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| - Um...who died and made Karl "When I was teaching English in Korea" R. the expert on Korean cuisine? While I am still Yelping, Imma gonna be The Definitive Last Word on Korean Restaurants and Culture, thank you very much and gamsahamnida. So I brought out my special fact-checking pen for this review and sorry, Karl, it's filled with bitch ink ;)
Karl R., Bijan V., and Neil T. and I gathered in Thornhill for our UYE Korean BBQ with a Translator and Driver http://www.yelp.ca/events/thornhill-uye-korean-bbq-with-a-translator-and-driver
VIBE
Sariwon is not your average Korean grill house nor is it one of those godawful AYCE joints run by Chinese people. It's the "luxury" kind of establishment that Korean families might flock to for special occasions and have weddings at. See that lace on the curtains and floral upholstery? That says "high class" all the way.
FOOD
The BBQ was outstanding. The marinade for the galbi (short ribs, $24) was well-balanced with just enough sugar in it to leave a good char on the edges from the caramelization. I also enjoyed the "ZuMuLuk"[1] (strips of sirloin in sesame oil, $26). Karl found it "a tad chewy" but many Koreans (myself included) will abide the slightly resilient texture inherent in the more flavorful sirloin, much the way some might prefer a Porterhouse or ribeye over the tenderest filet mignon. The accompanying condiments and garnishes[2] were all super fresh and appetizing.
Karl questions why the ban chan (side dishes) were brought out in waves. That's because there are certain sides that accompany the meat and others that go with rice. Don't be a rookie and have rice with your BBQ; it's just going to bloat up your stomach and crowd out the meat. The rice arrives at the end of the BBQ, and at Sariwon, it was flecked with yellow dots of millet. This is when the server swarms every square inch of the table top with a dozen little plates of ban chan. You don't get these delicious freebies at those cheapo 'cue joints.
The quality of ingredients is way better than what I've found in Bloor Street's Korea Town and it's got slightly higher prices to match. That said, the damage for our meal was just $24 a head including tax and tip--but no alcohol because as Karl mentioned, they were out of Korean beer so we just drank barley tea. But when Karl complains in his review that we got no water, he doesn't realize that the word for barley tea (bori cha) that the staff kept refilling for us and the word for water (mool) are interchangeable in Korean.[3]
SERVICE
Each table is equipped with an electronic doorbell that you ring to summon the help. This may seem odd to some but it's more gentile than the usual method; yelling out "Hey, over here!" to get someone's attention. When we first arrived and the place was empty, one of the servers would come right away. As the place filled up, it sometimes took a couple of rings to get someone running up to our table, often with a stank-face look that said, "Now, what?" Still, the service here is much better than what you find at 95% percent of the Korean restaurants in town. Hostile service is such a fixture of Korean dining that I would be suspicious of any place where the staff were too effusive and cheerful.
I was very impressed with Sariwon. It was worth the 40-minute subway ride in a germ can from downtown. Thanks to Karl for the ride to the restaurant, and Neil T. for the drive back to civilization; and to Bijan V. for just showing up and being an all-around good guy.
Is Sariwon the best Korean BBQ in the GTA? I'll tell you when I've tried every last one of them but for now it's 5 stars.[4]
***ETA: Don't listen to Neil.***
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[1] WTF is this spelling? It's usually spelled "jumuleok" or "jumuluk" or "jumuluck"
[2] lettuce for wraps, samjang (soybean-based sauce for the wrap), scallion salad, sliced garlic and chile peppers, tangy dipping sauce with chives
[3] See, Karl? The Korean language is not only scientific, it is very complex. :)
[4] Dang. I really meant to bring on the bitch but I held back because Karl R. is my friend. What's wrong with me??
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