My newest obsession is Korean food, having heard good things about Est West I knew I had to check it out so I could try their take on gamjatang (pork bone soup).
My friend and I came here on a Sunday night and despite being in the very crowded First Markham Place plaza the restaurant was actually very quiet. My friend and I decided to share the pork pone soup hot pot for 2 and the seafood pancake. The pork bone soup came out in a large pot and was put on the burner to keep it bubbling. The portion was huge! Large bones of pork, dumplings, little rice cakes, potatoes, and enoki mushrooms comprised this tasty concoction. The broth had a nice kick and was a bit tangy, the pork was fall off the bone tender, the dumplings and potatoes made this a very filling meal. The enoki mushrooms were a nice touch as I have never seen this dish served with mushrooms. My only complaint was that the bones were not as meaty as I have had at other places.
The seafood pancake we ordered was off the charts. The pancake was egg based and contained a decent portion of squid and scallops as well as green onions for flavour. I loved the texture of the pancake; it was a little crispy on the outside without being too heavy, amazing! Our meal came accompanied by about 8 banchans (side dishes) the best of which was the fish cake. The kimchi was also quite good and the fresh mango provided a nice palate cleanse. At the end of our meal we were given a little complimentary dessert which was like melon slush, the taste wasn't great but it was a nice touch.
The place itself is quite modern with mostly booth seating. I did see that they have an AYCE bbq option (with only select meats). The servers were absolutely amazing; they were very welcoming and kept checking up on us to make sure we were doing ok. I will definitely be back here!