Shaking Bowl — Restaurant in Oakville

I am not impressed easily when it comes to food and dining out. I often walk out of restaurants that come highly recommended with a quiet, disappointed "Meh." I know what you are thinking... 5 stars? That's not something you see often in restaurant reviews, right? Well, I can assure you, if there was a 10 scale, this place would have a 10. My wife and I stumbled upon Shaking Bowl, and are thrilled it is now in our small rotation of regular favorites, and that is a short list. Big portions, incredible flavors, fresh, different and NO detail skimped on. This is obviously family run, and they are trying hard to ensure that they stand above the crowd, and they certainly do. It doesn't matter if you are a Korean food veteran, or you just love food in general, I would bet a needed appendage you will come away from here as impressed as I did. The décor is understated, maybe even a little quaint, but when the food is this good you can tell that the focus is where it should be, and they hit the bullseye. A word of caution: They don't kid around with the word "spicy." The fire chicken is incredible, but you need to bring your A game, a fire extinguisher, and maybe even a cold towel. The flavor of the perfectly cooked chicken is incredible, and I soldiered through, but it is not for the faint of heart. You have a choice of three kinds of rice or noodles, fresh cut jalapeños, zucchini that, surprise, tastes like it should, carrots, cabbage and a sauce that is so good, you will try to make at home, but fail at nailing it. This is simply, a gem of a find. I'm already looking forward to...

Stumbled upon this gem after taking a short hike at Cliff Cave Park. What a treat! The menu is simple, eight variations of a bowl and chicken wings. I opted for Jaeyook, spicy sliced pork, with yaki soba noodles. Other options include, beef, calamari, chicken, salmon, shrimp, and veggie. The base can be white rice, brown rice, yaki soba, or salad. The flavors are spot on, I was first grabbed by the smoky char grilled flavor, then the sweet marinade contrasted by crisp, fermented cabbage and cucumber. The bowl is chock full of hidden treats and textures, carrots, zucchini onions, and bean sprouts are nestled under the very generous serving of meat. The spice level is mild even with the added gochoujang sauce. I enjoyed my meal so much I bought a second one to bring home to my wife. Two other tables were occupied with several first time diners. All were expressing their delight at the flavors. This food grabs your attention, it is Korean soul food, made with care. The owner was pleasant and attentive, eager to share that “Jaeyook is very popular in my country.” If it is prepared as well as hers, I...

Was in South County and wanted to try something different. Saw that the Shaking Bowl was rated 4.9 on Google Maps and confirmed it. One of us got B-1, the Bulgogi Bowl (marinated beef), and the other got B-3, the Jaeyook Bowl (spicy sliced pork). Order at the counter. Fast service. Service to the table. Portions were of acceptable size. I would say that the pork was a medium spicy, perhaps 2 or 2 1/2 on a scale of 1 to 5. Bus your own table. Lots of parking available. As others have said, the dark windows make it look closed - look for the neon OPEN sign or try the door. Canned drinks available as well as fountain Pepsi products. Try it if you like, or want to try, Korean...