The story
Calong is a modern Korean restaurant at 35 Stoke Newington Church St in London, and it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2026. Joo and Sujin Won run the small room, which was formerly Rubedo.
Joo Won spent 15 years as head chef at Galvin at Windows, and that background shows in the food. The menu draws on Korean and European ideas, built around British seasonal ingredients. His kimchi fritters are a signature, alongside buttery mushroom claypot rice and BBQ onglet with greens and bulgogi jus.
Sujin Won's desserts are sharply drawn and vivid, and the baked Alaska gets the most attention. Cocktails include a soju spritz and a sesame Old Fashioned. The natural wine list is sensibly priced, with bottles from £36. The Good Food Guide rated Calong Very Good in 2026. Seating is about 30 covers, with bentwood chairs, white walls and blackboard menus.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
‘Calong’, Google helpfully tell us, means 'stylish' in Busan dialect – a good name for Joo and Sujin Won’s effortlessly cool modern Korean bistro, which has taken over the former home of Rubedo. It’s a tiny site, little more than 30 covers, still with Rubedo’s bentwood chairs, white walls, and blackboard menus. If that makes it sound a little French – like it wouldn’t look out of place in Paris – that's not surprising given that Joo was head chef at Galvin at Windows for 15 years. The dialogue between his Gallic training and his Korean heritage is discernible on every plate, from his trademark kimchi fritters and buttery mushroom claypot rice to BBQ onglet with greens and bulgogi jus. Sharp lines and vivid flavours characterise Sujin’s desserts too. The baked Alaska deserves all the attention it gets. A handful of interesting cocktails (soju spritz, sesame Old Fashioned) lead on to a sensibly priced natural wine list, with bottles from £36.
Location
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