Latest news with #Korean-Western
Vancouver Sun
03-07-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Hum: Korean eateries in downtown Ottawa please with punchy flavours, affordable prices
Kitchen Maroo 281 Kent St., 613-234-2945, Open: Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday noon to 8 p.m. Prices: most dishes between $11 and $22 Access: steps to front door Kimbap 121 Bank St., Open: Weekdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Saturday, Sunday Prices: 10-piece kimbap rolls $12, other dishes $4 to $16 In's Kitchen 65-1 Templeton St., 613-233-1001, Open: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday noon to 7 p.m., closed Sunday Prices: main dishes at dinner $22 to $24 Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. During the recent heat wave, when humidity made strolling outside feel like wading through hot soup, I cooled down with a seasonal special at Kitchen Maroo. It was, in fact, a cold soup. Nestled in a slightly sweet, ice-chilled beef broth was a tangle of al dente green tea soba noodles. In case you feared that the dish would be bland, heaped on the noodles was some punchy house-made kimchi, and flanking the kimchi were halves of hard-boiled egg. There are similar soups starring cold buckwheat noodles and icy broth in Korea, where Maroo's chef and co-owner Yuchang Kim is from. But at his Centretown restaurant, he goes his own way with the particulars of his green tea soba noodle soup ($12.50), which alternates between fiery and refreshing as you eat it. If you wanted to skip the kimchi, you could have the cold noodles in broth, with a side order of pork bulgogi ($20). I'm glad to see Kim stretching out at his Kent Street eatery. He and his wife, Lindsay Shin, opened their casual, 70-seat eatery in September 2023, moving up from the more modest Kitchen Maroo, which they opened on Gladstone Avenue in 2020. Since this spring, I ate two other times at the Kent Street Maroo and found that Kim's ambitions paid off. He's progressed nicely from serving mostly sandwiches and pastas to offering many more options that range from traditional Korean dishes to Korean-Western fusion items that were tasty enough to make converts of fusion-fare skeptics. Regardless of what I've had here, it's been quickly prepared, affordable and enjoyable. If you judge a restaurant by the quality of its dumplings, you'll like Maroo. The pork mandu here (six for $11) were thin-skinned and well-crafted. A meatier, heavier starter was the flat, pork meatball (two for $14) slathered with mayo and teriyaki sauce. For me, fried rice is comfort food. I like Maroo's kimchi fried rice ($20), available with one of those pork patties or a sunny-side egg, that adds kimchi's heat and funk and the umami lift of seaweed flakes to the mix. Bulgogi, the easy-to-like fry-up of sweet-salty beef, stars in multiple dishes, from a rice bowl ($18) to fajitas ($22) to a ciabatta-bun sandwich ($19, including a side dish) in which it's joined by cheddar, grilled mushrooms, garlic butter and mayo. Choose your own bulgogi adventure, I say. They've all hit the spot for me. The new Maroo serves several traditional Korean soups and stews that I don't recall seeing at its first iteration. Soon-tofu and seafood stew ($20) was piping hot and significantly spicy but its shrimp, squid and mussels were still plump and toothsome. A less hearty choice was the fish-stock soup ($20) bulked up with onions, mushrooms cabbage, an imitation crab, not to mention the perfectly fried pork cutlet on the side that would have made any schnitzel cook proud. Previously when I've had Korean short ribs, I cooked them myself at Daldongnae , the Korean table-top barbecue eatery in Chinatown, as part of a convivial, family-style dinner. At Maroo, it was worth it to have Kim do the grilling of a single-diner's version, given the nicely charred, flavourfully marinated short ribs ($33) that he sent to our table. Korean fried chicken ($22 to $38, half- and full-orders respectively) had all the right fast-food attributes — admirably crisp exteriors, sweet-savoury or sweet-spicy sauces on the side. Still, I prefer the KFC from the specialists at Pelicana inside the OK Mart on Merivale Road. Speaking of other Korean-run food businesses in Ottawa, I will note two more that recently joined Kitchen Maroo downtown. In Sandy Hill, close to the University of Ottawa, there's In's Kitchen, which opened in early 2024. I've paid two more cursory visits to In's Kitchen and can speak highly of its traditional, full-flavoured dishes. I thought best of its spicier items, including dakgalbi ($22), which here was a saucy stir-fry of boneless chicken, chewy rice cakes and vegetables, as well as the new-to-me and evocatively named 'troop's soup ($22), a hearty stew of pantry meats such as ham and sausage, instant noodles, plus kimchi and vegetables. Like Ottawa's Middle Eastern restaurants, and an increasing number of non-Middle Eastern eateries, In's Kitchen uses halal ingredients so as not to exclude Muslim customers. Last fall, the takeout-oriented shop Kimbap opened on Bank Street, a little more than three blocks from Parliament Hill. Kimbap is named after its grab-and-go specialty, which is not to be confused with sushi rolls, despite their similar appearances. While kimbap rolls do wrap cooked rice in seaweed, its cooked fillings can be meatier (think ham, bulgogi or bits of spicy chicken) or seafood-y (think spicy fish cakes, cooked tuna or imitation crab). I've sampled some of the Kimbap's offerings, including spicy fish kimbap ($15), spicy chicken on rice ($15) and a bulgogi bowl ($16). While the smaller portions wouldn't leave you stuffed, they should tide you over, especially at lunch, and please you with freshness and lucid flavours. Together, Kitchen Maroo, In's Kitchen and Kimbap make me realize that a larger wave of casual Korean food businesses have opened in downtown Ottawa in the last five years. Had I had the time or appetite to be more comprehensive, I would have gone to Maht, up the street from Maroo, or Gogiya, down the street from Kimbap. If you like direct, boldly flavoured food that won't hurt your wallet too much, I invite you to find your own favourite. phum@
Korea Herald
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Four Seoul bars secure coveted spots on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 extended list
Four Seoul-based establishments have been named in the extended 51–100 rankings of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, released Thursday. Pine & Co., ranked No. 52, leads the city's entries with a concept rooted in symbolism and science. Named for the pine tree, representing longevity, and the pineapple, a symbol of hospitality, the bar blends high-tech cocktail craft with a warm, homey ambiance. Guests are invited into a "mad scientist's lab," complete with sous vide machines, rotovaps and vacuum-packing tools, while seated among flickering candles, leather couches and bookshelves. The bar champions sustainability, partnering with local cafes to upcycle spent coffee grounds into ingredients. Coming in at No. 54, Soko channels the elegance and intimacy of 1920s drinking culture with a distinctly Korean-Western flair. Led by bartender-owner Son Soko, its signature cocktails like the dry martini and the inventive Mr. Peanut — a mix of whisky, amaro cordial and peanut — reflect the venue's creative edge. Its wooden carvings, warm lighting and a sleek backlit bar set the tone for a fashionable and loyal clientele. At No. 63, GongGan offers a serene escape inside a restored hanok. The light-filled space centers on a leafy courtyard and minimalist design. Drinks are rooted in personal memories, such as the Si-Jang, a tipple that evokes visits to traditional markets. Rounding out Seoul's representation is Charles H at No. 96, an intimate speakeasy tucked inside the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. The venue channels vintage glamor with world-class polish. Guests can expect elevated classics like the Velvet Martini, featuring vermouth, fino sherry and citrusy Jeju Hallabong, alongside bold house creations such as the Coconut Grove, blending rum, pineapple, coconut milk and Thai red curry for a tropical kick. The extended 51–100 list, now in its fifth year, serves as a preview to the main Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 awards ceremony, scheduled for July 15 in Macao. Sponsored by Perrier, the list is curated by a gender-balanced voting panel of over 300 bartenders, bar owners, drinks journalists and cocktail experts from across Asia.
