One of the major food cravings I’m having during pregnancy has been Korean BBQ. Maybe it’s because of the salt, the scent of bbqing meat or just the indulgent flavour of fatty pork belly. Whatever the reason, I find myself daydreaming about grilled meat at least once a week. We’ve indulged a few times at our usual favourite spots and over the holidays I finally convinced Stephen to brave visiting the no reservation, no parking, known to have a line up hotspot, Daldongnae with friends visiting from out of town. We arrived around 6pm on a Wednesday and was lucky enough to grab a booth without a wait.

Service: All of the staff we interacted with were quite friendly and helpful. After placing our order, the grill was set-up right away was followed quickly by the raw ingredients. The server gave a description of how each meat was prepared and It was easy to refill side dishes and water. The steamed egg portion of the grill was also refilled for us without any prompting. The only hiccup was that it took a bit of time for us to flag someone down for the bill. If you do end up having to wait for a table, Daldongnae will take a number to call you at when one becomes available.

Atmosphere: The decor of Daldongnae was similar to that of Kookminhakgyo, both were decorated to feel like we were eating outside on the street with a very night market, street food feel. Lights were dim and soju poured at every boisterous table. I was happy we were seated at a comfortable booth instead of the round grill tables with backless stools. The stools were very useful to double as storage for jackets and bags as the restaurant was very cozy with tables packed tight and full of diners. By the time we left, there was a lengthy waitlist.

Food: Similar to most non AYCE Korean BBQ restaurants, there is a minimum of two orders for each type of meat. For the four of us, we ordered two each of Beef Rib Finger Meat and Pork Belly. There was also a good selection of other Korean dishes on the menu (seafood pancake, stews) but we were sticking to meat. As is, our order came with rice, a hot bowl of soybean soup, a typical selection of banchan and the grill heated up corn and cheese and steamed egg. This was plenty of food for us all.

The quality of both the pork belly and beef were excellent. The slices of pork belly were thick, fatty, and lightly seasoned. They rendered perfectly and made a delicious bite with lettuce, grilled garlic and either of the dipping sauces provided (a salty soy bean paste or salt and oil). I enjoyed the flavour of the beef and how it was marinated but the pieces came covered in sesame seeds, which burned and stuck to the grill. All of the side dishes were tasty and I liked how the grill was set up for the fat to drip into the kimchi and raw garlic.

Overall, dinner at Daldongnae was lively and tasty with great service. Our bill was pretty reasonable but I can easily see the price tag going up with a few bottles of Soju and side dishes. Parking was also painful.

The restaurant scene in Toronto has always been hectic with dozens of doors opening and closing each month. In the competitive landscape, many new spots don’t hit their one year birthday. I usually try to visit restaurants only once they’ve hit the 6 months mark, giving them the opportunity to smooth out any service wrinkles and fine tune their menu. Many of the newly opened restaurants have caught my eye including Canis, Grey Gardens and Doma. So far, I’ve been able to visit Doma, a French inspired Korean restaurant located in Little Italy.

Atmosphere: Doma’s aesthetic was clean and minimalist. The white dining room was filled with square wood tables and seats alternated between wood and black metal ones. Both the plates and utensils were simple, unadorned and and modern. I felt a touch underdressed, having come straight from work, compared to other diners who were in more “date night” attire. The restaurant was quiet, perfect for conversation and not too busy on the Thursday night.

Service: My friend and I had reservations for 5:30pm, when Doma opened. When we arrived a few minutes early, service wasn’t ready just yet and we wandered around around the neighbourhood for a bit before returning 10 minutes later. We were seated quickly and a server by to take our drink orders. Once we had some time with the menu, our server returned to ask if we had any questions before we placed our order. Service was professional and efficient with dishes arriving at a good pace in courses. I couldn’t quite place why, but during few of our interactions with the servers, they felt a touch aloof.

Food: Doma’s menu was compact and changes monthly, keeping only 2-3 of the previous month’s most popular dishes. To taste the full menu was $65 per person, a great deal. For the two of us, we decided to share 3 dishes, Tuigim (deep-fried summer vegetables), Grilled Octopus and Uhsun Mandoo (a seafood dumpling). All three dishes were very good and varied in how much Korean and French influence was present.

Before our main dishes arrived, an Amuse Bouche was served, which was a sip of cold gazpacho, sweet, tart and seasoned with lots of herbs. The first dish to arrive was the Tuigim that came with dollops of three sauces. I really enjoyed how fresh the vegetables were, the light crispy batter and the variety of sauces. Each vegetable was cooked to a great texture and there wasn’t any hint of oiliness. Next up was the Grilled Octopus surrounded by a next of julienned vegetables and a Korean mustard dressing. I felt a lot of Korean flavours in this dish in the cabbage, dressing and seasoning on the charred octopus. The octopus itself was tender and had a nice char. I also liked the different textures of the salad and the sweet, sour flavours.

The last dish of the night was the Uhsun Mandoo, served with daily fish, scallop, prawn, spring pea puree, soy chili beurre blanc and radicchio. I have such mixed feelings about this dish. On one hand, this was one of the best radicchios I’ve ever had. The soy chili beurre blanc balanced the bitterness of the vegetable and made each bite sweet and interesting. The seafood was fresh, but none of the components really stood out or wowed. I was a bite disappointed in the mandoo, which was a very Western interpretation and reminded me much more of ravioli. The flavours of the filling and texture of the wrapper was good, but not what I was expecting. I was also surprised at the lack of spice or any fermented ingredients.

Overall, dinner at Doma was solid, but I was expecting more of the Korean side to shine through than it did.

Piggy’s Restaurant is located on Yonge and one of my favourite Korean BBQ spots in the city. Stephen and I visit whenever I’m craving pork belly and I’ve also brought my parents and brother. The restaurant burns real charcoal under their grills and has special grates for cooking pork or beef. I had the chance to stop by earlier this year to try out a new menu item and indulge in a few of my favourites.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

One of my favourite things about Piggy’s is their selection of side dishes. That night, there was a dish of marinated pork terrine that I couldn’t get enough of. The slices had a mix of gelatin, lean meat and skin, doused in a spicy, soy sauce. I also liked the lettuce with poppy seed dressing and the pickled jalapenos.

We started with an order of beef, which was marbled and cut in thick slices. The beef cooked quickly on the hot grill and had a great smokey flavour. Next up was seasoned pork belly, thick slices with a beautiful ratio of fat to meat. The grill setup was tilted up, allowing the rendered oil to flow away. A bunch of kimchi is placed on the grill where the oil flows, soaking up flavour and becoming crispy, creating the perfect topping to each pork belly lettuce wrap. Two sauces were provided, a spicy red one, and a salt with sesame oil. Both were tasty.

The new menu item we tried was Spicy Baby Octopus with cheese and corn, cooked at the table over the grill. I really liked how fresh and tender the octopus were and it was a huge platter. The sauce was pretty spicy, which was perfectly complimented by the melted cheese and sweet corn.

Overall dinner at Piggy’s is always fun and satisfying with high quality ingredients and a great drink menu. I would recommend trying the Makgeolli, a unique milky Soju that’s slightly sweet and drank in bowls.

Heading home after work I walk along Spring Garden Ave, a small street spanning one block in North York that’s lined with restaurants. Over the past few years, a couple of the spots have turned over with Mymy Chicken, a chain of KFC shops from Korea, being the newest resident. When I first saw the signage for Mymy going up I was super excited for another KFC spot close to home. Since Mymy opened their doors a few weeks ago, I’ve already been twice.

Atmosphere: Prior to Mymy, the restaurant on Spring Garden was a Korean spot specializing in Budae Jjigae and before that a Japanese restaurant. In it’s latest iteration, the large dining room was dark and cozy with dim lighting and dark food furniture. There were intimate leather booths and square tables that could be pieced together to accommodate big groups. Conversation was lively with beer and soju flowing at tables. On my second visit, the restaurant was packed and I can already foresee long lines in the future.

Service: During our first visit, the restaurant had just opened and we stopped by just as they opened for dinner. Servers were quite attentive and friendly and checked in us frequently. During our second visit, the restaurant was much busier and service was a bit more frantic. Our table was tucked away in the corner so it was harder to get someone’s attention, but when servers did come by, they were happy to help. Side dishes were refilled generously.

Food: After settling at our table and placing our order, we were served a bowl of radish, salad and cup of freshly popped popcorn. Both the radish and salad could refilled throughout dinner. I really liked the popcorn, which had a touch of butter and was lightly salted. It was a great snack to munch on while waiting for our KFC. The salad of shredded cabbage was generously dressed with a thousand island dressing and the radish was crunchy and an excellent compliment to the fried chicken.

Mymy Chicken has a variety of flavours with 6 dry seasoning variations to their basic KFC including cheese, onion, chilli pepper, curry and retro. There was also a selection of saucy flavours. On our first visit, The Hubby and I ordered the half-half of Original and Sauced Spicy. The chicken itself was juicy and the batter was crunchy and well seasoned. I did think the chicken was on the smaller side, but very flavourful. I really liked the spicy sauce, which was tasty without burning off all my tastebuds. Of all the flavours I’ve tried so far, the spicy sauce was my favourite, and one of the best ones I’ve tasted in Toronto.

During our second visit, we also tasted the Onion and Cheese flavour, which were both the Original KFC with an added seasoning powder. The cheese flavour reminded me of nacho cheese and was interesting, while the onion flavour used onion powder. Between the two, I liked the cheese flavour more but was expecting actual real cheese. It was an interesting twist, but I did like the regular and spicy sauce the most.

Overall, I am very happy to welcome Mymy Chicken to North York and am looking forward to many more visits. Next time, I am eager to try to the Green Onion Chicken.

When I hear about a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations and always has a lineup, my curiosity gets piqued. I will go pretty far for good food, but I don’t like waiting, especially not in the winter. Kookminhakgyo is a somewhat new Korean BBQ spot in North York that’s quickly gained popularity and with it, long wait times for a table. The restaurant is also small and only holds 15-20 people at a time. Friends have told me stories about waiting on Friday nights and giving up from hunger. To maximize our chance of being seated quickly, The Hubby and I stopped by with a friend on a Thursday at 6pm (90 minutes after their doors opened). We still ended up waiting about 30 minutes, but the pork belly was worth it.

Atmosphere: Dining at Kookminhakgyo was unique. Tables were round and steel with a grill built in the centre. Barrel like stools surrounded each table, which were hollow with a removable cushion top, providing guests with a place to store their belongings. The space was tight with guests close to each other and servers weaving in between tables. Guests ranged from middle-aged office workers to girlfriends Instagramming their meal. The air was filled with BBQ, smoke, music and chatter, making me feel like I was at a busy Asian night market

Service: Stopping by at 6pm, Kookminhakgyo was already full. Near the entrance, a piece of paper was hung on the wall. This was the waitlist where guests wrote down their name and number to queue for a table. We added our name to the list and went back to the warmth of the car to wait for our call back. Only a few parking spots were available in front of the restaurant and they filled quickly. With the limited number of tables, and each party being sat at a grill regardless of their party size (2 or 6 people), the list moved slowly. Once we were called back and seated, service was actually great. It was a bit hard to communicate with our server over the music (a great 90’s playlist). Service was efficient and thoughtful. Our server asked about refilling side-dishes and changing grills without us doing any prompting.

Food: While fun decor and great service were a plus, the most important part of dinner was still the BBQ and Kookminhakgyo delivered. For the three of us, we ordered Pork Belly, Pork Belly with Skin and Pork Jowl. The beautiful, fatty meat arrived on two metal platters along with a host of side dishes. The side dishes were strong and spicy. I loved the pickled jalapeno slices. In addition to various kimchis, we were also served a bowl of spicy soy bean soup and a bowl of fluffy, steamed egg. The egg was seasoned, airy and so good. Being served in a stone pot, the bottom of the egg fried up and was delicious.

The fatty pork jowl was cut in thin strips, but thick enough to maintain a great chewiness when cooked. Dipped in the salt and oil with a few sprigs of green onion made the perfect bite. Of course, my favourite meat was the pork belly. We tried both the cut with and without skin. With skin meant more layers of fatty goodness and some added texture, which I really enjoyed. Wrapping up each chunk of pork belly in lettuce with a bit of red sauce and grilled garlic was heaven. I liked how the pork belly was cross hatched meaning they cooked flat and even on the grill. The quality and thickness of the pork belly was excellent. For both cuts, the flavour was fresh, meaty, and the fat rendered wonderfully on the grill.

Overall dinner was really good. I may have found a new favourite Korean BBQ spot, along with plenty of others.

I have heard great reviews about Mom’s Chicken in Galleria supermarket for years now. What’s stopped us from picking up a bucket? Living within walking distance of The Fry and The Hubs needing to eat his food piping hot from the kitchen. I was determined to try the much raved about fried chicken and we finally made it one friday night. Orders can be placed online or by phone ahead of time for pickup. To ensure The Hubs got his hands on the fried chicken as quickly as possible, we ordered at Galleria (at the customer service counter) and walked around the store until our pick-up time, then ate in the grocery store’s food court area.

Each full chicken order came with two pops (non Coke Zero available) and we chose the half half option. The KFC was good, above average, but not mindblowing. All of the pieces were very crispy and juicy with a lightly seasoned battered. What I did love about Mom’s Chicken was the spicy sauce. Of all the KFC in Toronto I’ve tried so far, their spicy sauce was the most flavourful and had a good amount of heat without burning off my tastebuds. The size of the chicken felt smaller than other KFC restaurants I’ve tried. Maybe my expectations were set too high.

When it comes to Korean BBQ, my preference has shifted to appreciate quality over quantity. Back during my university days I loved AYCE spots, especially ones with a late night discounted menu. These days with a little more disposable income, I’m look for beautifully marbled beef and fresh seafood. Arisu’s tabletop cooking fits the bill with premium Angus Beef, a bevy of authentic Korean entrees and an expansive selection of sake and soju.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Organized by DKLo of DKLoEvents, the menu tasting at Arisu was an event. The restaurant’s hospitality shined through with the sheer volume of food pouring out of the kitchen. There was more food than anyone could possibly finish and everyone went home with lunch for the next day. At one point, the plan was for each table to order from a list of entrees to taste, if they were still hungry. The restaurant instead served up every entree on the list, to allow us to try it all.

For appetizers, we tried the Veggie and Seafood Salad, Seafood Pancake, Sweet and Spicy Korean Chicken and Twi Gim (Korean tempura). Between the four, my favourite was the seafood pancake, which was packed with shrimp, squid and big pieces of green onion. With so many fillings, the batter of the pancake itself did struggle to stay hold its form. I also enjoyed the salad and liked the addition of thinly sliced avocado and cucumber to the wakame.

We tried two BBQ set menus. The first was the Korean Classic, which came with short rib galbi in a light seasoning and marinated, bulgogi, boneless seasoned short rib, pork belly and a basket of fresh lettuce and shiso leaves. Each person also had a small tray with 3 different seasonings and sauces to try. From this platter, my favourite cuts were the pork belly and lightly seasoned short rib that was beautifully marbled and very flavourful.

The second BBQ set we had was the Aberdeen Black Angus with locally raised, grass fed, aged beef. 5 different cuts were included, tenderloin, rib eye, boneless rib, flat iron and petit tender. Every piece was buttery soft and had a clean beefy flavour. I barely touched any of my dipping sauces with this BBQ set.

After filling up on BBQ, we sampled 5 entrees from Arisu’s lunch and dinner menus, My favourite was the Ox Bone Rice Noodle with its savoury, rich broth that clung to each noodle. This was the dish I claimed to take home leftovers of. This was followed closely by the Sushi Lunch Box set’s cold soba noodles.

• Aburi Oshi Sushi and grilled Black Cod marinated in miso – Served together on a large square platter, the dish was pretty and delicious.
• Spicy Sashimi Bibimbap – $14.99 Classic bibimbap ingredients with the addition of crab, chunks of tuna sashimi, ikura and tobiko.
• Ox Bone Rice Noodle – $12.99 Rice noodles and steamed beef in a thick bone marrow broth.
• Korean Lunch Box Set – $15.99 Tofu stew and Tteok Galbi, minced and seasoned beef rib patties on a sizzling plate.
• Sushi Lunch Box Set – $19.99 Soba noodles, tempura, salad and Galbi Roll

To wash down the meal, I sipped three kinds of sake and soju that night. One was ginseng infused, another raspberry and the last oak aged.

From my first meal at Han Ba Tang in 2014 to today, the restaurant remains one of my favourite spots in North York. I especially like visiting with a big group of friends to snack on tacos, kimchi fries while sipping on their delicious infused soju cocktails. The restaurant is often full and quite popular as a post dinner stop, but Han Ba Tang’s food menu is quite hefty. To draw customers more to their kitchen selection, the restaurant recently started offering a dinner food menu, available daily from 5pm-8:30pm.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I had the opportunity to try out items from the new dinner menu with some friends, washed down with a pitcher of refreshing, tropical, white sangria. Service at Han Ba Tang was lovely with the owner, Chae, chatting with us and telling us about her inspiration for each of the new dishes. One thing I love about Han Ba Tang is how the menu is always evolving. Chae is constantly coming up with new specials, set menus, seasonal dishes, basically all sorts of ways to keep her customers happy and well fed. Our dinner that night consisted of 7 courses, dessert and a couple of cocktails.

Ramen Noodle Salad – Cold ramen noodles with fresh vegetables, a nice starter that’s also filling.
Vegetarian Waow Bun – A variety of grilled mushrooms in a sweet, soy based sauce, served on a soft fluffy bao.
Torched Mackerel – Served with two sauces, a spicy mustard and a sweet citrus. The mackerel was tender and flavourful.
Grilled Octopus – A generous portion of grilled octopus served on a bed of Tong Ho.
Pork Belly and Cuttlefish Tabletop – Cooked at the table with a center compartment and an outer ring for melted cheese and corn. The pork belly and cuttlefish in the center had a sweet, spicy sauce and lots of onions, perfect with a drink.
Mackerel Fried Rice – Savoury fried rice with a chunk of grilled mackerel, to be all mixed up before digging in.
Cold Rice Noodle – Thin strands of rice noodles in a lightly sour, cold broth with a hint of heat.

In general, I liked that many of the new dinner items at Han Ba Tang were cold and refreshing, perfect for hot summer nights. Savoury dishes were rich in flavour, especially the mackerel that’s carefully deboned by HBT’s talented chef. My favourite picks were the Waow Bun, Mackerel Fried Rice and the Cold Rice Noodle.

When I get a craving for Korean BBQ, it comes in two varieties that can lead me in two distinct and opposite directions. With one, I’ll be heading to the closest AYCE place to eat my fill of salty BBQ’ed ribs and beef for a low price. While the other craving will only be satisfied by delectable pork belly and sends me north to my favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, Piggy’s. Piggy’s specialize in a la carte Korean BBQ that includes high quality beef, and beautiful thick cut pieces of pork belly. They’ve recently opened a second mini branch downtown and invited me to stop by for a meal.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Little Piggy’s was located in Koreatown on Bloor near Spadina. Even though they had just opened the day before, there was a steady stream of curious customers walking in. The Hubby and I were seated at a table for four and the first thing we noticed was the lack of a built-in grill, but something was there. After a quick investigation (and seeing it turned on), we figured out the table had a built-in induction stove element. Pretty nifty.

To drink, I tried one of their Grapefruit Ade’s and The Hubby ordered the Blue Lemonade. Both drinks arrived in adorable smiley face glasses. I liked the strong citrus taste of mine and the mild sweetness paired well with the BBQ. Our main was the Mix BBQ Combo that came with pork belly, garlic pork and Korean style beef. As the meat sizzled in front of us, we snacked on bacchan and salad with a creamy poppyseed dressing. My favourite Korean side dish has always been mashed potatoes, which was one of the dishes that day.

When it came to the BBQ, I found that the induction stove didn’t heat up the grill pan as hot as their other location or as quickly. Our server helped us set each BBQ course on the grill and checked on their progress regularly. Once ready, our server cut the meat into bite size pieces for us. Out of the three different proteins, my favourite was of course the pork belly. The order of BBQ came with a hot stone bowl of soy bean soup and a basket of fresh, crisp lettuce leaves for wraps. We also each had a sectioned plate that came with fresh garlic, two dipping sauces and sliced onions to add to our wraps. I like throwing the fresh garlic on the edge of the grill to toast them a bit before eating. Similar to their uptown location, I enjoyed the quality of the cuts included and the light marinade on the beef. I find at most AYCE restaurants, the sauce overpowers the natural taste of the beef or pork.

Apart from BBQ, I also tried out Little Piggy’s spicy rice cakes and UFO fried rice. Both the texture of the rice cakes and the taste of the spicy red sauce were bang on. I also liked how the menu allowed customers to customize the rice cakes with an assortment of add-ons like seafood and ramen. A base dish started at $7.95 and toppings were an additional $2.95 each. The UFO fried rice was playful and again highly customizable. A mound of fried rice, with your pick of protein, was served surrounded by fluffy steamed egg on a round sizzling plate.

On top of their in-store menu, Little Piggy’s offered Cupbob, customizable bowls of bibimbap to go. For $6.99, each cup is filled with rice, a chosen protein, customizable toppings and drizzled with sauce. My Cupbob had japchae and bulgogi, topped with nori and a spicy mayo sauce. This would’ve made for a very filling and satisfying meal all on it’s own.

After a very satisfying, and filling, meal, dessert was needed. Piggy’s served creamy, delicious soft serve, topped with a square of honeycomb that was the perfect way to cap off the night.

Sometimes, I get a craving for AYCE Korean BBQ. My appetite has shrunk over time, but the combination of a smoky grill and endless short ribs calls to me every few months. I usually regret the indulgence during the food coma after, when my waistline is uncomfortably snug. My body however has the memory of a goldfish and after some time, the craving hits again. This was how The Hubby and I ended up at Korean Grill House on Queen St, one Friday evening for our date night. Chubby buddies for life.

Atmosphere: Korean Grill House was my go to AYCE Korean BBQ in Toronto, the Queen St. location especially. The restaurant is usually full, and stays so late into the night thanks to their night owl deal (same pricing as lunch, $6 cheaper than dinner). Tables are equipped with built-in grills, shared between 2-4 people. The space was well ventilated, but I do always leave smelling like bbq. With the years of smoke and oil, the floors were a little sticky but overall the restaurant was clean.

Service: Unfortunately, this was an occasion where service impacted my experience negatively. When I visit an AYCE restaurant, I give great leniency for service because there are large complex orders. However I don’t appreciate restaurants who aren’t transparent with their menu. With our first order we were told about pork belly, an additional item that wasn’t on the menu but one the server manually wrote on our order sheets. For our second order, we tried to order pork belly and it never came. We thought maybe they just forgot and tried to order it again, still nothing. Rather than placing a fourth order, I asked a server about our previous requests. The server returned to tell us that the kitchen was all out of pork belly, at 6pm on a Friday, before their evening peak. The Hubby believed this, I was more skeptical. Once we saw the couple next to us receive two trays of pork belly and continued to see trays being served at other tables, we were confused. If the restaurant needed to limit orders on an item, I would much rather know ahead of time, than feel like I’m being deceived. This left a sour note to an otherwise acceptable meal service.

Food: At Korean Grill House, for dinner there were two AYCE options. The first included beef, pork, chicken, beef ribs, red sausage, ox liver, salmon, squid and fish fillet for $18.99 Fridays to Sundays and on holidays. To add lamb and shrimp was an additional $2. To add vegetables including lettuce, mushroom, onion, green pepper and pineapple was an additional $3. Everyone at a table in the same party had to order the same options. We chose the basic without shrimp, lamb or vegetables.

Of the basic items included I usually skip the fish fillet, which is hard to grill without falling apart and not flavourful. In comparison, the salmon offers a lot more taste and holds together better.

6 side dishes, beef broth and steamed rice are included and can be reordered. From the side dishes, I like to snack on the bean sprouts, kimchi and pickled radish while waiting for the meat to cook. That night, I enjoyed the quality of the beef ribs, salmon and squid. The ribs were lean and meaty. In the past, I have received poor cuts with all fat on later orders. The slices of beef were thick, marbled and tender. Both beef dishes were marinated ahead of time and didn’t need any dipping sauce after being cooked.

Overall, I found the quality of ingredients at Korean Grill House had improved. However, service was disappointing.