Shoreditch Diaries: A Love Letter to MukBap

Ah, I love being a vegan Londoner. You can find oat, pea, or almond lattes at 7:30 in the morning, mushroom and lentil “börek”s fresh from the oven for breakfast or gözleme, the Turkish flatbread if you please, carrot lox and chive-smeared bagels at the end of 10 minute queues, Reubens made from house Vastrami at any hour you crave (Where you ask? Soon to be written), vegan and gluten-free pizzas for those “let’s grab a bite before the movie starts” kind of days, and donuts in Soho. But what I like most about London is the fact that there is a veganized version of, I believe, any or most cuisines you crave. In no other city that I have lived could I find tofu pad thai, vegetable pho, and Shan noodles, a traditional Burmese rice noodle dish served with pickled toppings, within 500 metres. And while slurping my broth or picking broccoli with chopsticks, I can learn about yet another vegan spot in town—this one has sweet potato noodles I must try. Where, I ask? In Shoreditch, near Liverpool Street Station, they say. The name is MukBap.

That’s been the talk of the town for a while, but before writing about it, I wanted to make sure I had tried almost every item on the menu. The name MukBap is derived from a Korean jelly-like food traditionally made from grains, beans, or nuts (muk, meaning jelly) and bap, which refers to cooked rice. Once you step inside and, preferably, find a seat at the counter facing the street, the menu is presented to you. Each time I’ve been there, I’ve constructed, deconstructed, and reshaped the menu as follows:

The Three Little Veggies from My Third Menu.

Shoreditch diaries,  June 13th. Menu #1: Savory Kimchi pancake, Jeon, accompanied by sticky black beans and cucumber kimchi. Lots of kimchi you say? I would argue the opposite—I should have tried kimchi fried rice. A restaurant where even desserts are made of kimchi? Yes to that. I’m going.

Shoreditch diaries,  November 22nd. Menu #2: Bibimbap with crispy tofu. This is not a bowl-style dish where you separate the ingredients. The term bibim means "mixing" and bap is cooked rice, so you must stir all the components in your plate. The flavor is enhanced because you stir, merge, and fuse them. I also added kimchi to the plate. No surprises there.

Shoreditch diaries, January 3rd. Menu #3: The three little veggies, fermented like a side dish—this one had spinach, soybean sprouts, and radish. For the main “plate of art,” I chose sweet potato noodles, Japchae, and added some tofu on top.

Sweet potato noodles (Japchae).

Menu #4. TBD  - The next time, for the fourth menu, I’m thinking of pairing the crispy fried seaweed rolls, Kimmari, with spicy pork rice, Jaeyukbokkeum, because I’ve heard, watched on Tiktok so much about them, and saw some bowls coming and being emptied within minutes at the next table.

Whether it’s your first Mandoo (dumplings), or your hundredth pancake, MukBap deserves a permanent spot on your London vegan bucket list.

What to Order: Your first date should definitely be with a bowl of Bibimbap. Beef or tofu? The choice is yours.

My Favorite: I love noodles—if they’re on the menu, I’ll almost always order them. But Japchae, made with sweet potato and soy-based glass noodles, has earned a spot on my “will come back for you” list.

Bonus: The sweet and sour sauce goes with everything. Because I’m a capsaicin-addict heat seeker, although I’ve been warned twice, I still ordered the hottest sauce. And just let me tell you: be careful with this one.

Address: 91 Worship St, London EC2A 2BG

Check Out Our Other Articles