On The Bab

You're walking up Old Street towards Shoreditch and suddenly the smell hits you: grilled meat and sesame oil. On The Bab's the kind of place that doesn't need to shout about itself—the queues do that on Friday nights. Inside, it's all industrial brick and open kitchen energy, with staff who actually know their stuff and won't let you order badly. The menu reads like a love letter to Korean street culture: burnt-edged bab (rice bowls), fried chicken that shatters when you bite it, and those little side dishes that keep arriving. It's not fine dining, but it's absolutely fine dining's cooler sibling.