No Smok without fire.
Pro An original and interesting selection of dishes.
Con Seating's functional, rather than comfortable.
Pay
€€
Per Person €22-€25 Four shared dishes, including a dessert. 2 beers. Gratis: Non-russian russian salad.
Find
Smok Mok Limon is Closed. Others remain open.
Website http://smokmok.es/ No menu on the website, as far as we can find.
🛈 Dietary Info Icons are on the menu.
Access Stepfree into eating area.
In Short
Hopes. We're not at all sure what the menu's about. So - surprises?
Reality. Our hopes didn't go up in smoke. A journey into the unexpected.
First Impressions. There's a lot of circulating space.
USP? Uniquely Smokey Products.
The offer in three words. We like it.
Service! Timely, honest, efficient.
Friend friendly? You can work something out, yes.
Rating for dating. The backroom's probably best. It's overlit, but probably a goer.
Tip? 8%
Change one thing? An irritating trio, loudly watching loud videos on a phone. In a bar. Thankfully they cleared off.
Revisitability. Very good. There's plenty to try.
Compare & Contrast
More conventional Korean influences at Nunca Cocinas Sin Hambre
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Today's obscure fact. In his younger days, the King of Spain used to frequent a bar in Calle Limon. Whether he ever expected said street to develop a Korean-themed Spanish-Asian fusion bar, where smoke is the USP, has gone unrecorded by history, as far as we know.
Welcome to Smok Mok, Limon, where the heady aroma of pseudo hydrocarbon is ever present.
Let's get the key takeaway done right now. We're impressed by dinner here and reckon it's worth a go. That smokey theme is a thread through all the courses but, remarkably, doesn't feel gimmicky - no "smok and mirrors" gags required - thanks to canny cooking.
Things kicked off with a smart apertif, as we downed some early Mahou (other beers are available). It's a Russian salad by nature, but not name. For one thing it's got seaweed in it. And it's really good. You should try it. And yes, a salad with smokey flavours works. It's kind of deeper. And moreish.
Adopting the principle "try odd-sounding stuff!", the beautifully presented 3 Humos is a vaguely amusing play on 3 hummus. What is the plural of hummus? They don't ask that on University Challenge. Look, it's a very good starter and if there'd been a couple of pitas, it'd be a Recommended starter. As it is, the three flavours - yuzu & corn, pèrsonal favourite piquillo and wakame (also worth the effort) are excellent. The veg crudités are welcome flavour & texture additions, but there's that niggling detail - picos don't show the flavours off to their very best and, texture wise, biscuity crunchiness doesn't feel quite right. A small pita pity.
Dragon Balls. I know, I know. But, dodgy, name or not, it works. A rich, sweet barbecuey-style sauce, proper meaty spherical objects and a generous portion of slightly sticky rice. If anything, slightly more rice than the sauce catered for, I think. Perhaps we should have balanced the meatballs with more of it, but they sold themselves so well we wolfed them without thinking about it. By the way, what did the knight say to the dragon when he beat him in battle? "You're fired!" Yes. Fine. Onward!
Here's another really generous portion, in the tasty chicken and noodle stir fry. Everything was very well cooked, the noodle element was perfectly cooked, and we enjoyed it a lot. Being megapicky, some individual vegetable flavours disappeared under the influence of the powerful sauce. But, again, this is a generous portion, pleasingly served as a sharing plate.
And so to dessert. Apple pie, not so much deconstructed as fusionificated. The creamy business on top is toffee and works predictably well. The puree is apple, with the requisite smokiness added, which I wasn't sure about when we ordered. No need to worry, as the sweetness balanced it well and, with the toffee, made for a very distinctive flavour combination. I'd order this again, but I'd like something creamy with it for even finer balance. Custard/natillas ice-cream, maybe?
Prices are verging on miraculous for Conde Duque, at less than €25 for two. One occasion that smok-ing won't seriously damage your wealth. Service is efficient, if not the most effusive ever. Still, everything arrived on time, the advice about three savoury dishes being right for two eaters was spot-on, so that's not bad going. Decor is determinedly oriental with cartoony imagery dominating but not turning into a theme park. Tables and stools are in the back room, high tables and stools at the front bar area. There's certainly space there for more covers, but the place is determinedly running as a bar serving food not a restaurant, which both explains the circulating space and scores points with us. It's fusion food - that aperitif is a fine example - served as genuine sharing plates, and the combination works.
We're coming back here. There's more stuff on the menu to try. That's a success, then.
Smokin'!
Food ★★★★ Service ★★★ Decor ★★★★
Pro An original and interesting selection of dishes.
Con Seating's functional, rather than comfortable.
Pay
€€
Per Person €22-€25 Four shared dishes, including a dessert. 2 beers. Gratis: Non-russian russian salad.
Find
Smok Mok Limon is Closed. Others remain open.
Website http://smokmok.es/ No menu on the website, as far as we can find.
🛈 Dietary Info Icons are on the menu.
Access Stepfree into eating area.
In Short
Hopes. We're not at all sure what the menu's about. So - surprises?
Reality. Our hopes didn't go up in smoke. A journey into the unexpected.
First Impressions. There's a lot of circulating space.
USP? Uniquely Smokey Products.
The offer in three words. We like it.
Service! Timely, honest, efficient.
Friend friendly? You can work something out, yes.
Rating for dating. The backroom's probably best. It's overlit, but probably a goer.
Tip? 8%
Change one thing? An irritating trio, loudly watching loud videos on a phone. In a bar. Thankfully they cleared off.
Revisitability. Very good. There's plenty to try.
Compare & Contrast
More conventional Korean influences at Nunca Cocinas Sin Hambre
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Today's obscure fact. In his younger days, the King of Spain used to frequent a bar in Calle Limon. Whether he ever expected said street to develop a Korean-themed Spanish-Asian fusion bar, where smoke is the USP, has gone unrecorded by history, as far as we know.
Welcome to Smok Mok, Limon, where the heady aroma of pseudo hydrocarbon is ever present.
Let's get the key takeaway done right now. We're impressed by dinner here and reckon it's worth a go. That smokey theme is a thread through all the courses but, remarkably, doesn't feel gimmicky - no "smok and mirrors" gags required - thanks to canny cooking.
Things kicked off with a smart apertif, as we downed some early Mahou (other beers are available). It's a Russian salad by nature, but not name. For one thing it's got seaweed in it. And it's really good. You should try it. And yes, a salad with smokey flavours works. It's kind of deeper. And moreish.
Adopting the principle "try odd-sounding stuff!", the beautifully presented 3 Humos is a vaguely amusing play on 3 hummus. What is the plural of hummus? They don't ask that on University Challenge. Look, it's a very good starter and if there'd been a couple of pitas, it'd be a Recommended starter. As it is, the three flavours - yuzu & corn, pèrsonal favourite piquillo and wakame (also worth the effort) are excellent. The veg crudités are welcome flavour & texture additions, but there's that niggling detail - picos don't show the flavours off to their very best and, texture wise, biscuity crunchiness doesn't feel quite right. A small pita pity.
Dragon Balls. I know, I know. But, dodgy, name or not, it works. A rich, sweet barbecuey-style sauce, proper meaty spherical objects and a generous portion of slightly sticky rice. If anything, slightly more rice than the sauce catered for, I think. Perhaps we should have balanced the meatballs with more of it, but they sold themselves so well we wolfed them without thinking about it. By the way, what did the knight say to the dragon when he beat him in battle? "You're fired!" Yes. Fine. Onward!
Here's another really generous portion, in the tasty chicken and noodle stir fry. Everything was very well cooked, the noodle element was perfectly cooked, and we enjoyed it a lot. Being megapicky, some individual vegetable flavours disappeared under the influence of the powerful sauce. But, again, this is a generous portion, pleasingly served as a sharing plate.
And so to dessert. Apple pie, not so much deconstructed as fusionificated. The creamy business on top is toffee and works predictably well. The puree is apple, with the requisite smokiness added, which I wasn't sure about when we ordered. No need to worry, as the sweetness balanced it well and, with the toffee, made for a very distinctive flavour combination. I'd order this again, but I'd like something creamy with it for even finer balance. Custard/natillas ice-cream, maybe?
Prices are verging on miraculous for Conde Duque, at less than €25 for two. One occasion that smok-ing won't seriously damage your wealth. Service is efficient, if not the most effusive ever. Still, everything arrived on time, the advice about three savoury dishes being right for two eaters was spot-on, so that's not bad going. Decor is determinedly oriental with cartoony imagery dominating but not turning into a theme park. Tables and stools are in the back room, high tables and stools at the front bar area. There's certainly space there for more covers, but the place is determinedly running as a bar serving food not a restaurant, which both explains the circulating space and scores points with us. It's fusion food - that aperitif is a fine example - served as genuine sharing plates, and the combination works.
We're coming back here. There's more stuff on the menu to try. That's a success, then.
Smokin'!
Food ★★★★ Service ★★★ Decor ★★★★
