EPTMontreal isn't exactly known worldwide for it's Chinatown but it isn't actually halfbad. I've spoken to several chinese natives who tell me the chinese food here tends to be blend or americanized way too much and that it is far from authentic, but other asian food tends to be very close to the real deal. This happens to be very true for Korean food.
The Korean community in Montreal, while very scarce, is very strong. You'll find several restaurants on St-Laurent (the main street of Chinatown) but also quite a few on Ste-Catherine/Sherbrooke West (I'm talking really deep West, Westmount and NDG)
I've had the pleasure of going to 2 Korean restaurants and 2 Korean/Japanese Markets. I've also visited a Japanese store and been looking around for new places to visit. Here is the result of my findings:
Hwang Kum
![[image loading]](http://eatwellmontreal.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hwang-kum-restaurant-4.jpg)
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5908, Sherbrooke Ouest, NDG, Montreal
Phone: 514-487-1712
Phone: 514-487-1712
Located rather deep west in Montreal made it interesting because parking on the side streets meant you didn't have to pay for parking. You're saving a couple of bucks there already. From the outside it really looks bad, but once you're in you know you did a great choice.
![[image loading]](http://eatwellmontreal.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hwang-kum-restaurant-6.jpg)
First greeted by a hearty 안녕하세요 (Annyong Haseyo) to then realize I was white, the owners (wife and husband I believe) quickly said Hello to which I replied (to my best) in Korean. They looked quite happy I made the effort to learn a bit of Korean, which I figured was the least I could do hehe.
The menu itself is quite interesting. The bibimbap (Lunch menu) choices were a mere $12.95, and include a myriad of exciting appetizers: Miso soup, radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi (whole leaf! they actually bring a pair of scissors as well O_O), pickled cucumbers and seasoned bean sprouts. Enough for 2 people at that :O Choosing single meals from the menu was cheap as well, between $6 and $13 for a single person, and that’s for soup, bbq’d meat, seafood pancakes and all typical Korean meals.
![[image loading]](http://eatwellmontreal.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hwang-kum-restaurant.jpg)
I went for the bulgogi (beef) + bibimbap that day (sadly I didn’t have my camera with me so those are pics from another review site, but the plate was basically the same just imagine beef instead of the red chicken) and oh god it was so good.
![[image loading]](http://eatwellmontreal.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hwang-kum-restaurant-3.jpg)
It was also there that I first tried kimchi, and I must say I fell in love with it so bad. I’ve tried a couple of places for kimchi and I must say theirs is the best in Montreal so far. Extremely spicy and crunchy. The radish kimchi was not as exciting, but it was good as well. The bulgogi was just amazing, tender and flavorful. The entire meal complemented itself quite nicely, and even eating slowly I could only manage to eat about ¾ of it.
For those reasons, Hwang Kum gets 4.5/5*. Cheap, good, friendly. Go there, seriously.
Chez Bong
![[image loading]](http://images.ourfaves.com/105/079_1.jpg)
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1021, boul. St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, H2Z1J4 5
Phone: 514-396-7779
Phone: 514-396-7779
Usually, restaurants located in the middle of Montreal’s Chinatown tend to be blend: they change their recipes quite a bit to accommodate westerners’ weak palates. Chez Bong doesn’t. Korean food at its best. I’ve made quite a few asian friends (mainly Chinese and Korean) over the last few weeks and literally all my new Korean acquaintances knew about Chez Bong for the simple reason it owns.
I went rather late (8pm or so) and the restaurant was empty. The cooks (again, wife and husband I believe) greeted me and their daughter (?) brought me a tall glass of water (good sign) and the menu. Soups ranged from $7.95 to $11.95 or so, and most meals were around $10-12, so a bit pricier than Hwang Kum. Nevertheless, I went ahead and ordered 김치찌개 (kimchi jjigae, basically spicy soup with kimchi, onions, tofu and small bits of pork)
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/ijustwontheinternet/b8602715.jpg)
AND…
![[image loading]](http://geoffmartin.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/soju.jpg)
SOJU OH YEAHHHH~.
(For anyone not from Quebec, you must know that we don’t have free reign on alcohol importation. There’s a government society who does all the importation and if what you want isn’t in their list, gl finding it. On very rare occasions, you’ll find private importations (which I believe aren’t legal, unless you ask the government)). To anyone who has never tasted soju, imagine vodka but slightly sweeter. But it’s only half the alcohol % and it kicks as much. Wtf?
You’ll be paying a pretty penny ($20 a pop) for that soju, but good luck finding some in the first place.
While I was eating, the wife came out and started asking if everything was fine so I obviously complimented her on her kimchi (which was, by the way, not too spicy but very flavorful as well) and then the husband came out and when he noticed I had a bottle of soju on my table he just had to come over and ask You know soju? Soju Korean!
Overall, Chez Bong didn’t deceive it all. Great service, good food, slightly higher prices but what do you expect in Chinatown? Also, Soju. Nuff said. 4.5/5*
Shopping:
Épicerie Coréene et Japonaise
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6151, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H4B 1L9
514-487-1672
514-487-1672
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2109 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montreal, Communauté-Urbaine-de-Montréal, Quebec
Miyamoto Foods Inc.
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382 Victoria Avenue Montreal H3Z 2N4
all they have is like a couple of asian beers (Asahi, Kirin Ichiban and 2 chinese beers is what I've seen so far, but every SAQ is different so idk). I drank soju @ Chez Bong.
