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658 Bloor St. W. The small room is brightly lit and homey, with the occasional cute design on white booth-separators. The area is open in the middle with semi-private booths around the walls. The booths can be made to accomodate quite large groups, from 8-10. The menu emphasizes Korean over Japanese, with lots of beef, spicy noodle soup and fried entries. There's a large selection of appetizers and several combination meals to reduce the impact on tight budgets. The mains are large servings for the price. Dinner starts with free munchies. Spicy rice pancakes, Japanese pickled cucumber and radish, vinegared beans and spinach, kimchee and strong miso soup are delivered before and throughout the meal. These small complementary dishes are bottomless: patrons get free refills for favourites. Close attention to small details seems to be a concern here. Among the appetizers, fried pork dumplings (gunmandu- $7.95) are morsels of spiced and shredded lean pork wrapped in a soft rice-flour shell. Crispy in parts, juicy in others, the whole is light and invites seconds. The tempura vegetables ($7.95) are browned in a savoury oil and fully drained. Tender vegetable flesh is packed with marinade underneath the crunchy coating. Rice noodles with sauteed vegetables in sauce (Japchae Bap- $11.95) is a massive bowl of noodles in an intense sesame broth. Several varieties of juicy, marinated mushrooms float in the dish. The entire effect is enhanced with understated Korean spices. Dolsot Bibimbap (beef with vegetables, fried egg and spicy sauce on steamed rice- $8.95) proves that Koreans like their food nuclear hot. The thin strips of beef are prepared in a special sauce, then lowered onto a steaming heap of spiced vegetables and rice. The rice carries a musky, subtle flavour, and is not the typical warmed-over variety dished out to unwary patrons. The sushi variety is pedestrian, but unusual care is taken in preparation. Hand-rolls ($2.50-$5.00+) come wrapped in a sheaf of roasted seaweed, filled with rice and choice fish. The salmon skin (outer flesh) is particularly good, as is the tako (octopus), in generous portions. The sushi rice is distinct from all of the other rice served, and has a proper half-sticky texture meant for supplementing seafood. Sushi specials vary by season and supply. Dessert is predictable green tea ice cream and cheesecake/fruit servings. The wines are neglected, but western vintages don't go well with the food anyway. Warmed sake is inexpensive, while sushi is meant to be washed down by Japanese or Korean beer (Kirin, Asahi, Ob). Endless tea served as a matter of course. |