Premium kimbap shops have been popping up all over the city lately, and I’ve been seeing a lot of them around Apgujeong in particular. Lee’s Kimbap is one of them, and since I was passing by, I dropped in.

Front entrance

The place is really small, but it must be popular, because people kept coming in.

Inside

There are a few seats to eat in, but it was so crowded that I took my order to go. The prices are on the high side, and price aside, the portions felt a bit stingy too. Then again, I don’t eat kimbap much these days, so maybe this is the standard size.

Half tuna kimbap, half beef kimbap

I figured one kind alone would leave me wanting more, so I bought the mixed option. I remember it being around 5,000 won; whether the portion is small or not, I’ll let you judge for yourself…

Cross section

Not much rice, and the filling is packed tight. It can’t be easy to keep the shape, but somehow they manage it. Maybe it’s the quality of the ingredients, but it was really delicious. No comparison at all with a place like Hanyang Gimbap in Yeouido. And even someone like me who isn’t big on high-carb food could eat it without a second thought.

Apart from the price, there’s nothing to fault about this kimbap shop, and places like this seem to keep multiplying across Seoul. Handmade burgers were the thing for a while, and now healthy kimbap seems to have become the trend. It’s nice that eating good kimbap is no longer a challenge, but this boom will fizzle out someday too. I’m already curious what the next boom will be.

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