Introducing Calong Restaurant - Eat. Drink. Sleep

Calong is a petite neighbourhood Korean restaurant in Stoke Newington owned and run by husband-and-wife team, Joo and Sujin.

Michelin recommended and recently cited as one of the Financial Times ‘Best New London Restaurants of 2025’ at just 11 months old, Calong meaning ‘cool’ is certainly living up to its namesake.

Joo (previously head chef maintaining a Michelin-star at Galvin at Windows for several years), and Sujin (The Wolseley, The Delauney, Fischer’s Marylebone), launched Calong as a pop-up brand in 2021. Following a stint at Carousel and a three-month residency at the Bun House in Chinatown, signatures including Joo’s fried chicken with and their kim-chi fritters were born.

The pair found their ideal site in Stoke Newington, a small cosy neighbourhood place, and opened their first permanent Calong restaurant in February 2025.

At Calong you can find a small daily menu of Korean dishes created with European touches, all crafted from seasonal UK produce. Joo and Sujin wanted to create something different from the current Korean food scene in the UK. Their cooking vision is rooted in Korea but explores the western techniques and flavour combinations that they have honed through their classical French training.

Entering the petite site which looks out onto Church Street, the bar sits at the back of the room with 30 covers in the dining space made up of tables of two or four. Pared back white walls, exposed brick and simple wooden tables and chairs, make up the space, with the chalkboard menu taking centre-stage high up on the back wall.

Signature snacks include kimchi fritter and chilli mayonnaise or Pork Rillettes Ssam lettuce with ssamjang and pickles. Starter of chalk stream trout, sesame and plum soy – is a beauty in colour and flavour, while Joo’s fried chicken with sweet chilli and peanut has been a staple Calong dish since day one, deliciously deep-fried and crunchy.

Main dishes currently feature grilled pork jeyuk (Korean spicy marinade), with apple kimchi and ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce), and Cornish pollock with moli jorim & cavolo nero.

Side dishes are every bit as exciting – try traditional Korean rice – mixed mushroom, yolk butter sot bap, or a fresh and vibrant kohlrabi, apple & cashew paejori (Korean green onion salad) which both complement all other dishes.

Desserts must not be skipped at Calong, as Sujin and Joo’s expert pastry training is evident here. The current Baked Alaska on the dessert menu is a masterpiece of salted caramel, ice cream, autumn berries, caramelised hazelnuts and whipped and baked meringue.

A concise and exciting list of low intervention ethical white, orange and red wines from small independent producers offered at incredible prices accompany the food, and for true oenophiles, there is a separate ‘Cellar’ wine list which can be requested.