Korean Village House

Location: 628 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I took a break downtown in toronto to hangout with a friend. The whole walk there took more than 40 minutes and by the time we met up we were both hungry for something warm and satisfying on that chilly day. We ended up coming across this restaurant that sells both korean, japanese and chinese cuisine.

I forgot to take a photo of the outside so heres a photo i took off google :P

We came there around 2:00pm on a wednesday and so the restaurant wasn't full at all and we quickly got seated.

Here is a poor quality image of the inside  of the restaurant. There are two sides, a booth area with curtains and the typical restaurant layout, which is the one that we ate at.

The meal comes with a free order of kimchi pancake

4/5 

the kimchi pancake was delicious flavour wise. It was not too spicy and was slightly sour form the kimchi and savoury because of the dough. My only problem is that it could have been more crispier. Overall, very delicious

Not only does it come with kimchi pancake, it also included (starting from the top left to the right) broccoli(season with sesame oil), been sprout(season with sesame oil), kimchi, pickled cucumber and soy strips (artificial meat). Also you can replenish your appetizers for FREE!

                                     

I ordered pork bone soup. Came with 3 pieces of pork bone and half a potato (that was cut in half). There is also cabbage and bean sprout in the soup and you get a little bowl of rice. This meal cost $9.07 exactly (tax already included).

4/5 stars

It was a delicious meal. Boiling hot when you get it,  literally, it was bubbling when they served it. The broth is spicy and savoury, and the rice is perfectly moist. However, i did not think there was enough meat on the bone pieces, and the pork meat is slightly bland. In the end i was stuffed and quite satisfied.

Service was nice, always refiling our drinks and asking us how the meal was.

You should definitely check this place out if you are craving some authentic korean cuisine and a warm homely atmosphere.

OVERALL: 4/5

Korean Feast: The Owl of Minerva

September 1, 2012

         If you're trying to find some decent Korean cuisine for rather cheap and don't want to go to all the way downtown (Toronto). There's a 'Owl of Minerva' located in Central Parkway plaza in Mississauga. A friend had showed me this restaurant a month ago and I've been coming back every other week. 

The Owl of Minerva is located: 

1177 Central Parkway W, Mississauga, ON L5C 2T1

*though there are other restaurants step up off Christie station, where Korea town is located*

 It has a small menu which is less intimidating if it's your first time and the names of the dishes are in both Korean and English. The dishes on menu are mostly made with meat, so it's not quite a vegetarian's restaurant. 

You also get free will of where you want to sit, and the dishes are served on a pully :) Along with fast service.

Whatever you order, it always comes with free side dishes most of which are kimchi or kimchi-ified except the pickled bean sprouts, but hey free food ~

Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Soup) $9

The soup was a bit bland, it didn't have a very strong in-your-face flavour. It did have a variety of vegetables and a sizable amount of seafood. It tasted very much like a simple homecooked soup.

4/5

It didn't seems as flavorful in comparison to the other stews they have.

Bulgogi Busot Jijigae (Barbecue Beef Stew) $9

Probably the best stew on the menu, the broth had a rich savory taste and it had come to the table steaming and still boiling. It tasted even better with the rice that it came with and the barbecued beef gave the stew the most delicious smoky aroma which you could taste in the soup.

5/5

A sucker punch of beefy flavour~

 

Mulnangmyun (Cold Buckwheat Noodle Soup) 9$

The noodles were really tough so they gave us a pair of scissors to cut them up so it'd be easier to eat. The soup had a very sweet n' tangy taste, it was kind of refreshing (not spicy). A friend said it tasted like grapes, hmm~

3.5/5

It did become too sweet after while but still really refreshing on a hot day.

Nangmyun (Spicy Cold Noodle) 9$

This type of cold noodle is served without the broth but instead a spicy sauce/paste. I personally love this nangmyun over the other one. It is spicy but the sauce also has a sweet n' tangy-ness to it and it's served with the same tough buckwheat noodles. They give you vinegar and mustard to add some bitterness to contrast the sweet n' spicy.

5/5

A combination of spicy, sweet and sour. It made an impression that'll last.

We had found seats right away and was served our food really quickly regardless of the amount of people there. The ushers were really friendly and the food had filled all of us up. The portions may look small when they arrive at the table, but once you start eating you realize that one stew can feed two people. Most definitely, if you're sick of Korean bbq and want some Korean stews or soups for cheap you should visit 'The Owl'  

OVERALL

4.5/5