Ong Gie: Korean home cooking in Edinburgh

One of the things I enjoy when getting back to Edinburgh for the summer, having been away since January, is spotting new cafes and restaurants that have sprung up since I was last here. Wandering down Buccleuch Street the other day I noticed that a little Korean take-away cum restaurant had opened, and I went there last night with my brother.

I started with miyuk soup (seaweed and tofu). The first spoonful tasted a little odd, but it quickly grew on me. the broth had a nice earthy almost smoky flavour, the seaweed had an almost silky texture, and the tofu was very light.


I followed up with stir-fried chilli squid with vegetables, some boiled rice, and some spicy pickled cabbage (kimchi) on the side. The squid itself was perfectly tender, but was let down by some rather non-descript carrots and a slightly gloopy sauce that was quite fiery but didn't seem to have much else in the way of flavour. The rice, too, was a little dry.


Although my meal was a bit of a mixed bag, I suspect that I didn't order well (never having eaten Korean food before, maybe this is not surprising). I think I will pay a return visit and try one of their shared hotpots, as well as exploring the side dishes a bit more thoroughly. Ordering when you're unfamiliar with the cuisine is always a bit tricky, and while I'm usually reluctant to return to a restaurant where I've been disappointed, I think it's sometimes important to try to keep an open mind and treat the whole thing as a learning experience. (Easier to do when the price is not too high.)

In an ideal world, every dish would be perfect in every restaurant, but the reality is that some restaurants combine great dishes with mediocre ones, and it is also the case that any cuisine will have high spots and low spots. This is certainly true of two other restaurants I like in Edinburgh. I've come to the conclusion that none of the 'Chinese-style' dishes at Kampong Ah Lee, a Malaysian restaurant on Clerk Street, are any good - but I still love all their noodle dishes. And I've also had a couple of disappointing dishes at the Wing Sing (both times, oddly enough, as a result of following recommendations from the waiting staff - not sure if they were trying to second-guess my western palate).

The details
Ong Gie: Traditional Korean home dishes
36 Buccleuch Street, EH8 9LP
Tel: 0131 668 3883

Price: £13.80 per head