Restaurants
Sunrise House
Sunrise House is a newly opened bun-shik, or "minute restaurant" in Koreatown. And a $60 parking ticket is a painful thing, so when my sweetheart got one last week, I decided to treat him to some spice-therapy - dinner at Sunrise.
Fresh from the injustice of his ticket, my darling was awash with negative feelings, declaring "I just want to eat something crappy and not good for me!" Although I can't say our meal was crappy, it definitely satisfied his desire for unhealthy treats (ramen noodles, anyone?) And since it was Korean food, it contained enough gochujang to pepper his sadness with enhanced happy endorphins, ensuring that the glum bum who entered the restaurant exited a happy guy.
An authentic replica of the quick-cooking, no fuss home-food restaurants that keep Korea thriving, Sunrise House presents a classic menu of spicy soups, noodles, dumplings, fried rice dishes, pancakes and meats. Bonus: all prices include tax.
We spearheaded our ingestion-therapy by ordering three of our favourite Korean dishes: Kimchi and Seafood Pancakes, Kimchi Stew with Tuna and Ra Bokki (rice cakes and ramen noodles in red pepper sauce). Soon after, our server appeared with a tray full of banchan, or side dishes. "If you need more," she pertly declared, "call me". With these words the frowning corners of my lover's lips haltingly quivered upwards.
These six little side dishes were a feast in themselves and my hungry man and I tucked in with relish. Crispy bean sprouts, and two types of kimchi were tasty, but my favourites were soft, brothy potatoes in a salty chicken base and sweet-soy seasoned seaweed.
Barely had we started our appetizers when our brisk server returned with the mains, a bubbling pot of kimchi stew, our crispy pancake and the saucy noodles. Koreans aren't kidding around when they call these places minute-restaurants.
We started with the pancake. It was golden-crusted and chock full of sea creatures - cuttlefish, octopus and soft mussels. Similarly, the kimchi stew was bursting with tuna, a rare treat in Toronto. Since canned tuna is relatively new to Korean cuisine, and since most Korean restaurants were founded by Koreans who have been in Toronto awhile, kimchi stew in this city usually features the traditional pork. I developed a taste for the modern tuna version during a 3-year sojourn in Seoul, and always feel grateful to the few Toronto places that serve it. A steaming mix of spicy stew, salty tuna and soft tofu, Sunrise House's version is just how I like it.
Our last dish, Dok Bokki was all pepper-pasted ramen and rice noodles. The noodles were perfectly springy, complimenting generous slabs of soft fish cake. The only thing missing were pieces of hard-boiled egg. Still, this dish more than the others achieved the real purpose: burning away my lover's sad thoughts and replacing them with a belly full of delicious, spicy treats. At $19 plus tip, the dinner had erased, at least temporarily, my sweetheart's worry about his ticket, and proved that smiles always come cheaper than frowns.
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Waitress provided great service - she was attentive :) !
LOL
Is this a review, or a Nicholas Sparks novel? The photos are terrible as well and make the food look horribly unappetizing.
It has come to be a generic term for traditional style Korean fast food, which most often include quick-to-prepare noodle dishes, rice flour dishes, dumplings and simple rice dishes.
i lived for five years in seoul and appreciate a decent set of side dishes, and sunrise house has the juice. adorable mom-n-pop style korean cooking that is major homestyle and delish. for a fancier ambiance or table cooking for visiting guests head to jinmirak a couple blocks west, but for a cheap as hell everyday korean meal? sunrise house beats em all.
next time you're waiting in line for spicy tofu stew at the corner of bloor and clinton and are like, gee it's cold and i can't seem to feel my toes, walk your butt a block over to sunrise house and order up A) the exact same tofu stew, B) deok bokki to die for, C) spicy squid on rice, D) killer bibimbap, E) green onion pancake, F) a big shared pot of chicken stew for your table. well not everything at once, but you get the picture.
sunrise house forever please stay in the fickle toronto restaurant business i don't want to lose your hot rice cakes.
I order a seafood pancake (specified no fish) while I was waiting for my takeout I had Korean beer Hite.
The food order by the teenagers passed by me, after explained by the friendly waitress I order a Ra Bokki and finished everything including the six bowl of veggie even knowing that I was told to eat only after 5pm. The foods taste like home made food and I like it a lot who doesn't. The lady chef I guess the owner is very professional and home style friendly, the waitreess Stella is very dedicated I am very impress. I enjoy everything and left Sunrise House around 4pm. I will go back with my family and tell my friends about this. Thank you Sunrise House.