Tag Archives: Korean

Zabu Chicken

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We tried walking into several Korean restaurants in Korean town on Robson, but they were so full with a long wait, so we came to Zabu. It was still busy, but they were able to get us a table. Inside was loud and filled with young people – mostly, if not all, Asians – except for Sheepie, lol. idearabbit-zabuchicken2I ordered a Ramen $8.95. I was SUPER disappointed to find it was the instant noodle in a cooking pot. What are we – students? I certainly felt like it, eating out of a warped old pot with 78 cent worth noodles. The price on the other hand was outrageous. Although this restaurant isn’t the first one that I’ve seen this. I’m just surprised that anyone would pay $9 for something so cheap and low quality. idearabbit-zabuchicken3We ordered the Chicken combo with wings and legs for around $15 to share. The smell of garlic was heavenly, and the taste was pretty good, though not enough to feed three adult mouths. idearabbit-zabuchicken

The complimentary banchan (side dishes – which aren’t all shown in this photo) and unlimited supplies of it was really good. Since things were expensive, we kept feeding off of them.
Service was subpar…not that friendly, but we did get the food in reasonable time.
As the name suggests, their specialty is their chicken (mostly deep fried). The rest of their menu seemed a bit limited, so I don’t think I would return any time soon.
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At the end, our receipt came with a card that was all written in Korean. I embrace and like different cultures, and I have tried learning Korean a bit, so I can read it, but have no clue to what it says/means. Of course it’s not just Korean restaurants, I have seen other restaurants that only write in their language, which is a shame since those that don’t speak the language are left out. This is Canada, let’s also put English as well!

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Dae Bak Bon Ga 대박본가

Dae Bak Bon Ga on Urbanspoon

A fairly large group of almost 15 people went to try out this restaurant on the second floor on Robson street. The interior was ghetto with ventilation corridors above each table for the grills on the table. None of us ordered anything to grill, so they weren’t used. We all sat, split between two tables at the very back of the restaurant. I unfortunately had the seat that was directly in the way of a really cold draft. This was poorly designed layout. I froze most of the time there and left with a headache and feverish feeling. Argh.

The restaurant was mostly bare. There were some customers, but since it was a long spacious restaurant, it felt as if we were the only ones there.

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4 types of banchan came. I was happy to see that the unlimited supply of banchan were complimentary (after my experience in Hanok, Germany where it wasn’t free) I love banchan – kimichi, potatoes (my favourite!), bean sprouts, and green seaweed.

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I ordered the Chicken Dolsot Bibimbap $9.95. The server took down each of our orders on a notepad, but had trouble remembering who ordered what. He kept looking at the note as if it was a complicated diagram or map and took a while before people got their dishes.

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Chicken Dolsot Bibimbap $9.95

Even with the large group of people waiting for their food, other servers only aided our one server by bringing a cart, or dishes to him take over. If they had walked all the way from the kitchen to our table – which was quite far, why not give the hot plates to the customers? Instead, they left the dishes on the cart for him to sort out while he took more orders. Sure, they were in the hot stone bowls, so they weren’t likely going to cool down that much, but we wanted our food!

The bibimbap came with miso soup which was ok. Not Japanese, but still good. I didn’t really like the plastic cups for water. It just feels so cheap. If we’re paying $10 for a dish plus tip, I’d like to drink out of an actual glass. The bibimbap was standard and good. No complaints.

I was left with a not-so-great service impression. Food was good. Did not enjoy the cold draft blowing my hair like crazy. I had a headache by the time I left.

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Kum Ki Wa

Kum Ki Wa on UrbanspoonWe happen to be in the neighbourhood and saw this village mall so we decided to check it out for food. We came across Kum Ki Wa, and decided to try it out.

It was 3pm on a weekend, and it was pretty bare, except for 2 tables that was occupied by customers. It had funky designed chairs – not the chair itself was funky, but just the fabric that was used. The walls were painted nicely with a touch of modern decor.

I ordered the #8 Japtanbob $9.99 which was rice covered with seafood and vegetables in thick sauce. My company ordered the #12 Bulgogi $10.99. Although the description nor the photo indicated that it came with rice, he was very happy to see that it did when the food arrived.

The portions were fairly big. For the price, I thought it was a really good deal, especially with all the seafood that was in it. It had a lot of shiitake, which is a delicacy, but I don’t like them…so my company ate them instead. The plate that my food came in was chipped all around as if it had gone through a garburator instead of the dishwasher. That was a a bit disappointing…

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Easy and simple menu – I like that :)

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Simple decor, funky fabric covered chairs

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The banchan (complimentary side dishes) were really odd. Raw onions with sauce…and takuwan (in Japanese – which is picked daikon/radish). The takuwan was ok. You usually eat them with white rice or onigiri (rice balls). But I’ve never seen chopped raw onions served like this. To save our breath, we didn’t eat any of the onions.

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2 plates of banchan – raw onions and takuwan

During the wait and eating, we were trying to connect to the internet on our phones, but we were unable to connect. We thought it was because there weren’t much cell towers in the area, but when we got out, we had connections, so not sure if it has anything to do with the building, or it was just a coincidence. However, if there is no connection, it’s not a place where you can come in with your laptop and work online…

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Japtanbob $9.99

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Bulgogi $10.99 – comes with rice!

The restaurant was clean, service was good and prompt. The portions and taste was great. It looks like a family run business. Once all the other customers were gone except us, they sat around one table, Mom, Dad, young guy who takes the orders and serve, and a little girl. I’d go back if it weren’t so far from home!

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