"0"^^ . "I had heard many funny stories about people wiping tears away from their eyes and chugging milk to stave off the spiciness of the dukbokki here. They have a branch that is apparently very popular in the US and seems to be doing very well (in reference to their Yelp page). Those two reasons along with a Facebook share of my friend's experience here propelled me to give this restaurant a go. \n\nI went with my boyfriend for my first round and then again with my friends a month later. The first thing you'll notice is that decor isn't a main attraction. You'll find tables and chairs on the cheaper end of the quality spectrum, but they serve their function. Most of their tables only fit up to three people each, so expect to be broken up into several groups if you come with a party larger than 4. Mind you, when I went the second time with a party of 6 they originally said they couldn't serve us. Then, I pointed to two separate tables that were next to each other at the back of the seating area and suggested splitting my party into two groups, leaving a space between the two adjacent tables to ensure there was still a walkway to the washrooms for other patrons. They finally conceded. In essence, I wasn't impressed that they couldn't suggest a quick solution like that (splitting parties among several tables) on their own and just simply wanted to turn away business from a large group. If you come with a group larger than four and most of the tables around the room have been taken up already, don't rely on the servers who may turn you away. Instead, think about how you could sprinkle members of your group around the restaurant. \n\nAs for their food, they specialize in super-sized shareable bowls of dukbokki and you can make a combo by adding steamed egg and rice balls wrapped in seaweed. The bowl alone is about 20 dollars and my boyfriend and I felt it was filling for a party of 2. The combo is about 26 dollars and my party of 6, which got 2 combos, felt that it was a decent amount for 3 people per combo - 2 people per combo if you're on the hungrier side. Once you split the bill between 2-3 people, you're paying about 10 dollars each, so it has a reasonable price to portion ratio compared to the rest of the restaurants in the Willowdale area. \n\nThe levels of spiciness range from 0-3 and you can up the ante with 0.5 increments. When I went with my boyfriend, I got 1.5 as 1 is their most popular level for those who can normally take a lot of spiciness. At level 1.5, the spice was starting to become unbearable half way through the bowl. When I went the second time with my friends, I downgraded to level 1 and it was a similar level of spiciness you would find in most dukbokki served in Toronto, meaning that it's definitely spicy, but not enough to bother you if you're good with spiciness. Therefore, my suggestion is to get at least 1.5 or 2 to really get a kick out of the spiciness. They are known for their spiciness, so go wild! There are tissue boxes everywhere and they serve milk and beer to help stave off the spiciness if it becomes too overwhelming!\n\nThe quality of the food is just decent. They don't care about their presentation, so the dishes come out sloppily-made. Tastewise, it's all dependent on how you enjoy the spiciness. I liked it when I was sweating from level 1.5 instead of when I was breezing through level 1. The amount of rice cakes, tofu skins, sausages, and cheese in the dukbokki also varies. When I went the first time, I felt that there was more compared to my last visit with my friends. The steamed egg and rice balls were nothing to write home about and was not even worth combining with the dukbokki. \n\nIn all fairness, if you get tired of the lack of spiciness with most dukbokki in Toronto, then visit this restaurant for their customizable spiciness. Other than that, there are other types of food in the area that will provide better service, decor, and food."^^ . . "2017-09-28T00:00:00"^^ . "3"^^ . "3"^^ . . . "7"^^ .