The Owl of Minerva — Restaurant in Pickering

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Date of Visit: 08-06-2021

Party: 2

Time of Arrival: 2:30 pm EST

Server: Unknown (didn't wear a nametag or introduce themselves)

Manager: Unknown (didn't wear a nametag or introduce themselves)

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Overall Remarks

Upon arrival, we were greeted and asked to screen for COVID-19. After, we were seated immediately in a booth, opposite of kitchen/register. Servers spoke broken English and only provided water, menus and finally our food. No contact otherwise. Sadly, every dish was beyond bland, lacking flavour entirely and had no value for the money we paid: $65.00 for 2 Bibimbap, 1 order of dumplings and a bone marrow soup that was only hot water with melted fat into it- not seasoned at all. Every dish of food was bland and flavourless. There is a desperate need for salt and pepper everywhere. No ginger. No garlic. Hardly felt Korean at all. Will not be returning.

Food Remarks:

Waitress brought water in a plastic jug. They did not have lemons on the premises- which is fine, even though the table next to us had lemons in their water. A second waiter came to our table since the first one could not communicate with us. We were craving a soup for starter, and the gentleman suggested their in-house fresh pork dumplings and further recommended we try the beef broth soup with bone marrow. The broth was weak and underdeveloped. It tasted like hot water with some melted beef fat; No salt, pepper, seasonings or even scallions. Extremely bland.

Shortly thereafter, they brought our dumplings and a plethora of side dishes; Bean sprouts, Vinegar-pickled cucumbers, extremely spicy Kimchi- which was not pleasant (too many chillies). Dumplings were homemade- which was nice. However that is where the compliment falls short. The dumpling filling was bland. It tasted like boiled pork without salt or pepper. Every dish of food was bland and flavourless. There is a desperate need for salt and pepper everywhere.

For main course, we simply ordered two beef bibimpap. On the menu, one has a choice of either beef or vegetable bibimpap. We ordered beef. What arrived at our table was disappointing. There was perhaps less than two ounces of beef in the bowl. It was pan-fried ground beef. Again, no seasoning. At this point, we were beyond fed up with the lack of flavour and seasoning in the food and asked to speak with the manager. What ensued was the entire staff of the restaurant coming out, because there was a communication barrier.

Overall, this was a joke of an experience. The food does not look as advertised, and the kitchen staff don't seem to know what flavour is. I can't say that I will be returning, because I can make these dishes myself at home for a fraction of...

I can't believe it's been over a year since I introduced my cousins to Korean cuisine at The Famous Owl of Minerva in Pickering. They really enjoyed it so we're back again, this time introducing another cousin to this wonderfully delicious food.

Of course, we had to have the KamJaTang Jeongol, a deluxe family sized version of Korean Pork Bone Soup, served in a large pot, complete with a gas burner to keep it hot. It was a beautiful presentation and very delicious. Great start!

Our next dish was the Dolsot BiBimBap, a beef dish with vegetables, topped with a fried egg and served over rice in a hot stone bowl. Delicious!

LA Kalbi, thinly sliced beef ribs served sizzling on a hot plate was next. This is one of my favourites and we had to order a large platter. A winner every time!

It's hard to resist a good fried chicken, especially when it's the ultra crispy and boneless Korean Fried Chicken, aka KFC. We had a combo with two flavours - Soy Garlic and Honey Garlic Butter Chicken. They were both excellent!

Not to be forgotten, the complimentary sides of kimchi, bean sprouts, pickled radishes, and zucchini were the perfect complements to these dishes.

We also enjoyed some aloe vera fruit drinks that were very refreshing.

The food and service at this Pickering establishment never disappoints! They're always very friendly, polite, yet professional, making us feel very welcomed. Thank you!

2020

There are few things more comforting than a good bowl of soup. Korean Pork Bone Soup is one of my favourites. The recently opened Owl of Minerva in Pickering does a very good version and this was my first time being able to enjoy it seated at their location. I've had takeout before but I think I prefer having this dish on...

A tasty place to get great Korean food in pickering my first time trying this place. I understand it’s a chain restaurant. Inside is not much to look at sort of cafeteria diner style. Store owner or manager met us and pointed out seats and gave menus so we were seated. Window showed photos of Korean fried chicken which we wanted to try. The price seemed high for fried chicken but after seeing the portion size I realize the meals are for sharing. I came with 4 people. We did a mix of the chicken and it came piping hot, super crispy and full of flavour - it did not disappoint. We also ordered bibimap - came in a piping hot stone bowl and the flavour was amazing. A wide array of kimchi’s were placed on the table for everyone to try. Our favourite was a cube pickled dichon radish very yummy. The server was extremely nice checked on us a few times and explained how to eat the meal with each item. We were served tea and water in the beginning which was also nice. We purchased a very odd soda called milk soda? Looked bizarre but actually tasted great. Overall it was surprisingly good. This is not a fancy restaurant probably great for late night eating and drinking. The table next to us bought sizzling plates and it looked amazing. The price is a tiny bit high for a no frills sort of place but the food servings are huge so o think if you shared with friends it’s probably worth it. Overall I loved the flavours which is rare to find in pickering. Will go back again. And again the server or owner not sure which was super nice so that made the...