This place was a total lucky find! I was in the Etobicoke area for a sailing regatta (drove up from Rochester, NY), and after setting up our boat at the Etobicoke Yacht Club and doing a test sail, my skipper and I wanted a place to eat for dinner. One of the other sailors suggested we just drive down Lake Shore until we got to this strip with small local restaurants, park, get out, walk around and see if anything struck our fancy. So that's what we did!
As we drove up and down the road there were a bunch of places to choose from and we were happy to see a wide range of small, ethnic restaurants like Mexican, Japanese, Greek, Indian and a few others. Then we saw the sign for Tasty Korea. I love Korean food, so quickly looked it up on Yelp. It seemed like it was possibly just a take-away place, but I convinced my skipper we should check it out. We parked on the street (there was plenty) and went in and were greeted by the very friendly owner (I think), who showed us the menu, told us her specials and confirmed we could dine in.
I immediately loved the homey feel of the place with every inch filled with plants and art, colorful furniture, and lots of teas, herbs and spices. And we were the only people in there at that hour (around 6 pm), so not only did we have the place to ourselves, we had the attention of the owner as well.
I ordered the beef bibimbab on the recommendation of the owner, and my skipper got the pork and tofu kimchi stew. Both dishes were delicious. Freshly prepared while we watched, very good portion size, and very reasonably priced for the freshness and the experience.
My bibimbab had meat which was seasoned like bulgogi, plus pickled mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, fresh pea shoots which she picked from a plant right in the place, and a sunny-side up fried egg with a nice dark orange yolk. It was served with a pepper paste/sauce that was also really good.
My skipper's stew had lots of big pieces of pork and a rich flavorful broth. It was bubbling like crazy when it arrived to the table and he had to wait a good 5 minutes til it cooled off enough to eat. It was served with a side of rice, plus a couple other items including what looked like a marinated or cured boiled egg and dried seaweed 'crackers'.
In addition he had the iced coffee and I had iced tea. The owner actually brought the dry tea leaves to the table so I could smell them (amazing) before she made the tea and I loved that! And, she had dairy free options for 'cream' too.
This place does not serve the banchan (small plates) like other places; it is focused on a few dishes done well. There are also lots of take away options and prepared foods in large coolers. The owner is very conversational and willing to make things to your preference, and she can also make recommendations if there is something you are looking for or not sure about.
I highly recommend this place and I will try to visit again next time I am in the area! read more