

The Food

From here, I'll just show off some of the various selections that we had when we dined here. There was a constant stream of many little things, and it would just take up too much space (and I was busy eating rather than photographing!) to show the all the photos here.

One of the best things about Korean restaurants are the feremented and preserved vegetables. In this photo, you can see preserved spinach, kimchi, potatoes and zucchini. These range from the barely noticeable to very spicy, so there is something for all tolerances.

The favourites from the kiddies were the Korean style Pancakes, and the dumplings (Mandu). These are always a hit with them at every Asian restaurant, so we always make sure to have a dish of these in whatever Asian style we happen to be at!

However, the main event for this restaurant is the marinated meats that are meant for the BBQ. The various marinades that they use for the beef/chicken/fish and various vegetables are quite delicious, anddo make up a great meal when combined with the noodles and rice that you can order from the kitchen-cooked part of the menu.

Also, taking the time to cook your food is also a great way to slow down the dining experience and just to take your time to eat rather than stuffing everything down in record time!

The Experience

I have mixed feelings about Kimchi House. The food is decent, but not stellar, but it is pretty hard to find better Korean food in Den Haag (but I am still looking and trying out places... so stay tuned!).

The idea of cooking your own food on the BBQ hot plates is quite a novelty and something that is quite interesting for a little time for the kids. However, you do come away from the restaurant smelling like you have cooked meat in a confined space! It's not a great smell the next day, and it really sticks to your clothes and hair....

The price is also another sticking point... no way around it, it is a touch on the expensive side of things for what it is. The unlimited nature of the menu (and drinks, if you choose that option) could make it worthwhile for some people, but for my family (we are small eaters), it wasn't such a great deal!

Opening Times

Monday 4–10:30pm
Tuesday 4–10:30pm
Wednesday 4–10:30pm
Thursday 4–10:30pm
Friday 12–10:30pm
Saturday 12–10:30pm
Sunday 12–10:30pm

Contact Details

Address: Rabbijn Maarsenplein 22, 2512 HJ Den Haag
Phone: +31 70 364 2192
Website: http://kimchi-house.nl/

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