Koreatown

West of the Annex, between Markham and Christie Streets, lies Koreatown. Also known as Little Korea, the small stretch along Bloor has a great mix of affordable Korean eateries catering to both the local Korean-Canadian community, hungry students and other intrepid souls who dare venture west of Honest Ed's.

The joy of Koreatown lies in the process of discovery - figuring out the best place to buy a huge tub of kimchee, sampling pork bone soups, comparing bibimbaps or debating the merits of indulging in freshly made walnut cake versus the alternatives a few blocks south in Little Italy.

When night falls, it's not only time to chow down, but also seek out one of the many local karaoke bars. Outside of the Gladstone, the karaoke bars here are perhaps the most beloved and frequented in the city. The two big ones - XO Karaoke (upstairs from Clinton's) and BMB Karaoke are both open late - but on a busy night expect lineups especially if you're trying to score one of the large party rooms.

Unlike the Gladstone and some other Toronto spots that feature karaoke nights, the karaoke bars here all feature private rooms. There are no hosts (except you), no audience to perform to (except your friends of course) and only the cheesiest videos to accompany the huge (and frequently updated) selection of mainly American and Korean songs.

Of course, Koreatown is about much more than it's karaoke bars, and missing out on some of the restaurants and specialty stores is not recommended. This is pork bone soup central - cheap, big and flavourful at no frills eateries like UMJI, Joons, Seoul Restaurant and the 24 hours Booungee. For those "less adventurous", many of the Korean-owned restaurants also offer a decent line-up of sushi and tempura.

During the day the thing to do here is cruise the local grocery stores. The most established of the options is PAT Central which stocks a range of Korean specialty items and prepared foods. Prices are cheap too although the fruit and vegetable selection is better across the street at the Bloor Fruit Market. The newly opened Qi Natural Foods stocks a good selection of organic, health and bulk foods.

For fresh off the, um, walnut cake iron, walnut cake, it's worth popping into Hodo Kwaja. Weekends are usually a good day to catch the baking in action and taste a cake hot off the iron. For a greater selection of baked goods try BnC Bakery Cafe on the south side of the street. Along with the Bloor Sweet Cafe, this place is also a good option to stop for some sort of green-tea infused drink.

Other spots to check out include:

Buk Chang Dong Soon ToFu

It might not look like much, but this popular Korean restaurant at the corner of Bloor and Clinton makes one of the best Dolsot Bibimbaps in the city and they offer both meat and vegetarian options. If you'd prefer to eat something similar in a private room with perhaps a huge plate of sashimi on the side, try neighbourhood stalwart Il Bun Ji or Ka Chi.

Tacos El Asador

Before Koreans settled here this neighbourhood was mainly populated with new immigrants from Central and South America. One of the legacies of that period is Tacos El Asador. It's perhaps the closest thing in Toronto to an authentic Central American taqueria. Fill up here on plates of tacos, pupusas, tamales, enchiladas and guacamole.