freakzspeaks

freakzspeaks

Thursday 8 May 2014

Korean food @ Seoul Korean Restaurant, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

With Rice Bowl Fusion closed, Seoul Korean Restaurant is basically the ONLY authentic Korean restaurant in town. How ironic considering the number of Asians here and with Chinese restaurants mushroom-ing everywhere, someone should consider opening another Korean restaurant here because Korean food is awesome! (#cantwaitformySeoultriponceIgraduate) I have been here a couple of times (honestly, not because the food is superb but just wanted a change from Chinese or Japanese). Anyways, I had different main dishes during my visit so will just share with you guys whatever I had.
Side dishes : Kimchi, bean sprouts, mashed potato 
If you have been to Korea, it's normal that in every restaurant, small side dishes (banchan) will be served along side the main dish. Kimchi (traditional fermented Korean side dish made of mainly Napa cabbage and seasonings) is always one of the side dishes while the rest can generally be anything. These side dishes are usually refillable.
On one of my visits, we had the Korean BBQ ( a-must-have if you visit Korea) samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) which means three-layered meat. This would be the most common pork cuts used in Korea BBQs. What you usually do, is grill the slices of meat and then cut them into pieces but I did the other way round (lols). Once grilled, take a slice of lettuce, put some kimchi, raw garlic (remember to ask waiter for some because they won't serve you with it) and a slice of grilled meat and eat it! (Love it!). However, I was not too happy with the pork belly slices in this restaurant as I thought they were too thin to begin with (try google real Korean BBQ and see how thick theirs are) and too much fats (ok, maybe that's the whole point but hey, there should slightly be more meat and not just eating fat).
Table top BBQ. No sweat! 
Sorry, was too excited to start grilling that I forgot to take a 'before attacking' picture

Another famous Korean dish is their jigae (or stew/soup). I love their Sundubu jigae (spicy soft tofu soup). I'm sure there's lots of MSG in it but heck, its delicious and spicy. There are some pieces of seafood in the soup as well A pipping hot stew on on a cold winters night! Any stew comes with side dishes and a bowl of rice. 
Sundubu jigae (spicy soft tofu stew)
Budae jigae (spicy sausage stew or Korean Army Base Stew) consists of sausage, pork, ham, tofu, kimchi and usually with added noodles or rice cake. Its a big pot, probably enough for 3-4 people. This is another must have if you visit Korea! The budae jigae in this restaurant is quite good; tasty, spicy and with generous portions of meat! 
Budae jigae (spicy sausage stew)
The lady owner recommended us Patbingsu (shaved ice dessert) for dessert. We were already so full at that time but we were curious about it since she kept assuring us it is good. A big bowl full of colors came and we were so excited when we saw it (ok, the real Korean version does not really look like this but I guess this is the westernized version). Basically, its a bowl of shaved ice with toppings like fruits, red bean, ice cream and fruit loops (…!!). Nice combination but  nothing significant about it. This is probably the most famous dessert at summertime in Korea. Again, its for sharing since its a huge bowl. 
Overall,  food and price here is pretty decent. If you have been to Rice Bowl Fusion, I would say the dishes are slightly different because Rice Bowl Fusion generally had a fusion of different Asian dishes but Seoul Korean Restaurant is more of an authentic Korean restaurant serving 100% Korean. They might not have the best Korean food but if you do want to try something different apart from Chinese, Thai or Japanese (quite good ambience as well), do head out to 20th Street and give it a try. 

Address : 334, 20th Street West, Saskatoon
Opening hours : Mon-Sat 11am-9pm; close on Sundays. 

Seoul Korean Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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