Sue Korean Restaurant

Sue Korean Restaurant G/F, 7 Kimberly Street Tsim Sha Tsui Tel: 2311 0133

Grub: Family-style traditional Korean restaurant with reasonable prices tucked away in a back street of Tsim Sha Tsui known as 'Korea Street'.

Vibe: Small, simple but nice. Not much deor other than newspaper reviews lining the wall.

Who to bring: Family and friends, or anyone who loves Korean food.

What's hot: In keeping with traditional Korean restaurants, small appetisers are served free of charge. They are all up to native Korean standard, especially the kimchi. The cucumber is terrific: tinged a vivid red colour, it's surprisingly sweet and fresh. The extra effort they've made is reflected in the taste.

The restaurant is often featured in magazines for its outstanding noodles. The Korean soybean sauce noodles are great - very similar to Beijing-style ones, with the fresh noodles balancing the rich sauce. Their cold buckwheat noodles, served al dente, are just the ticket on a hot summer's day. Another tasty dish is the fried vermicelli with beef and mixed mushrooms. There are so many great noodle dishes, you'll have to come back another time to try more.

Korea's harsh winters call for hearty fare like hot stone pot rice dishes. The best one at this restaurant is made with beef and mixed vegetables. It may look like a small portion, but it's a lot of food for one person to eat alone. Also worth trying are the pancakes with kimchi or seafood.

Along with popular, well known Korean dishes, the restaurant also serves more traditional items that are hard to find in Hong Kong. One particular highlight is traditional pan-fried minced beef with rice cakes. This special dish needs at least half an hour to prepare and is served on a hot iron plate. The beef is juicy and goes perfectly with the rice cakes. After your first bite, it's hard to stop.

Another special dish is the kimchi dumplings. If you like the Shanghai variety, these are a must. You can enjoy them steamed or in broth, but the fried are the most delicious.

What's not: Being small and popular, the restaurant is usually crowded. Customers must order at least a meal set or main course at lunch, while at night, meals have to be finished within the 90-minute time limit. There is no Korean barbecue, and the staff only speak Korean and English.

Cost: About HK$70 for lunch and HK$120 for dinner.