01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
The pleasure of KIMUCHI HONEN’s lunch buffet lies in trying several kinds of kimchi rather than settling on just one. Visitors have singled out the tomato and celery kimchi, and one report mentions cucumber kimchi in several different seasonings. Add namul, salad and a hearty kimchi jjigae, and you can put together a lunch of small servings to compare. One diner found the jjigae full of savoury flavour, while another felt the dishes were generally mild and easy to eat. Some visitors have found the seasoning on the sweet side, so this may suit a day when you want to explore a range of Korean side dishes rather than seek out intense heat.
For a more substantial centrepiece, bibimbap lets you choose the toppings to suit your taste. White rice and multigrain rice are listed, and you can combine your choice with kimchi and vegetables. Diners have also reported enjoying kimbap, japchae, Korean pancakes and soup at lunch; in reviews, kimbap, japchae and jjigae were particularly praised. The advertised buffet is timed at 40 minutes, with a changing selection of 20 to 25 or more dishes. As the offerings may vary from day to day, it is best to sample the kimchi and side dishes on offer, then go back for more of your favourites rather than count on a particular dish being available.
Drinks to accompany the meal include makgeolli, black bean makgeolli and cloudy makgeolli, as well as lime and lemon chūhai. The menu lists serving sizes and prices: makgeolli is 800 ml for 1,300 yen, while black bean and cloudy makgeolli are each 1 L for 1,300 yen; lime and lemon chūhai are each 400 yen. Depending on when you visit, you can make the meal a lunchtime tasting or pair drinks with a selection of small dishes.
