I want to preface by saying this IS certifiably my all-time favourite restaurant. It really isn't even close. I've dined here more times than I can actually count. That being said, I apologise for the photos I have to accompany this review, they're admittedly screengrabs from my Instagram stories, and not really up to par (but better than nothing). That being said, I want to discuss some of my favourite dishes. Let's jump right in!
Pork bone soup (Gamjatang) - "PBS" : This is overall my favourite dish. It's a rich pork bone infused broth, with just the right amount of spice, slight sweetness, and topped with the unique taste of perilla seeds. In this heavenly bowl (along with the broth), you'll find whole pieces of unbelievably tender pork [mostly still attached to the bone], potatoes, cabbage, and green onions. There isn't personally anything I'd change about this dish.
Korean grilled beef (Bulgogi): This dish comes out fiery hot on a sizzling cast-iron dish and is served with a generous portion of rice in a separate bowl. The meat itself is juicy, thin slices of beef accompanied by tiny pieces of vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, sweet peppers, green peppers, and rice cakes. It's very savory, with a hint of sweetness. There's also a spicy variety available, which is equally as good, if not better.
Sweet & sour pork (Tangsuyuk): My friend and I had this because it came in a combo with 4 beers for a reasonable price and we were having a night out. That being said, I wasn't absolutely crazy about it. It pretty much describes itself taste-wise, sweet and sour, but predominantly clawingly sweet. It also comes with large chunks of vegetables such as peppers, broccoli, etc... which maintain their crispness. The meat itself is a bit soggy but still very tasty all in all.
Korean dumplings (Mandu): These tasty little morsels are an amazing appetizer or side dish. They're formed of thinly veiled dough and filled with an amazing mixture of juicy ground pork (beef is an option as well) and green onions. They're pan fried, so they have just the right amount of carmelization, and they're served with vinegar (rice wine, I believe) to balance the fattiness. In short, incredible.
LA Galbi (Korean BBQ short ribs): They're pretty self-explanatory in terms of what they are, served on a sizzling dish like the bulgogi, and marinated to perfection. Served with rice on the side, as one would expect with BBQ.
I couldn't detect much sweetness to these, very savoury and smokey. So, smokey that if you order multiple, you'll be surrounded by a bit of a cloud of smoke. These have the right amount of chewiness to tenderness ratio, not fall of the bone, but that's a good thing in this case. Every bite releases more and more flavour. One of the pricier items, but assuredly worth every penny.
I've had quite a few other dishes from here including (but not limited to): spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki), stir fried spicy marinated pork (JeYukBokeum), steamed pork (BoSsam), etc... They were all delicious, I mainly detailed above the dishes I've had multiple times on various occasions and felt I could really attest to.
Everything here is served with banchan (small complimentary side dishes), including: Spicy cucumbers (Oi Muchim), soybean sprouts (Kongnamool), and salted/fermented vegetables (Kimchi).
One thing to note is that while this place is open 24 hrs, they're almost always packed. They have a simple "ticketed" number system, where they'll ask you how many people you're with and give you a number. They'll eventually call your number and seat you. There's also a minimum for Interac purchases, $20 I believe, but don't quote me on that. I'd have to double check. Be sure to grab a couple guava candies on your way out, they're in a little basket by the register.
