Best of Toronto
The Best Bibimbap in Toronto
To my stomach's great dismay, I spent four years eating my way across red-pepper obsessed Korea. Ignoring daily digestive protest, I found spicy Korean food too tasty to say no. Bibimbap, a medley of rice, veggies, meat, egg and that Korean spice staple, gochujang (red-pepper paste) is one of the most popular dishes in Korea and I was pleased on my return to Toronto to learn how many tasty bibimbaps can be found here. Lucky for my stomach, in Toronto, the gochujang is served on the side.
Since the toppings in bibimbap are cooked separately, it is easily made vegetarian - a rarity among Korean dishes. Served in regular and dolsot (hot pot) varieties, the latter is generally a little more expensive and a lot more tasty. A good dolsot should produce an audible sizzle at the start of the meal, and a golden rice crust by the end. No matter the variety, bibimbap is classically preceded by banchan, or side dishes, and should come colourfully arrayed with a variety of vegetables.
Here are some of Toronto's best:
Writing and photos by Devon Scoble. HoSu photo by Debbie Ohi
Buk Chang Dong Soon To Fu
How BCDSTF gets their rice so crispy with so little oil is one of life's most delicious mysteries. Gingery kimchi kicks its heels, salty baby anchovies kiss soy-marinated beans and earthy Chinese bellflower root presage a main course that is as complex and flavourful as its appetizers. There's a reason patrons line up for lunch at BCDSTB. Look for the green all-Korean sign on the southeast corner of Clinton and Bloor. More »
Korean Village Restaurant
Korean Village Restaurant serves a bibimbap for the bibimbap lover. Sizzling hot pot, crispy rice and a medley of fresh side dishes will fill your belly with goodness, while traditional Korean-kitsch, cheery service, and huge booths make this spacious restaurant just the place for large gatherings of kimchi-lovers. More »
Hosu
I like Hosu the way I liked my kindergarten friends. All they needed was a house on my street and an interest in She-Ra to play with me. You like to eat, right? Then you'll love Hosu! Like most of the food at Hosu, the bibimbap is neither challenging nor spectacular but quick, cheap, good, and plentiful. Bonus points to the server who I.D'd me for my Stella (I'm 30!). More »
Nak Won
It takes a while to get a table at Nak Won on a Saturday night, but it's worth the wait. After a total of seven delicious complimentary side dishes - double the variety than most other restaurants, you may have little room left for the main course. More »
BibimQ
Topped with chunks of real cheddar, orange peppers and green beans, BibimQ's Dol Sut Cheese Bibimbap is as tasty as it is unorthodox. The pot isn't hot enough to crisp the rice, but plenty of veggies and quick, pleasant service make this dish worth trying. More »
Ka Chi
Ka Chi means "together" in Korean, and this restaurant embodies the theme of union by marrying such disparate elements as Van Gogh reproductions, cafeteria tables, house plants and a Rob Zombie soundtrack. The squid-topped bibimbap does an equal job, joining tender, springy squid, crunchy veggies, and soft rice in delicious matrimony. More »
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I should give it a try
Note: For Pork Bone Soup, I prefer Ka Chi.
Try to broaden your search horizons next time.
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/lists/tasting_lawrence_avenue/
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/lists/15_killer_brunch_spots_on_queen_east/
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/lists/beyond_souvlaki_27_non_greek_restaurants_on_the_danforth/
It's just funny when BlogTO does a 'Best of' series featuring the foods of Asia and yet makes no mention of places in Scarborough. Scarbs is like 40% Asian and if you ask some of these people where their favourite restos are, chances are they're in the burbs...sushi being one exception, but there are income-related reasons for that.
I really don't like these 'Best of' articles. They're so incredibly biased. Leave this crap to the Toronto Sun or something. Why not just feature 'interesting' restaurants by neighborhood as a way of highlighting the uniqueness of Toronto's neighborhoods like what you did with the Wexford area. That's a much better approach if you ask me.
Anyone with me on that?
As a downtown dweller, I find this quite unfortunate, but sometimes I rev up the old four wheeler and make a trek up to satisfy my cravings.
As a sidenote, I don't know why the caucasian persausion seems to like bukchangdong soondoobu so much. All the food there is so ... cookie cutter. No personality. Good for an occasional quick fix, but not worth the rave reviews. It's the Korean version of Druxy's. It seems obvious, like most ethnic food, there's a clear schism between what the ethnic people like, and foreigners prefer.
A few things:
1. Korean diet is very vegetarian friendly. Meat is used as compliment to dishes, if any, and rarely as a main. Maybe it's because of the many korean grills around the globe - most of which are not even owned by koreans - that people think meat is such a staple in kroean cuisine...it grinds my gears!
2. Next time you're around Bloor/Christie area, try Imone. Closest thing to my grandma's kickass cooking I've found here, and mostly an old-school korean crowd. Killer gamjatang and kongbiji!
3. gamjatang at the Owl/Kachi = overrated and full of MSG
Gloria - I wish I had some recommendations to make, but I've just moved over here so I don't know the area very well - exactly why I was hoping to hear about some gems in this article! It's just frustrating that everything seems to be so west-centric in this city. I know that the west side is great, but c'mon, so is the east!
I promise that when I find some good places out here, I'll definitely send blogTO my thoughts!
and Tim - thanks for the east-side links! I really appreciate it.
Also, Sean, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! Thanks for backing me :) definitely recommend some good spots out here, k?
I feel like the cheese and bacon weren't too over the top and complemented the spicy rice. The fact that the rice was mixed with kimchee helped make up for the that that none of the three complementary dishes include bi bim bap. I was kind of disappointed though, kimchee should be THE standard freebie.
Then again this is coming from someone who views every weird combination fusion dish she sees on a menu as a personal challenge.
I feel like this particularly strange combination is the thing that could bring me back to The Witches Table and make it a regular eating spot.
Has anyone else been to any Korean spots anywhere else on Yonge, in the area between Bloor and Dundas? There's quite a few Korean spots in this stretch, I've noticed. Any other recommendations for places here?
I have gone many times to Oja Noodle House on Yonge (just north of Charles) many time for dolsot (hot pot) bibimbap. I love that it comes with three or four bottomless side starters (which I always get refilled a couple times), and I always use the rooster hot sauce they have there (don't know the brand name) generously on top. Yum! Service is a little slow and could be friendlier, though...
Here is a thing about Bibimbap. It's something you just put together from fridge with rice and gochugang - hot pepper paste to eat for dinner or lunch. Generally there is at least some type of Kimchi and namul - seasoned veg in typical Korean fridge and rice in the rice maker in Korean house hold.
It can get very luxarious but it's basically that. Something you can put together in 5 mins. Hot pot bibimbap is good but I don't think I had it anywhere here that was Great.
I take that back, I had it Once 10 years ago in a resturant where they had so many namul that I thought table was going to break and they actually cooked the rice in the hot pot. The rice was so steaming hot that the raw egg cooked when you mixed with all sorts of namul and rice. Too bad the restaurant didn't take off and closed.
CK there is a restaurant that has exactly what you are looking for, I can't recall the name but it's on Yonge St. North of Finch South of steels. I hope you find it.
How come Cho Sun Ok isn't mentioned here they have the far best Cold noodle soup there is. It's on Yonge & Clark.
bibimbap is all about the red chili sauce, and SBH makes it from scratch (best gochujang in the city)
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