Cafe LemonTree - Fun & Tasty Korean

Boy ... how far we have gone with this blog. When this started I viewed it as a side hobby that I never expected to take off or become anything significant. And while it still remains a hobby for me, I nevertheless can only imagine what my life would be life without this blog. It has forced me to try new things, explore Winnipeg in ways that I never would have initially done so and introduced me to incredible and awe-inspiring people. Having finished my most recent rotation and going onto vacation for the next week, I had wanted to snag the last Korean restaurant on my list of must-trys: Cafe LemonTree.

The name would not be suggestive of a Korean restaurant and in reality, the exteriors also do not point to its ethnic roots. Nevertheless when one sits down in the splendidly quirky restaurant and peeks at the menu, one realizes the Korean basis of the restaurant. The interiors feature a random mishmash assortment of different sized tables each with comfortable but aged seating and fun quirky tableclothes.

The menu is an assortment of brunch and dinner items all cooked with Korean (and sometimes Japanese) styles and flavours. Their shtick seems to be the use of cast iron skillets to cook and serve all their food. The main hallmark of their dinner service is their BBQ skillets which feature a combination of items along with a BBQ meat. Adding further to the skillets are a nice combination of traditional Korean dishes like Japchae and Dak-Galbi. Unfortunately missing are the stews I have come to love (re: Gamjatang) and rice dishes like Bibimbap, but nevertheless there should be enough here to make anybody happy.

I was impressed by the presentation of the Korean Style BBQ Skillet (Dak Galbi). A bevy of items adorn the side of the skillet including potato wedges, rice, fried udon and a grilled pineapple. The star of the dish though was the Dak Galbi. A nice combination of chicken, rice cake and vegetables are all fried to perfection in a Korean spicy bean paste. Balance is achieved through the addition of green onions which give a tart freshness to the fried meat. The other items on the skillet are each by themselves fine, but seem lost amongst each other in the skillet. In truth there does not seem to be much forethought into how each item plays with one another, but instead the chefs relied on sheer quantity to fulfill the diner, pity.

The Okonomiyaki combines a bevy of seafood (shrimp and octopus) in a creamy batter that is fried crisp and topped with teriyaki and Japanese mayonnaise. The inclusion of red cabbage in the base batter, thoughtful and unique, gave the dish a bite and density that is normally not found in other versions of this dish. Unfortunately the seafood (which I suspect originated from the frozen variety) was rendered tough and rubbery through the cooking process and was easily the worst component of the dish. The teriyaki and mayo sauce toppings were tasty and offered a nice flavour contrast to the dense base pancake.

As with all Korean restaurants, a number of Banchans were served. The Kimchi was nice and flavourful with a bold spiciness that worked well with the decidedly duller flavours of the skillet. Pickled Cabbage offered a sour and salty bite that actually contrasted the flavours of the okonomiyaki well.

Cafe LemonTree is a unique take on Korean food and for the most part, succeeds in doing so. While certainly areas to improve upon, the base cuisine is decidedly authentically Korean and should be on the radar for anyone looking for good Korean, especially if you are in the area or are tired of the usual offerings.

BIMI - Disappointing Korean

I have a soft spot for Korean food. Featuring a delicate balance of rich spicy flavours that punch through the soft pillowy rice and augmented by a number of crunchy banchans, Korean truly delivers food I can eat on a daily basis. You can understand my excitement when I discovered a new restaurant that I had missed on my initial perusal of Winnipeg's offerings: BIMI Korean/Japanese Restaurant.

Located on Grant Avenue in River Heights, the large restaurant has a modern, warm and welcoming sign that exudes an air of confidence. The interiors are similarly decorated with large oak tables, tasteful artwork and a large sprawling section dedicated to those wanting Japanese (sans footwear and all).

My biggest gripe with these types of restaurants is their need to serve both Korean and Japanese cuisine. Spying on the chefs and overhearing them speak, it was obvious the owners were ethnically Korean. The menu itself is rudimentary with a smattering of the basic Korean dishes and a large list of the usual rolls, sashimi, sushi and Nigiri. For those unsure of what to order, Bimi also has an All You Can Eat Sushi option which allows one to try as much sushi as possible without breaking the bank - a popular option amongst those dining this particular night.

This sorry excuse of a stew was their version of Gam Ja Tang. What is supposed to be a flavourful dish of pork bone in a spicy Korean bean paste stew turned out to be lukewarm thin water with overcooked and flavourless pork. My disappointment was further punctuated by the two pieces of potato in the soup: both hard, undercooked and completely tasteless.

Thankfully, the Bibimbap was much better. The large bowl of Korean rice is topped with a kaleidoscope of vegetables (carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, daikon, bean sprouts) and marinated pork with a over-easy egg in the middle. Breaking the yolk and mixing the dish together with the supplied Korean spicy sauce makes a tasty, but average, version of Bibimbap. The addition of daikon and mushrooms, both atypical, worked well here to add a textural crunch (from the daikon) and a meaty bite (from the mushroom).

Further evidence showing that BIMI does not know whether it is Japanese or Korean, the mix of Banchans were Tempura Vegetables, Kimchi, and Marinated Daikon. Altogether average, the kimchi lacked the strong pungent flavour of high quality counterparts and the daikon were too large and volumous that the spicy marinate did not puncture through to the core.

BIMI was a complete disappointment and a classic example of a restaurant making food on mass without caring about quality. In fact, the large portion sizes made it seem that BIMI tried to overwhelm me by the litany of food in the hopes that I would overlook the complete utter lack of flavour. Do yourself a favour and skip BIMI, there are better Korean food all over Winnipeg.

Wakoya Sushi - Flavourful Japanse/Korean

Spring is amongst us! And with spring comes warm weather, blue skies and the promise of summer. For me, this spring brings about a sense of responsibility, as I transition myself from the ranks of junior resident to that of a senior. With that leaving less time to dine out, I have to find and made a more concerted effort to blogging. One lonely afternoon, after finishing a pile of work, I grabbed a fellow resident for a quick and hearty meal at Wakoya Sushi.

Wakoya Sushi is located in the heart of Osborne Village on the corner of Wardlaw and Osborne. The nicely decorated restaurant has a modern sheen and tasteful Japanese decorations. Large lanterns adorn the entranceway while smiling wait-staff direct you to the table of choice.

While Wakoya calls itself a fusion restaurant, it truly features both Japanese and Korean cuisine. I have to laugh when these restaurants exist, as I find they offer mediocre food that does neither cuisine justice; rather I wish they stick with their base home cuisine (the owners are Korean by the way). Nevertheless the menu features a whopping number of dishes from the two respective countries. The usual suspects are found here with a nice combination of Korean fried foods and stews; the Japanese portion features a venerable mix of sushi, Nijiri, sashimi and rolls.

The Blue Ocean is an atypical roll that utilizes a cucumber as the sushi wrapper. Inside it holds a luscious combination of salmon, avocado, crab, shrimp and roe. The large list of ingredients might scare one off, but it truly works here as the nice combination of fish and seafood all lend a good textural contrast to one another. Holding it all together is a tasty spicy wasabi mayo that adds the needed saltiness and spiciness. At the end of the day though, the cucumber exterior did a poor job in holding everything together and added nothing to the dish, other than a sense of uniqueness.

Never missing an opportunity to try Korean food, we the classic Hot Stone Bibim Bap. The large stone bowl features Kimchi rice in the bottom filled with a laundry list of cooked and marinated vegetables and topped with a fresh egg. Mixing everything together with the supplied Korean hot sauce delivers a wonderful combination of sweet, salty and savoury. Nothing special about Wakoya's version here, it was as it should be.

Gochujang Jijjae was the closest they came to having pork bone soup. The stew consists of pork, cucumber, tofu and pork in a red pepper beef based broth. The bowl came beautiful presented with big pieces of vegetables and pork in a bubbling hot broth but unfortunately the soup was runny and thin, missing the luxuriousness usually found in such stews. And although the components of the stew were nicely cooked, they lacked any additional flavour.

With all of their Korean dishes, Wakoya delivers Banchans: Marinated Radish, Bean Sprouts, Marinated Lotus Root. A nice addition is the lotus roots which had a delicate crunch in a tasty sour marinate.

Altogether Wakoya delivered serviceable flavourful Korean and Japanese cuisine. While their rolls and soups were not up to par with the best in the city, there is enough here to satisfy most people in the mood for sushi or Korean.

Wing Chicx - Yummy KFC (Edmonton 30 in 30)

One of the newer phenomenon that was overtaking Edmonton before I left was Korean Fried Chicken (KFC), a take on modern fried chicken but finished off with Korean style dressing. Seemingly overnight, new KFC joints were popping up day and night in Edmonton with each showcasing their family recipe and techniques for making chicken. Delighted in the new found phenomenon, I had to feel a bit of a disappointment when arriving in Winnipeg and finding no good rendition of the KFC, which is odd considering the wealth of Korean restaurants and population there. Nevertheless seeing the fruits of the KFC nation in Edmonton made me want to check out one of the more popular spots, Wing Chicx.

Wing Chicx lies in the Ellwood Industrial Park south of the Anthony Henday on Ellwood Drive. Considered a up and coming area of Edmonton, I indeed have seen significant growth in this region since being away. The restaurant is a homey size featuring a scant ten tables with booth style seating. The interiors are functionally clean with a few discrete decorations and while nothing to brag about, convey a sense of modern conservatism.

The menu is rather sprawling and actually includes a good variety of options. My initial fear was that the restaurant would only focus on the fried chicken which, although popular now, might set itself up for failure if the KFC hype fades. My fears were appeased when I saw the usual stews, rice dishes and Korean BBQ items also offered in addition to the aforementioned fried chicken.

Potato Pork Bone Stew is a must order for me and has become the measuring stick of good Korean restaurants. The three pieces of tender pork spine are prepared in a luxurious Korean chili bean paste broth that has a deep rich savoury bean flavour punctuated by the occasional spiciness from Korean peppers. In addition, two delicious large pieces of potato have soaked up all the flavours from the dish and offer irresistible bites of starchy spicy goodness.

But of course being a KFC restaurant I would be remiss if I did not order a Fried (Half) Chicken. The chicken, in your option of sauced or sauce on the side, consists of six large sizable portions of juicy moist chicken with a crispy, non-greasy, crunchy crust and a hit of sweet, spicy and salty Korean sauce. Impressively well fried chicken but the sauce is what elevates it past the standard fried chicken locations.

Marinated Daikon Radish are given with the fried chicken and serve as an contrasting sour textural element to the delicious chicken.

Banchans include: Kimchi, Marinated Bean Sprouts, Cabbage. Simply average and as you would expect them, the best is of course the spicy Kimchi that has a nice underlying sweetness to it as well.

Wing Chicx delivers on its promise of excellent Korean Fried Chicken by providing juicy, succulent protein that is well fried and expertly sauced. Not only that though, Wing Chicx does an amicable job of producing regular Korean delights and taken altogether, is an automatic recommendation for anyone looking for tasty and well-priced Korean food in the south-side, especially for those craving Korean Fried Chicken.

B Bim Baab, Popular Korean (Edmonton 30 in 30)

For anyone who reads this blog on a semi regular basis, you would know that I have a love affair with Korean food. In fact I have gone out of my way to try as many Korean restaurants as possible in Winnipeg in search of the best Gamjatang in town. Well I certainly did not develop those interests just during my months in Manitoba, rather they began inauspiciously in Edmonton. I still recall going out to a friend's birthday party at a local Korean joint, fell in love with the lovely mix of flavours and textures and have been hooked ever since. One of my favourite Korean spots in Edmonton is B Bim Baab and it was quickly listed as a go-to for the 30 in 30.

B Bim Baab is located in the Whitemud Business Park on 42nd Avenue in between 91st and 99th street. An odd place for a quality Korean place, it is seemingly the only eatery within a three block radius. Nevertheless for those willing to make the trek into the area will be greeted by large handsome signage that beckons you toward the deliciousness inside. The interiors are modern and well kept, the decorations, while sparse, are poignant and well thought out, and the wait staff attentive and responsive. Perhaps the best marker of a Korean restaurant was the number of ethnic Korean families there enjoying a meal.

The menu is fairly extensive and features all the regular Korean specialties you would anticipate plus a few unique platters of marinated meats designed for large groups of diners. For those not used to ordering Korean dishes, a large number of attractive photographs will guide you towards the more popular options. Overall prices seemed to be on the higher end with each main between $15 to $20 per dish (and even higher for the larger sharing platters). Off to the food!

Being their namesake, the Dolsot B-Bim-Baab had to be ordered. Served in a hot stone bowl, the dish comprises of a bed of rice topped with a marinated and fresh vegetables (cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts, daikon and a runny fried egg. The visually appealing dish then asks you to poke open the bright yolk, season it with hot red pepper paste and mix the entire dish together.

The version here was quite good with a delicate mixture of fresh and cooked vegetables adding a contrast of crisp and smooth textures. The flavour profile also is excellent with the sweet and spicy hot pepper paste marrying all the ingredients together. Despite the somewhat high asking price, this large serving was well worth the cost. Don't forget to munch on the crispy fried bits of rice at the bottom of the stone bowl!

Gam Ja Tang is a must order for me at any Korean restaurant. The version here features three large pieces of tender pork spine with cabbage and potatoes all wrapped together in a deep and rich pork and soybean based broth. The aforementioned broth was rich, robust and while showing a depth of flavour, it lacked the hint of spiciness usually found in Gam Ja Tang. The three pieces of pork were fatty and tender while the vegetables did an admirable job of soaking up all the flavours.

Banchans here include Marinated Bean Sprouts, Kimchi and Miso Soup. The kimchi and bean sprouts were exactly as one would expect them from a good Korean restaurant. The inclusion of miso soup, usually found as a starter in Japanese meals, was foreign and added nothing to the meal.

Overall B Bim Baab was everything I recalled from my previous visits: a high quality Korean restaurant delivering solid authentic dishes with large portions. I am slightly disappointed at the continued rise of pricing here but am grateful that the quality of the food has not suffered over the last year. While the location might be prohibitive for some, I wholesomely recommend B Bim Baab for anyone looking for solid Korean in Edmonton.

Hong Du Kkae, Average Korean

Korean food is my kryptonite, there is nothing more relaxing than sitting down next to a bowl of soup or stir fry and indulging. You might wonder ... well most Asian cuisines have soups and stir fries, but I love the mixture of Korean spices and ingredients, plus the banchans are a nice touch as well! In my ongoing task of chronicling the best Korean (and Asian) restaurants in Winnipeg, I found myself at Hong Du Kkae on a cold stormy night looking warmth and sustenance from the glowing allure of bubbling hot Korean soups, stews and fries.

Hong Du Kkae is a tad difficult to find. Located on Pembina Highway in the south of Winnipeg, it is located in a block of restaurants that veer diagonally away from the main street. That is, as you approach the turn into the strip mall, the actual restaurant becomes farther away. Odd indeed. Nevertheless, the restaurant is easy to spot once you get into the area and the large green signage beckons you forward.

The menu is small and sparse and has some odd omissions. Missing are any Bibimbaps, the classic mixed rice dish once served in a stone bowl. Also missing are most of the stir fries you would find. What diners will find though are a good listing of soups and stews and appetizer plates. Obviously wanting to focus on a subset of Korean cuisine, it makes perfect sense, at least in the blistery cold Winnipeg winters, to offer the warm soothing soups.

We started off with a Seafood Chive Pancake. A Korean specialty, it features a large egg based pancake packed full of chive and seafood (octopus, squid and shrimp) all fried together in a thin crepe. The taste of the pancake was good with bouncy seafood and tasty vegetables in the smooth egg-based batter. I felt it was missing a salty component, perhaps the typical soy dipping sauce, to compliment all the flavours, but it was overall a well executed dish.

Next up was the BibimGuksu, a cold noodle dish with spicy thin noodles marinated in Korean spices and topped with vegetables and an egg. The closest resemblance to Bibimbap on the menu, the cold noodles had a nice texture to them and soaked up the spicy Korean sauce well. The vegetables added crispness, freshness and sweetness while the egg added a bit of needed protein.

Ah the dish I was waiting for: Spicy Pork Side Rib Soup! This was a bit different than the typical Gamjatang I want to compare it with. The basis is a Korean paste broth filled to the brim with pork ribs and spine, cabbage and potatoes. I appreciated the large serving of tender meat, but felt a bit underwhelmed by the broth, which was overly spicy and lacked the depth and richness I usually find in pork bone stews. 

As typical with Korean restaurants, we were served banchans: Kimchi Marinated Potato, Kimchi, Glass Noodles and Marinated Cabbage. I liked the springy spicy kimchi and the nice contrasts the sweet and sour marinated cabbage provided to the whole meal.

Overall Hong Du Kkae was a mixed bag. The menu atypical, the food slightly lackluster and missing some key features, and the service at times slow and inattentive, Hong Du Kkae is simply average. While there are better Korean establishments in the city you can certainly do far worse.

Vancouver 2015 Wedding - Nor boo

Finishing up at L'Abattoir we took some time to roam around Vancouver. Having done no research I let my native British Columbians take the realm. We traveled up and down Robson looking at the various shops, street vendors and fun eclectic people. It struck me how alive the city felt. We were, admittedly, walking down popular streets on a Friday night but I could not help but feel a vibrant energy in the (warm) air. As the night grew closer to a close I felt a need to refuel and warm my belly again. Thus we decided on Nor Boo, a Korean restaurant in downtown Vancouver.

Nor Boo is located on the west end of Robson Street in a stretch of Korean restaurants. We chose Nor Boo simply because nobody in our group had tried it previously. Plus you cannot really go wrong with a bunch of Korean hipsters billowing in and out of the place!

Nor Boo offers a standard dinner menu which is shrunk down to a late night menu. They pride themselves on Korean Hot Pots and Korean Fried Chicken. Already semi-feeling guilty for eating a second meal, we could not bear to order a hot pot or a entire order of fried chicken. Nevertheless the litany of menu choices is inspiring and dwarfs many offerings by Winnipeg's equivalent restaurants.

We decided on two dishes to share. The Seafood Japchae was a sizable portion of glass noodles, fried vegetables and seafood. The small (from frozen) shrimp and scallops were underwhelming, especially given we were in Vancouver, but the soy based sauce mixed well with the glass noodles and tender vegetables.

Feeling an urge for pork bone soup, I ordered the Gamjatang for the group. A moderately sized portion of pork bones simmered in a spicy broth with vegetables, the offering here was simply average. I commend them on the spicy flavour of the dish, but take real offense on not being offered rice or banchans with my meal. This meant the only thing edible were the two pieces of pork bone and a few skimpy pieces of potato and onion. Perhaps this was an oversight by the service staff, but the lack of a standard offering that all Korean restaurants worldwide do is a huge problem for me.

While I had a ton of fun reminiscing and catching up with friends I have to be underwhelmed by the food at Nor Boo. In a city full of varied and unique restaurants there surely are better Korean offerings around.

Fusion, Dowon Chinese & Korean

I love it when I learn something new. Part of the fun of being in medicine is the constant learning and reinventing one has to do. We are all taught the base knowledge, shown how to apply it and then told to constantly question and relearn as new discoveries are made. Learning however is not just in medicine, and today I gleefully learnt of a new cuisine. New restaurants pop up in Winnipeg all the time, and Dowon Chinese & Korean Restaurant had been on my radar for the couple months they have been open. Initially I scoffed at the name and thought it featured Americanized cuisines, but I quickly perused the menu and found something new, something fascinating, something mindblowing: this was Korean Chinese cuisine. A quick Wikipedia search revealed this to be a hybrid of Chinese recipes with Korean flavours and influences originating in the north of China. I was amazed. Where was this my whole life? What have I been missing?

Dowon Chinese & Korean Restaurant is located on Pembina Highway on the corner of Crane Avenue. The large structure with large signs beckon one forward. One can tell this was a bar that was retrofitted to become a restaurant. Nevertheless, the owners did a fine job of creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

The menu was extensive. After researching the popular dishes of Korean Chinese cuisine, I was delighted to see them all showcased. It is obvious where the (Northern) Chinese influences came from with the base of noodles, rice and deep fried meats. Thoroughly excited, I ordered a hefty amount, both to tide me through another day of call but to try as many specialty dishes as possible.

I was thrilled when I saw this. The two most famous Korean Chinese dishes are Jjajangmyeon (noodles with Korean black bean sauce) and Jjamppon (spicy noodle soup). Dowon does something brilliant and lets one order half portion of each. The Jjajangmyeon features chewy wheat flour noodles that were strong enough to lock in the flavours of the salty black soybean sauce. A mixture of sweet, salty and savoury, the sauce was blended with pork and vegetables. Excellent! The Jjamppon features the same noodles in a chili oil soup with vegetables and (frozen) seafood. The noodles again were chewy and thick enough to soak up the wonderfully chili soup. Tasty!

Researching the Mapabap revealed it to be a Korean take a popular Szechuan tofu dish. Here Dowon fries the soft silken tofu with Korean bean paste and mixes in vegetables, slivers of pork and Korean spicy peppers. The spicy peppers resembled Jalapeno peppers and added a intense spiciness to the dish. Dowon does a nice job of handling all the flavours in the sauce. Finishing it with the side of rice is the ultimate in home comfort food.
 

Kkanpunggi is another signature Korean Chinese dish. Taken its roots from Sweet & Sour Chicken, Dowon takes breaded boneless chicken, fry it golden brown, and mix it in a red pepper and garlic sauce. The key to this was the addition of lemon: the citrus adds a sour and tart element that interplays with the fried chicken well. The chicken itself was done perfectly with its extremely crispy exterior housing tender moist morsels of protein. Excellent!

Taking its Korean roots, I was served four banchans for the meal (from top to bottom): Pickled Potato & Onions, Spicy Cabbage, Kimchi, and Bean Sprouts. Everything was average and as you would expect for them as banchans.

Dowon is a special place for me now as the restaurant that introduced me to Chinese Korean cuisine. It was easy to pick out the Chinese and Korean influences, but I was most impressed by the new flavours instilled in dishes I had grown up eating my entire life. Finding places like this is inspirational and motivates me to seek out more diverse and unique cuisines, both in Winnipeg and abroad.