Hongdae Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Coquitlam

I came here with a group of friends for a quick birthday dinner. It was later than the usual dinner time and they weren't that busy, but they had some of their tables packed with people. And to be honest, I kinda love how authentic Korean bar vibes it gives off. Not just that, they open decently late too. From the website, they close at Midnight, and if you are searching for late night Korean Food, this might be the place.

Anyways, came here for a light quick dinner with a couple friends. We ordered the typical menu, Korean Fried Chicken, the Army Soup and Spicy Cheese Tteokbokki.

I really like the Army soup, it was beautifully done, and the spiciness is exceptional. It was boiling hot when it arrived at the table and I loved seeing that. And what I love the most is that the noodles were plentiful. Not just 1, but 2 blocks of instant ramen int there. I just love how army soups are always just delicious, simple and always a win in my books.

The Korean Fried Chicken was just decent. We had 2 flavours, Soy Garlic and the Yang Yeom (Spicy). I think there should have been more sauce for the Soy Garlic, because it was lacking of so much sauce. There are barely any soy flavouring or the garlic was not prevalent. It felt like it was just regular flavour. And then the Yang Yeom was just too much sauce. Granted, the sauce was delicious and it was perfect for a spicy sauce but it was hard to eat when there is just too much. They need to find the perfect ratio of sauce for each flavour of chicken....

The spicy Cheese Tteokbokki was delicious. They perfectly cooked this to the point where the cheese pulls were PERFECT. And the Tteokbokki was stewed perfectly in a delicious spicy sauce. I enjoyed this dish a lot, but I wish it was spicier.

Overall, it was a good experience. I might be back for some late night army...

Inconsiderate, DO NOT eat here if you have any allergies

I ordered a cutlet plate, and I experienced an unexpected allergic reaction. I asked the staff whether it contained peanuts, and they blamed me for not letting them know I had allergies. Luckily for me, I only have a mild peanut allergy, however if someone had a severe allergy, they would literally have died. I don't think that anyone would expect Katsu cutlet to contain peanuts, and it never has, in my experience. I asked them to put a peanut allergy warning, and they replied saying that on the menu it said to alert the staff if you had an allergy. I checked the menu, and it said that in small writing, but on the part of the menu that was underneath the table, where no one could be reasonably expected to see it. Perhaps this would be okay in Korea, where peanut allergies are uncommon, but here in Canada they are much too common that this could be allowed to happen. I don't know if they're waiting for someone to die before they make a small change to their menu, just adding a peanut warning should be enough.

Overall, I would not come back again due to how inconsiderate I found this place. It should not be acceptable to serve a common allergen without warnings in foods that don't normally...

I had their pork cutlet, and it's just alright. The cut of pork they use is a little too tough for a cutlet. I suspect it's not a loin, perhaps a leg meat or something, or it wasn't tenderized properly. My cutlet had parts that were dark which I don't recall ever seeing in pork loins. I mean this is understandable from the business perspective, as they also sell pork soups in which one would typically find cuts of pork other than loin, which is also usually cheaper, so it makes sense to consolidate the types of meat they keep in inventory. It's obvious that these guys are trying to compete with a place nearby that specializes in pork cutlets (note that I am not giving any names). But I think it's a tough sell against them especially for the same amount of money. These guys obviously try to differentiate their cutlets with their peanut-flavoured sauce but I personally find the sauce too peanutty and too sweet. This could have easily been a one star review if they specialized solely in pork cutlets. But because they offer other types of food, I am willing to come back and try something else, so I will hold off my verdict at 3 stars until my next visit. I do hear some good things about their...