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| - I came to visit Toronto, and a local friend said to me, "I'm going to give you two options: the BEST Korean restaurant in Toronto, which is a 3.5km walk, or the SECOND best Korean restaurant in Toronto, which is only a kilometer".
I opted for the best Korean restaurant, and we walked to this restaurant in the bitter cold. It was absolutely, without question, worth the walk.
This is probably the most personable service I've ever had in a restaurant. The owner's son served us and he was extraordinarily friendly, polite, knowledgeable, and entertaining. Truly world-class service. When we ordered, he complimented us on the "authenticity" of our order and asked how much time we had spent in Korea (answer: none, but I've got good friends who are Korean and who have taught me a lot about the food). The food came out almost immediately, and it was spectacularly plated and presented.
The rice cake appetizer was perfect, the Octopus Bokum was wonderful and plentiful, and the banchan was all delicious.
He came by and asked me if I wanted a cup of his mom's homemade Miso soup, on the house. He was proud of the recipe his mother used.
His extraordinary friendliness didn't extend just to us because we ordered "authentic", either. He was bantering and impressing every other guest in the place, to the point where myself and my dining companion both were in awe of how smooth this guy was.
The dinner prices were slightly higher than I was expecting, but honestly, the food and service were so good that it didn't even matter.
The next time I'm in Toronto and I want to take someone to "the Best Korean Restaurant, no seriously, I mean it", I am coming right back to Korean Village.
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