OliToki — Restaurant in Boston

I popped by here for lunch yesterday and had a great, protein and flavor packed rice bowl! I went on the later side of lunch so the place was empty which was great because I was hangry. The space itself isn’t anything to write home about—it’s really more of a take-out joint. I had been meaning to swing by for a while, so I had a lot of questions for the staff member working about what I should try as a first-timer. Luckily for me as a pescatarian, he said that the kimchi rice balls didn’t have any meat in them! Win! They’re a cheesy, crispy, kimchi-filled delight. All of his recommendations were on point—the crispy tofu was super crunchy, the spicy toki sauce added great flavor, and the avocado he added on top helped temper the heat. At $9 for a huge rice bowl it’s really a lunch no-brainer. It’d be nice if they could make the space feel more homey and suited to people that want to sit and stay for a while. In any case, I’ll definitely be back...

I ordered a kimchi burilla with soy garlic chicken for takeout. Getting my order for pickup was quick and easy.

It was my first time trying something like this and the burilla was delicious. It is a flat pressed burrito, but it isn't made with your typical fillings. It was filled with chicken, sticky white rice, kimchi, onion, cilantro, corn, cheese, sour cream, aioli, and their special sauce, spicy Toki. It was really delicious and different from anything I've tried before.

There was one ingredient I didn't like in it and I think it might have been the raw onions. While I usually don't mind raw onions, these may have been the really sharp bitter kind. Asides from that, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the burilla. The amount of protein in my burilla was also relatively low, but the price was fair and there is an option to add more protein at an extra cost.

I'm excited to return and try more of what OliToki...

I got the tteokbokki and bulgogi spring rolls, the spring rolls were good and tasted fresh, crispy and hot but nothing extraordinary. The tteokbokki was the worst I've ever had in my life. It was lukewarm, and the rice cakes were hard. I asked for cheese, as that is a common option for tteokbokki. The cheese that was put on top was a shredded cheddar cheese mix, like the kind you get in a bag, and it was completely cold, making the dish even less hot. I tossed it out, the workers were in the back with headphones on and I couldn't be bothered to spend any more time there. I won't be going back, as there are dozens of better korean options in Allston...