Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo 명동 갈국수

A trip through North Road is not complete without some Korean food. I have widely pronounced my love for the little gem of a restaurant, Kimbap Cheonguk. There are many other nooks and crannies of North Road (aka Koreatown) that I have yet to venture into, so I convinced the family to try something new today. There aren't that many reviews for Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo, but all the ones out there seem to be good. I know some of my Korean schoolmates have eaten there as well.

Find Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo in here!

I though Kimbap Cheonguk was a hole-in-the-wall, and then I came here. It wasn't terribly difficult to locate, as I saw some photos on other blogs. Here are some tips to help you find this little eatery:

• Park in the plaza lot where Hannam Supermarket is
• Look for the stairs that lead to the upper plaza
• Underneath the staircase, look for the automatic sliding doors
• The yellow speech bubble I added onto the photo points to the sign which says 'Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo' in Korean and the English simply says 'Korean Restaurant'.

Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo

Once inside, the restaurant (or more like a single-stalled food court) will be to the right. You can't miss it with its bright yellow walls. There is also a travel agency, coffee shop, and a few other small businesses sharing the same indoor plaza (all of which were closed Sunday). 

Menu

As my parents noted, their menu is not friendly to non-Koreans, or those unfamiliar with Korean food. The menu is divided up into four columns: dumplings, noodles, rice, and snacks. I'll describe each item:

- Giant dumplings - Giant dumplings with spicy sauce - Rice cake & regular dumplings - Regular dumplings in soup

- Knife cut noodles - Knife cut noodles with regular dumplings - Noodles with spicy sauce - Chewy Noodles (see Jjol Myeon here)

- Rice, beef, and vegetables in a hot stone pot - Rice, beef, and vegetables in a regular bowl - Spicy squid and rice - Marinated beef and rice - Spicy beef soup

- Rice cake in soup - Korean sushi roll - Spicy rice cakes - 1kg of kimchi

Place your order at the cashier. Seating and drinks are self-serve; there's a hot and cold water dispenser off in the corner. Trays and dirty dishes are returned on top of the newspapers by the water machines.

Myoung Dong (sorry, I must shorten the name) is a couple-run business, the wife rings up orders on the cashier, organizes orders, and cleans up the tables. The husband is in the kitchen doing the cooking. Despite only having two staff, the food came out very efficiently. There were not that many customers when we went on a Sunday at lunchtime, so service was quick. Keep an eye out for your own order, you'll have to retrieve your tray(s) from the front. 

Karl Gook Su ($7.95)

Karl Gook Su (or Khal Kook Su or Kal Guk Su...), is Korean comfort food. Nothing extravagant here, but since the restaurant is named after this dish, gotta try it right? Don't be fooled, because this bowl contains a lot of noodles. At least enough for two people. Paired with the noodles is some minced beef, carrots, zucchini, and quite a bit of onion. My mom didn't think the onions matched the noodles, but I thought it tasted fine. The broth isn't super strong, but it's flavourful enough to slurp up. However, I found the noodles to be overcooked, past al dente, so it was too soft for my liking. This Karl Gook Su isn't something I would specifically recommend, but it isn't bad. Remember, it's comfort food. Very filling comfort food.

Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap ($10.38)

I admit, the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap was the main reason I wanted to come. While Kimbap Cheonguk across the street serves an amazing 'modern' rendition, I was in the mood for the traditional kind, with lots of colourful vegetables. Although it's a bit pricier here, this dish was spot. on. Made perfectly. Complete with an egg on top. It's a large bowl, served sizzling hot! I know it's difficult to be patient when your stomach is calling, but let it sit for a minute or two to let the crispy layer of rice develop before mixing it all together. Add a generous squeeze of the hot sauce that accompanies the rice and oh my, oh my, you've got a perfect meal right there. The stone pot rice here is perfect!

Oh and that bowl of soup is a broth made of daikon radish and some green onion. Plain and even blander than the noodle soup. We got two, so two of the dishes we ordered came with a soup. Don't know which ones though..

Wang Man Doo ($8.95) and Kim Bob ($4.19)

This was my first time eating Wang Man Doo. Five of these massive, fist-sized, steamed dumplings stuffed with a juicy pork and vegetable mixture would make for a hefty meal. Two ladies sitting at the table behind us shared one bowl of Karl Gook Su and one order of these 'king-sized man doo' as their meal. Like xiao long bao, the wrapping is thin and a bit of soup came spilling out when I cut my dumpling into half. While my dad though these dumplings were nothing special, my mom and I think they are yummy. With a splash of the accompanying sauce and a bit of the spicy pepper sauce I will mention below, these are simply delicious. 

The Kim Bob here is not bad here, but it isn't especially good either. The filling is lacking and the price is expensive compared to other places, such as Kimbap Cheonguk. Even Hannam Supermarket next door sells two rolls for only five dollars. I wouldn't bother getting kimbap here again.

Spicy Pepper Sauce

A little pot of this spicy pepper sauce sits at each table. The peppers look really fresh so I suspect it is made in house. The flavour of this hot sauce is different than others, can't exactly explain how but I guess fresh is always special! My mom kept praising this condiment throughout the meal. Be warned that the peppers are really spicy!

The kimchi here is really good, and they give a lot of it as well! One plate was mainly the stalk of the cabbage and the other plate was mainly the leaves. They also make the kimchi in house, and it can be purchased for ten dollars per kilogram.

The total for our lunch for four came to about $33, which is very economical for the amount of food we received. The owners are very kind and soft-spoken. Although I utilizied my limited Korean vocabulary when ordering, it was evident that it was my first time here. The owner treated us just as warmly as all the other Korean customers. Yes, yes, my mother still argues that Kimbap Cheonguk is cheaper, but eating the same dishes every time is boring. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed our meal and I'm sure we'll come back for more giant dumplings and stone pot rice.




Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Matoi Sushi - Lunchtime Goodness

The rain is pouring, our stomachs are growling, it's time to find some lunch with the father and brother! We mutually agreed to pay a visit to Matoi Sushi, one of the better Japanese restaurants in the Tri-Cities.

Matoi Sushi opens for lunch at 11:30am, and we arrived just a few minutes after that. There were already two groups enjoying their lunch boxes when we walked through the door. The chef at the bar greeted us with a happy "irashaimase!" 

Miso Soup that came with our lunch sets

Once our order was put in, we were served the accompanying miso soup. Filled with MSG or not, it warms you up on a cold rainy day.

Grilled Marinated Black Cod lunch set ($11.50)

Ever since I first ate sablefish (aka black cod or butterfish) at Fleuri, the restaurant inside the Sutton Place Hotel, it has been my favourite type of fish. Super oily, moist, smooth, delicious...and expensive. I've been interested in trying the grilled black cod dishes at Japanese restaurants so I took the opportunity at Matoi Sushi to do so. I ordered the Grilled Marinated Black Cod Lunch off of today's BBQ Fish Lunch Special menu. 

Do not be too let down when the food arrives; the piece of fish may look tiny for $11 but remember, this stuff is like gold. I have to admit, my expectations where not too high, but I left the restaurant knowing I had discovered a new favourite. I appreciate that the piece of fish was mostly meat; I only picked out two or three bones. Although the fish was grilled, the texture slightly resembled smoked fish, laying in between grilled and candied. The naturally oily fish was kept moist as it should be. Nothing worse than overcooking a fish like sablefish or halibut. The marinated black cod was flavourful enough on its own to pair with plain white rice. I thoroughly enjoyed my precious piece of fish. When it's a small portion, I find that one can savour the experience better. Everything in moderation folks. 

The salad is composed of some mixed greens, a slice of tomato and a (I believe) house-made salad dressing. The texture is a bit grainy but it isn't greasy or too salty. A refreshing bite between eating the rich fish. My fish lunch set also came with a little bowl of cooked tuna and daikon radish in a savoury-sweet sauce, sprinkled with some sesame seeds. This little side dish was quite appetizing and I used it to eat my remaining white rice. Oh and see the little mound of wakame salad? I love eating this algae~

Bento Box C ($10.99)

This is the Bento Box C, consisting of 3 slices each of salmon and tuna sashimi, 2 slices of tamago egg (that looked a little grey-green...), choice of teriyaki (beef shown here), tempura, salad, and salmon gyoza (the special of the day). The waitress will ask you if you would like the bowl of rice that comes with the set. I assume that since the lunch box has so much food, many customers don't end up finishing the rice so asking might save them from wasting rice. 

It was my first time trying Matoi's sashimi and I must say, I am extremely impressed. The tuna literally melted in my mouth with zero effort! I don't usually like eating tuna sashimi, but this made me change my mind. It potentially could have been toro, the belly, which is very tender and soft. Their fresh and high quality sashimi makes me want to try their chirashi don!

I tried one piece of tempura, and it was a super thick piece of zucchini. The tempura dipping sauce is served steaming hot and after dipping my tempura into it, the coating went completely soggy. :(

I didn't try much of the teriyaki but it looked standard and a little bit on the wet side. My brother and dad each had one of the fried gyoza and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was filled with salmon! My dad thinks they may have been made in house.

Katsu Don ($8.99)

Recently, my dad and brother have really been into ordering Katsu Don at Japanese restaurants; I think they're on the hunt for one that matches up to the perfect one at Pioneer Saloon. Despite having a more complex preparation process, the katsu don came out pretty quick. The large bowl has a thick bed of rice with sauteed onions and a sweet-savoury sauce. I took a small bite of the katsu and it was fairly thick, tender, but no longer crispy since the egg and sauce soaked into the panko breading. It's kind of difficult to maintain a crispy katsu in a sauce-y rice so I won't deduct too many points. So enjoy the katsu don as soon as it is served!

Service was prompt up two when the restaurant is two-thirds full; there were two waitresses when we arrived and the head waitress came at around noon. The two younger waitresses that served us were very sweet and kind. They refilled our tea immediately after we asked and cleared our table once they saw we were done. As mentioned in my first post on Matoi Sushi, a small package of chocolate Pocky sticks accompanies the bill. A small but appreciated gesture, sure to make younger children (or those young at heart) happy. I will surely return to Matoi Sushi for more quality, yet affordable, Japanese food.

Note that they are closed on Mondays.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Kimbap Cheonguk: New Menu!

It's been a while since I've last eaten at 'Kimbap Heaven'. This 'four colours' Korean restaurant has become a favourite in my family. My mom and brother went recently and mentioned they had new items on their menu so I was curious and eager to try it myself. 

Kimbap Cheonguk's new menu (as of January 2014)

New items on the menu include Stone Pot Rice with Pork, Potato and Pork Bone Soup Hot Pot, and Ddukbokki with Chicken and Cheese. All of which sound pretty appealing to me~

Back: Al Bap ($7.99), Front: Stone Pot Rice with Pork ($8.99)

The Al Bap is by far my favourite dish to order at this cozy little restaurant. You can read my love rants (yes there is more than one!) for this bowl of rice in my other posts here and here. It may sound like I'm exaggerating, but no seriously, this Al Bap is perfection. I ate more than half of that rice. There goes my Saturday morning exercise...

On this particular visit with my father and brother, we ordered three rice dishes (the roll of kimbap with crispy seaweed was already devoured well before these two dishes arrived). One of which was their new Stone Pot Rice with Pork. Like the Al Bap, this rice dish is served in a smoking hot stone bowl that actually crisps the rice touching the side. I always wait a few moments (because I'm impatient and can't wait minutes) to give the rice some time to form a 'cake' on the bottom. That's the whole point of cooking it in a hot pot; that crispy rice is my favourite part! The toppings of bean sprouts, sliced pork, and seaweed are smothered in a spicy sauce. They even provide you with an extra bottle of sauce in case you are really in the mood for something fiery. However, I don't think extra seasonings were necessary at all. This dish is quite oily, and it can evidently be seen when comparing the cleared stone pots of the Al Bap and this one; the pork one has a lot more oil. While the new pork rice packs a bigger punch of flavour, I still prefer the more unique flavours of the less-greasy Al Bap. But if you're a spicy food lover like my brother, the Stone Pot Rice with Pork may be more up your alley.

If it isn't obvious yet, I really love Kimbap Cheonguk. It's a family run business (as told by my Korean friend) and the staff are efficient and friendly. The main male cook in the kitchen gives each customer a loud and friendly greeting as they enter or leave the restaurant. The restaurant seems to be doing pretty well, considering they reprinted their menus and are able to offer their customers more choices. Many non-Koreans are beginning to dine here as well! As for the seating, there aren't many tables so come a little earlier or a little later to avoid waits. But even then, the waits are never long because food is served up really fast. 

As an important note, they only take cash or debit card.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

My Greek Taverna

Recommended by a close family friend a few years ago, My Greek Taverna has been my family's 'special occasion' restaurant for a while now. They are known for quality and quantity Greek food. Come hungry, and leave with enough leftovers for your next meal.

My Greek Taverna is open for lunch from Monday to Friday and open for dinner every day of the week. The only difference in menu is that at dinner the plates are larger (as if one needs any more food...) and there are some large platters for big groups. The food is equally as good during both times of day. It is rare that my whole family can dine at My Greek on a weekday so we took the opportunity to have lunch there!

Kalamari Lunch ($10.95)

I ordered the calamari (they seem to spell it with a K) lunch plate which includes a pile of bouncy fried squid, a side of Greek salad, a hefty amount of seasoned rice, half a marinated potato and some tzatziki sauce. The calamari here is very good; the batter is thin and evenly coats the squid, there is a mix of tentacles and rings, and the squid is very tender and moist.

Delicious Pho

Today is that depressing day of the week where you know the next day is 'back to work' or 'back to school' or both. To make it slightly less depressing, I met up for lunch with my best friend's family. We needed to stay within central Coquitlam so her mom suggested we try the newly opened Delicious Pho.

To begin, I'd like to address parking. There is only limited free street parking as well as, I believe, a paid parking lot in the building. It wasn't too difficult to find a spot today as due to the statuary holiday, the surrounding offices are not open. 

There were about five or six other tables of customers which is a fairly good amount for a restaurant of small size. The interior walls are painted a vibrant green, adding a cheerful and fresh ambiance to the restaurant. Since the restaurant is newly opened, there are congratulatory flowers displayed at the front counter. The tables and chairs are sleek black and chic; very clean and comfortable. So far, so good.

Menus and tea were quickly provided and service was efficient. The waiters don't have perfect English and one of them (maybe the son of the operating family) seemed a tad shy. Not saying it as bad or good, just as what I examined. 

The pho ordered by my friend's family came shortly after ordering, like really quickly. Then again, pho is probably the easiest dish to put together; the broth is pre-made everything is just dunked into the bowl. The 'small' sized pho isn't small at all! However, I can't say for sure because I didn't actually touch their bowls. I've heard that at some pho restaurants, the small and large have the same amount of food, it's just the bowl size is different. I mean pho noodles are super cheap...scumbags... Anyways, before arrival, my friend already had complaints that their broth was no good. But her mom argues otherwise.

Pork & Vietnamese Ham Sub ($4) and Grilled Chicken & Grilled Prawns Vermicelli ($9.15)

My brother and I shared a Vietnamese Sub and a Grilled Chicken & Grilled Prawns Vermicelli. The sub was a disappointment, nothing special about it whatsoever. I was unsatisfied with the fact that the pork was a cold cut, not the lemongrass marinated pork I was expecting. There was also far too much mayonnaise (ew..) and the bun wasn't spectacular either. Not an exciting sandwich so do yourself a favour and avoid ordering this.

The vermicelli noodle dishes took a little while longer to get to our table. My friend's grandpa almost always gets these cold noodle dishes when dining Vietnamese. He commented on how large the serving was. This was a pretty good dish; the chicken pieces were plentiful, juicy, and marinated well, and there was a ton of fresh vegetables. The grilled prawns were a bit too oily for my liking though... But at least they were plump. Nine dollars is pricer than usual but it isn't too bad.
 

10 piece Chicken Wings ($7.20)

You may recall hearing about the Queen of Chicken Wings in my Phnom Penh post. It's no surprise she wanted to order some fried chicken wings here too. This 'appetizer' was the last thing to be served at our table. While Phnom Penh still reigns as best chicken wings ever and the ones from the nearby Pho Phu Thinh are still better, these weren't terrible. The crispy batter could've been more even but the pieces were large and meaty. However, the sauce was a disappointment. It is goopey and tastes like prepared plum sauce from a jar, it very well could have been exactly that. If you're craving chicken wings, then by all means, feel free to order this. But it definitely isn't a must-order here.

Delicious Pho didn't serve us anything so horrendous that I'd stay away from this restaurant forever, but there wasn't anything impressive enough to make me want to return either. 

Photos of full menu below:

Ninja Bubble Tea

After a trying out the new Vietnamese restaurant, Delicious Pho, my best friend's family and I wandered around the corner to see what other new businesses have popped up in the new building. There is a new Brown's Socialhouse, a dried fruit & nut store, a little Chinese cafe that serves bubble tea and some random Northern Chinese dishes, a pet boutique, and the trending Ninja Bubble Tea. 

For the last few weeks, I've seen several status posts on Facebook checking in at this new bubble tea joint. This Filipino-run bubble tea joint is known for their candy bar bubble teas, reminiscent of Bubble Queen in Richmond. Some of them have strange names like "Yeahhh Nutella"... someone was running out of creative juices... At first glance, it seems like their prices are ridiculously high. I mean, bubble tea is already expensive; for some reason we are willing to pay $4 for sugar + milk. At Ninja Bubble Tea, be prepared to pay $5 for a single drink, and that is excluding pearls/jelly. 

Ninja Bubble Tea Menu & Prices

BUT, I did not feel like the five dollars went to waste. I've visited Pearl Fever before and was severely disappointed with how watered down my coconut milk tea was. At Ninja, the drinks have a thick texture, like a smoothie or milkshake, and the cups are massive. I repeat, MASSIVE.

Varieties of candy bars used in their 'Famous Smoothies'

I decided to give the Taro Ice Cream Smoothie a try. It had a little 'Best Seller' banner next to the name and it was a flavour I had never tried before. They have a stamp card system where every 10th drink is free. If you check into Ninja Bubble Tea on Facebook and show the cashier, there is an instant 10% discount too. I just didn't bother asking them for their Wifi password, but I probably should have.

Be prepared to wait a while for your drink. There is only one person making the drinks, one individual serving at a time. Watching my drink being made, I could tell the mixer wasn't strong enough to process the thick slush (they should've invested in a Vitamix!) so that doesn't really help with speeding up production.

Left: My friend's Oreo Ice Cream Crumble Famous Smoothie and Right: My Taro Ice Cream Smoothie

Just to clarify, in the Taro Ice Cream smoothie, the taro and ice cream are separate ingredients. And to be more specific, the taro is taro powder. My jaw was close to dropping when I saw half a cup of purple powder being dunk into the blender, and a teeny tiny bit concerned about the No-Name brand ice cream... or 'frozen dessert'. I'm sorry, it's just my health-conscious side kicking in. Thankfully, this didn't taste half-bad. It was thick and slushy so I know they weren't cheap and watering it down with..water. The taro flavour was somewhat faint but I suppose that can be expected. I'm really glad that the drink wasn't overly sweet, just sweet enough for a bubble tea and enough to satisfy a sweet-tooth craving.

This bubble tea joint is getting busier and more popular by the day; eventually they'll have to figure out a way to add more seating! At the moment, there are three tiny tables plus one mini counter, each seating around four people. For the large servings and above-average quality, I would definitely recommend Ninja Bubble Tea as one of the best bubble tea places in the Tri-Cities, with Bon Vivant Fashion Cafe following very closely. I'll be back when I'm feeling like splurging on my calorie intake. Next on my to-try list is the Reece's peanut butter one!



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Matoi Sushi

Time for a GLO, Girls Lunch Out, with my two childhood friends. A get together before the meteoroids of school rain down on us. Our original plan was to get some Korean-style chicken and ddukbokki at Vesta Grill, but arrived to find it wasn't open on Sunday afternoons. So after sitting in a hot car for a few minutes trying to come up with new ideas, we decided to try Matoi Sushi.

It was almost 1:30pm when we step foot into this Japanese restaurant. I was surprised to find all the tables completely filled, didn't know Matoi was that popular around here! That is a good indication for either a) good food, b) good deals, or c) all of the above. A square table would've been more convenient for us girls to told a conversation, but sitting at the bar was a fun experience. We had some pretty good laughs from chefs overhearing our questions and comments. They gave us spoons when my friend refused to drink her miso soup without one, and corrected us when we were guessing what the 'special of the day' was in our bento boxes.

Specials at Matoi Sushi

We were provided with several menus, tea, and cutlery. The regular menu can be viewed online; there are also two special menus. The one titled 'Today's Special' are more appetizer or izakaya sized and the 'Lunch Specials' come with rice and sides. On a side note, the green tea Matoi Sushi serves has a stronger flavour and I quite enjoyed that. We were asked to place our orders not long after we were given menus because the kitchen was taking it's last lunch orders. The restaurant closes for a few hours in preparation of dinner.

Although I didn't keep track of the exact amount of time for our food to arrive, it felt like a slightly lengthier period of time. We were chatting a lot, but were also very hungry. Nevertheless, when the food arrived, we were blown away at the portions.

Udon Combo A ($7.99)

My best friend was going to 'be a rebel' and ordered Udon Combo A, which was a simple bowl of udon and seaweed with half a California roll. She happily slurped up her udon noodles and was so full afterwards. If I wasn't so full, I would've finished off her kelp. 

Bento Box A ($8.50) Top: with beef teriyaki, Bottom: with chicken teriyaki

The rest of us ordered the Bento Box A, with a choice of either chicken or beef teriyaki, plenty of tempura, a 'special of the day', salad, California roll, and some orange. Oh my. I had the box with the chicken teriyaki. The waitress also came by to ask if we wanted a bowl of rice to go with our box. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs at that point so we both said yes. I actually finished the whole bowl of rice (whoaa....) but she didn't. I guess that's why they ask first before giving it to you; it's a lot of food. We should've just shared one box. The chicken teriyaki was okay, I gladly cleared it off with my plain rice. The tempura was very crispy and I liked the assortment of vegetables; yay for kabocha tempura! The salad was dressed with an interesting creamy sauce; it's nice to have something refreshing to clear the palate. The 'special of the day', seen in the top right corner, was a salmon meatball drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise. It wasn't bad, but wasn't outstanding. We were too full to full enjoy it by then. I ate one or two pieces of my California roll and had to pack the rest home for my brother to eat. It was a standard California roll, could use more avocado ;)

Pocky sticks come with the bill!

We were some of the last customers to leave the restaurant. Our waitress came back before we were finished our meals to inform us the cashier was closing and we could still sit and eat after paying our bill. A small package of chocolate Pocky sticks comes with the bill, but only one package per table. Not a problem since we hadn't any room left in our stomachs anyways. It's a nice touch~

The service is friendly and still exists, meaning they will come refill tea without being asked to. Our waitress also split the bill for the three of us. I'm not sure if Matoi Sushi is Japanese run or Korean run, because the (main?) sushi chef at the bar spoke Japanese to some employees and Korean to others. It's quite neat actually! I had a great first experience at Matoi Sushi and will be sure to come back again in the future. It's nice to have more choices for sushi other than Sushi Town and  Sushi California.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡