Korean Food - what's good? name some good restaurant plz

hi i live in toronto. recommend some good korean dishes to try and some good k-restaurants with some nice k-waitress.

Originally Posted by chief clancy wiggum

hi i live in toronto. recommend some good korean dishes to try and some good k-restaurants with some nice k-waitress.

i'd recommend going to bloor/spadina (k-town). You can have your choice of korean bbq joints. They're all quite good. Bring an appetite. They don't let you leave until you finish your food. Apparently it's impolite in Korean culture to leave food and not finish it!! Just a warning

Originally Posted by fatbastard

They don't let you leave until you finish your food. Apparently it's impolite in Korean culture to leave food and not finish it!! Just a warning

Wow, I never heard that before. But Korean food servings can be quite large

There are also a few good Korean places along Yonge from Finch to Sheppard.

If you're eating Korean, definitely do the bbq. You sit around a bbq pit, and they bring raw meat for you to cook it yourself. If you want to do a white tablecloth dining experience, do Japanese... the food is similar, but better imo (don't flame me, just my opinion... and i've eaten Korean meals that cost $80 per person per meal).

there's a pretty good korean bbq at commerce gate.. (hwy7 & leslie), been there many times..

Originally Posted by marcuslee6

there's a pretty good korean bbq at commerce gate.. (hwy7 & leslie), been there many times..

That's hardly authentic, but they really fill you up.

Bulgogee House on Yonge and Spring Garden is highly recommended.

There's also a place on Cummer and Yonge that serves spicy Korean seafood noodles for $3-something. Great deal. If you're a wuss (like me) you can tell them to skimp on the spiciness.

It was funny when I first went there, there was a couple at another table -- the man was Caucasian and the woman was Korean. The woman ordered a spicy juk, while the man had the aforementioned spicy noodle. The man kept poking at his food saying how he isn't crazy about noodles, when it was painfully obvious that he couldn't take the heat. He even gave her his shrimp, saying that he isn't crazy about seafood either. Poor guy, probably went home hungry.

Originally Posted by felixdd

That's hardly authentic, but they really fill you up.

Bulgogee House on Yonge and Spring Garden is highly recommended.

There's also a place on Cummer and Yonge that serves spicy Korean seafood noodles for $3-something. Great deal. If you're a wuss (like me) you can tell them to skimp on the spiciness.

It was funny when I first went there, there was a couple at another table -- the man was Caucasian and the woman was Korean. The woman ordered a spicy juk, while the man had the aforementioned spicy noodle. The man kept poking at his food saying how he isn't crazy about noodles, when it was painfully obvious that he couldn't take the heat. He even gave her his shrimp, saying that he isn't crazy about seafood either. Poor guy, probably went home hungry.

true.. k-bbq is crap korean food but fills u... anyways... try GUmi.. i think its pharmacy and Eglinton?

Originally Posted by hardcoredummy

If you're eating Korean, definitely do the bbq. You sit around a bbq pit, and they bring raw meat for you to cook it yourself. If you want to do a white tablecloth dining experience, do Japanese... the food is similar, but better imo (don't flame me, just my opinion... and i've eaten Korean meals that cost $80 per person per meal).

$80 for korean food? Where'd you go for that?

IMO, there isn't one great restaurant that makes everything well. Each Korean restaurant is better at one thing than another.

Here's a few recommendations (with my best attempt to spell phonetically):

Jajangmyun (noodles in black bean sauce): Food Basic plaza at Yonge and Cummer or Samsun Gan Jajang (same thing but fried sauce with egg and seafood and extra onions) Han River (SE corner of Sheppard and Pharmacy)

Bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables, beef and egg, hot sauce to your taste): Popular Korean food. Hard to go wrong at any restaurant.

Dwenjang Chigae (bean based stew with pork and seafood): Smelly but tastes good. May be a bit adventurous for non-Koreans

Kimchee Chigae (very spicy kimchee based stew): The staple Korean food in a stew. Have tried many but none are really as good as homemade. Also adventurous.

Bulgogi (sliced soy sauce marinated beef): One of the most famous Korean dishes. Can't go wrong with this.

Kalbi (Korean ribs): Another very popular treat. Too expensive IMO.


Also try:

Tangsooyuk (sweet and sour pork or beef): Most places make it well.

and

Kampoongi (spicy/sweet chicken): My personal favourite as long as there's no bones. Try it at Seoul House (on Orfus, west of Dufferin) or Han River

note: the last two are ordered as a "side dish" and meant to be shared with a group of at least 4 (or two really hungry male adults).


There's a decent Korean restaurant on Steeles, west of Yonge directly across from Canadian Tire. Can't remember what it's called but it's beside a japanese restaurant called Momo Yama(?). I don't like Gumi ever since the ownership changed a few years back.

Hope that gives you an idea of what to order. I'll list some more as I think of them.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by fatbastard

i'd recommend going to bloor/spadina (k-town). You can have your choice of korean bbq joints. They're all quite good. Bring an appetite. They don't let you leave until you finish your food. Apparently it's impolite in Korean culture to leave food and not finish it!! Just a warning

It's actually between Bathurst and Christie on Bloor.

Galbi is very good but yea, expensive. It's those short ribs you get at kbbq that take forever to cook. mjl pretty much listed all the main dishes. Definitely try bibimbap and jajungmyun. Those two are my favourites and they shouldn't be too expensive. Also japchae is great too.

Originally Posted by mjl_toronto

Jajangmyun (noodles in black bean sauce): Food Basic plaza at Yonge and Cummer or Samsun Gan Jajang (same thing but fried sauce with egg and seafood and extra onions) Han River (SE corner of Sheppard and Pharmacy)

Bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables, beef and egg, hot sauce to your taste): Popular Korean food. Hard to go wrong at any restaurant.

Yup those two are the "safest" of the Korean foods. Not spicy, and simple to make so you really can't go wrong. Some places doesn't offer the Ja Jang Myun though, because they don't make the sauce. Personally, I think Bi Bim Bap is a better deal.

Tangsooyuk (sweet and sour pork or beef): Most places make it well.

Tang Soo Yuk is surprisingly easy to make once you know how to. And the sauce can be modified for chicken wings too .

There's also the seafood soup noodle that all Korean restaurants seem to have. Some make it better than the others though.

My fav's:

Cold buckwheat noddles no broth I forgot what it's called,
Jia Jiang Myun,
Bibim bap is good if you get the stone pot one,
Jigae is awesome in winter, it's just boiling stew.
Ginseng Chicken is not bad too.

all of this usually includes your standard kim chee fare. PS. All of them except the chicken are usually served spicy.

Originally Posted by Freezer

Bibim bap is good if you get the stone pot one,

I believe it's called "dao seuk bi bim bap" -- correct me if I'm wrong. You can "dao seuk" pretty much any noodle/chigae/tong, etc.

aah.. that's it! i remember growing up in calgary and having some korean noodle dish but didn't know the name of it

now i know

Ja Jang Myun!!!

it's actually pronounced as "dol-sot bi bim bap"

Originally Posted by felixdd

I believe it's called "dao seuk bi bim bap" -- correct me if I'm wrong. You can "dao seuk" pretty much any noodle/chigae/tong, etc.