kiki's B.F.F: Yakitori Bar

Have been seeing quite a few tweets about How to Open a Restaurant in 30 days where Sang Kim (@koreanjohnsmith) blog about how he sets out on his quest to open the doors of Yakitori Bar (@YakitoriToronto) , the sit-down eatery and Seoul Food, the fast food take out area in 30 days.

It sounded like an unimaginable feat but Sang Kim Succeeded and opened Yakitori Bar on

December 1st and officially open Seoul Food Co. Toronto's first build your own bimbimbap joint today Dec18th. I finally made my way there last Friday and was greeted by the owner Sang Kim himself who took the time to chat with us about the concept and inspiration behind the restaurant (he actually ask me if I was Korean). With Sushi making classes already available, it sounds like he's got some really great things lined up like having Korean grandmothers come in to showcase their kimchi and sake tasting.

We arrived at around 8:30pm and there wasn't any wait but within half an hour the place just fill up.

Gangham Style Cocktail $7.96

~ Soju, Korean Yogurt & Orange Fizantte

I was really disappointed in this once since I can barely taste the soju and didn't really have any orange flavor... in fact it tasted just like what I throw together at home all the time :(

Granville Island Winter Ale $6.19

(also available for $17.69 a pitcher)

Their drink menu wasn't very extensive, wish there was more soju or sake to choose from or maybe some Korean rice wine (Makkoli)

Kimchi Flights $3.95

~ 1 day old, 2 weeks old & 3 months old

The brightest color on the left being the 1 day old, it was real crisp and watery and then the 2 week flavor intensified as all the flavor got absorbed with a more complex spicy flavor that takes a few more seconds to be detected and Sang later told us that's what's use in all his other dishes on the menu with kimchi... I find the the 20 weeks old and 3 months old incredibly similar but somehow it tasted somehow a bit less spicy and a bit bitter to me.

Me and Ben both voted for the 2 weeks old as our favorite ;)

Pork Kakune $5.95

~ slow-simmered in apple-soya

This was just melt in your mouth good

Squash duk bok ki $5.95

~ spicy rice cakes baked in a butternut squash

As soon as I mention about coming here for dinner, a few people immediately told me about this must try dish so it was the first thing I looked for on the menu. This smell so good as it arrive and it was cut at the table for us, it was just an incredible sight just looking all the string of cheese inside.

The 2 of us finish this in no time and we both agree that it was the most memorable /favorite dish of the night. It was incredibly filling thou and I was surprise that it's under $6 where most other places would easily charge you $12-13 for this.

Gochu Rellenos $4.25

~ deep fried Korean peppers stuffed with pork

A twist to the mexican version, this was very tasty with a very thin crispy batter

but it wasn't spicy at all.

Yakitori ~ 2 skewers per serving served w/ 3 kinds of sauce

(kimchi sauce / soy sauce / sesame sauce)

Slow Cooked Pork Skewers $4.95

This was my favorite out of the three we tried, it was just melt in your mouth fatty goodness and grilling it just give a crispy outer layer to the soft gooyee inside
.

Pork Belly Skewers $4.95

Although this was pork belly as well, this was more thinly slices and cooked on the grill which result in a chewier and crispy texture that I like just as much.

Chicken Tight Skewers $4.95

This was good but I find that there's really nothing special about it
.

Bulgogi Cheeseburger $9.95

~ marinated ribeye & caramelized kimchi

The bulgogi was very flavorful and tender but the bun was rather airy dry.... we mention it to Sang when he came over to ask how it was and he told us he was trying to find a better alternative.... and today I saw some tweet pics and it looks like they changed it so I can wait to go back and try.