Dining Out: A Korean BBQ Birthday Feast at Daldongnae

Well, I've officially entered the last year of my 30s. And to celebrate my 39th, I went to watch J-Hope's Hope on the Stage: The Movie with Minji (who is not an ARMY, but I was so proud of her for knowing six songs!) and then we met up with Daniel for a Korean BBQ feast at Daldongnae, which has unintentionally become a birthday tradition for me.

Pork belly, thin sliced pork belly, and beef boneless short rib
Pork belly
Pork belly
Thin sliced pork belly
Beef boneless short rib
Beef boneless short rib
Black tiger shrimp
Black tiger shrimp
Kimchi jeon
Doenjang jjigae

Two orders of pork belly, thin sliced pork belly (you know, for a crispier experience), and beef boneless short rib, with side orders of black tiger shrimp, assorted mushrooms, and kimchi pancake. (We got the kimchi jeon because Daniel doesn't eat seafood and while it's decent, the seafood pajeon is so much better. The one at Daldongnae is still one of the best I've ever had. Minji and I have vowed to get it next time we come here, Daniel's tastebuds be damned.) The BBQ also comes with unlimited egg, corn cheese, lettuce for wraps, garlic slices, kimchi, soybean stew, and a variety of banchan (I don't care what anyone says, acorn jelly is the best of them all and I'm pretty sure between me and Minji, we had at least eight refills).

In lieu of birthday cake (I already blew out a birthday candle at last night's dinner, anyway), we went over to Tiger Sugar for bubble tea and croffles. A lovely ending to a perfectly low-key birthday.

Daldongnae

135 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4

(905) 707-0683

Dining Out: Spicy Tteokbokki, Black Pepper Fried Chicken, and Soy Garlic Fried Chicken at Bb.q Chicken

Craving Korean fried chicken, Minji, Daniel, and I met up for an early dinner at bb.q Chicken.

Spicy tteokbokki
Black pepper boneless fried chicken
Soy garlic boneless fried chicken

I don't eat Korean fried chicken that often anymore, but I gotta say, bb.q Chicken is still my favourite and my go-to after all these years. Their slogan is "best of the best quality chicken" (yes, that's what the "bb.q" stands for) and while I don't know if they're the BEST OF THE BEST, they are extremely consistent. Their menu has a big variety of chicken types and flavours, appetizers, and sides, but still manages to be well-curated. Aside from the ultra-spicy selections, I've yet to try a chicken flavour I didn't like, whether dry, sauced, or topped. (Every iteration of their tteokbokki is also amazing. I have yet to be disappointed.) And the best part? Their boneless option is always dark meat, so it's NEVER DRY (!!!). And that in itself will always bring me back here instead of other KFC restaurants.

bb.q Chicken

8110 Birchmount Rd., Unit 1 and 2

Markham, ON L6G 0E3

(905) 305-8110

Dining Out: Gimmari and Beef Noodle Soup at Jeon Ju Hyang

Since I'm still getting over my cold, it was obviously time for more noodle soup. So I went back to Jeon Ju Hyang with my mom. I don't know if they've always had this combo deal on their menu or if it's apart of the revamp they seem to have had in the last year, but they offer an appetizer + noodle + can of pop combo for $24.99, which I think is a pretty good value. There's six options each for the appetizer and the noodle dish, so I decided on the gimmari and the beef noodle soup.

Gimmari
Beef noodle soup

For some reason, I'd never gotten any of the appetizers here, but the gimmari is freaking delicious, chockfull of glass noodles and super crispy on the outside. Would absolutely order again, even without the combo. The beef noodle soup was good, but I do think the chicken version here is better — I'm not sure if it's the way they marinade their chicken or the way they cook it, but I prefer the flavour of it more than the beef, which seems more ginger-forward. Regardless, either one works perfectly if you've got a cold. (Ask for more tissues, though — you will have to blow your nose at least a dozen times throughout the meal as the steam works it's way through your nasal passages...)

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup) at Jeon Ju Hyang

It was inevitable after too little sleep and traveling on a plane: I caught a cold. After three straight days of honey lemon water and canned soup, I needed real food. Which means a big fat bowl of noodle soup.

Jjamppong

I used to go to Jeon Ju Hyang with my mom at least twice a month. But I'd actually been boycotting them because I got COVID from a server there last January, right before my trip to Asia. (I know it was that specific server, too, because he was coughing over my food while carrying it to the table WITHOUT A MASK ON. I felt sick the next day and took a COVID rapid test and it came out positive. Like, SUPER DARK LINES. I lost my sense of taste for over a week and will never forgive that smug teenage motherfucker.) But I decided to give them a try again because I very specifically wanted their jjamppong and the craving was unreal. And, you know, it's been nearly two years. It was time to let go of my grudge.

Turns out, they've had a bit of an overhaul — completely new staff, a revamped menu, and it seems like new ownership, too. (Except the BTS poster they've had up since opening is still there, which is what really matters.) But most importantly, the jjamppong is just as delicious and satisfying as I remember it. So, consider my boycott over. 

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Downtown Markham Food Fest 2025

Since we didn't make it out to the CNE this year (which, aside from the hour-long commute from the GTA and the most anxiety-inducing parking space hunt, has become way too expensive — with a $25 admission fee this year, an all-time high — and way too crowded), I asked Minji and Daniel if they'd be interested in going to the Downtown Markham Food Fest after work yesterday, which has free admission and is way less stressful than going to downtown Toronto. 

Korean beef bulgogi tater tots from Crunch Alley
Beef, lamb, and sausage skewers from Chinese Northern BBQ
Tornado potato with garlic parmesan from Happy Twist
Taiwanese sweet potato balls from Sweet Potato Ball

Along with live music and performances, they have 40 local vendors this year. Since we got there right when they opened, it wasn't crowded yet and we could take the time to peruse all the food options. There were some vendors that we vetoed off the bat — mostly the Korean food ones that Minji insisted were way too overpriced (e.g. $13 for a Korean corn dog, $8 for a small cup of tteokbokki), but also the multiple vendors that are selling the exact same things (mostly the Chinese BBQ skewers), as well as the higher end local restaurants (like Pears and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse) because their price points were too high for what they were offering. (Also because they're quite literally across the street, so we could easily go to the actual restaurants if we wanted to.)

We ended up with Korean beef bulgogi tater tots (wish there was more kimchi and cucumbers, but the tots were super crunchy and the beef was well-seasoned — 4/5); a variety of Chinese BBQ skewers (9 skewers for $20 is a steal, but the vendor we ended up going to used pre-grilled skewers, so re-heating them on the grill made the beef and lamb a little too chewy, though the sausage was excellent — 3/5); a tornado potato that Minji added copious amounts of delicious garlic parmesan seasoning to (the potato was perfectly fried resulting in really nice crispy edges with the inside still giving a nice chew — 5/5); and Taiwanese sweet potato balls that are basically sweet potato-based donuts that have the most spectacular mochi-like chew (they were also dusted with this sweet-tart purple powder that made them taste like apple fritters and were INSANELY GOOD — 5/5). It was about $17 per person for everything, and we were surprisingly full. (I say "surprisingly," because I usually get way more than this at food festivals. But then again, there were no line-ups, so I guess there was no time to digest in between orders...)

It's not marketed as an Asian food fest which is why it was far less crowded than we expected (at least when we got there around 5:30PM which, admittedly, is a little earlier than most people's dinner times) and there's no stinky tofu (still not sure why people are so obsessed with it — it honestly tastes like regular fried tofu but just smells like sewer), but the majority of their offerings is exactly like an Asian night market, anyway. (It is in Markham, after all.) All of us wished there were more dessert options, but overall, I thought it was worth stopping by. And unlike the CNE or Ribfest, it's free to go in. Not sure why I had never bothered going before, but I will absolutely come back next year!

Downtown Markham Food Fest 2025

Downtown Markham

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

Dining Out: Marinated Raw Shrimp and Crab, Boiled Pork Belly, Stir-Fried Kimchi and Pork with Tofu, and Fish Cake Soup at Anju Korean Kitchen

As I was casually strolling through Instagram, I came by a reel of the raw marinated seafood at the newly-opened Anju Korean Kitchen and sent it to my friend Minji, who was so excited about it that she immediately suggested it for our reunion lunch with Daniel and Samuel. (I say "suggest," but there really was no choice in this. We were gonna eat some goddamn raw marinated seafood and no one was going to stop us.)

Marinated raw shrimp (spicy + soy)

Marinated raw crab (spicy + soy)

Boiled pork belly with green onion kimchi

Stir-fried kimchi and pork with tofu

Fish cake soup

Entirely worth visiting for the seafood alone. There are tons of Korean restaurants in the Toronto area, but very, very few of them offer marinated raw seafood, and Anju's is excellent. (Minji, a seafood-obsessed Korean who hasn't been able to eat raw meat or seafood in nearly a year because she was pregnant, was ecstatically satisfied.) Basically, we've already decided to come back here ASAP. But if the line-up out the door is any indication, I suspect that the wait times for a table will only get longer after their grand opening...

Anju Korean Kitchen

7333 Woodbine Ave., Unit 4

Markham, ON L3R 1C4

(905) 205-1547

Dining Out: Brown Pork Katsu at Brown Donkatsu

Okay, so one thing about having novovirus and eating just bland foods for a week means you quite literally crave everything that you can't eat which, in my case, is DEEP-FRIED ANYTHING. I was supposed to go to Brown Donkatsu for my friend Daniel's birthday last week but because of my sensitive stomach, we went to De Chou instead (which was also very delicious but didn't obviously curb the craving for deep-fried foods). So Minji, Daniel, and I finally went for dinner at Brown Donkatsu this evening and, let me tell you, it was everything I dreamed of.

Brown pork katsu

I got the original brown katsu, which is the classic Korean deep-fried cutlet in their signature brown sauce. I could not tell you what is in the brown sauce — it's like gravy but slightly tangier, maybe a touch fruitier — but IT IS DELICIOUS and is my most favourite accompaniment to katsu (curry is a close second, but still doesn't touch the brown sauce). The donkatsu here is also always spectacular: juicy and moist in the centre, and ultra-crispy and perfectly golden. Been coming here for over 15 years and it's still the best I've ever had. (And if it's any indication of how good the food is, this place is always packed, even on a random weekday evening.) CRAVING SATISFIED.

Brown Donkatsu

First Markham Place

3235 Highway 7, Unit 22

Markham, ON L3R 3P3

(905) 944-0990

Dining Out: Sundae and Seolleongtang at De Chou

I had novovirus for the past few days, so I've eaten nothing but white bread, rice, congee, and scrambled eggs since Sunday. Originally, I had made plans with Minji and Daniel to take Daniel out for an early birthday dinner at Brown Donkatsu (one of his favourite foods, which is fair). Except I can't go straight into eating deep fried/fattening foods after eating nothing but bland easy-to-digest foods for four days, so I asked Daniel if there was any other place they'd want to go to that was a little more stomach-friendly, and he said, "Let's go for some Seoul soul soup." So Minji suggested De Chou.

Sundae

Seolleongtang

We decided to share an order of sundae which, in Canada, is apparently mostly glass noodles and rice more than anything else so it's easy on the stomach. I've only ever had sundae in Korea, but the one here is still tasty and flavourful without any metallic aftertaste from the blood or intestines, so it might be easier for those new to sundae to try. Of course, what we came here for was "Seoul soul soup," which to Daniel, is seolleongtang — slices of beef brisket and glass noodles in a milky white beef bone broth served with rice on the side. I added enough salt to taste and then scooped my entire bowl of rice into the soup. Delicious, rich, warm, comforting.

Now I know why Daniel calls it "Seoul soul soup."

(And I'm happy to report: no stomach problems afterwards.)

De Chou

Victoria Business Centre

3601 Victoria Park Ave.

Scarborough, ON M1W 3Y3

(416) 497-8883

Dining Out: Tteok Mandu Guk and King-Size Meat and Kimchi Mandu at Jin Korean Noodles

My friends Minji, Daniel, Samuel, and I were all craving something hot, soupy, and comforting for dinner since it's been -10℃ everyday for the past week. So we made the unanimous decision to go to Jin Korean Noodles:

Tteok Mandu Guk
Half-Half King-Size Mandu

Since we just started the new year, I decided to get the tteok mandu guk (rice cake soup with dumplings) as per Korean New Year tradition, and we shared an order of their signature king-size mandu (half meat and half meat with kimchi). I gotta say, I've been coming here since they opened during the pandemic and they never disappoint. Their line-ups get crazy but it's always worth the wait. Will have to come back ASAP for my favourite kalguksu. It's noodle soup season, after all.

Jin Korean Noodles

230 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Unit 7

Thornhill, ON L3T 7Y3

(905) 764-5922

Dining Out: Pork Belly, Beef Short Ribs, Beef Rib Finger Meat, and Seafood Pajeon at Daldongnae

While I ate some amazing things in Orlando, the one thing I really started to miss was Asian food. Minji and I were hardcore craving Korean BBQ, so along with Daniel, we headed over to my favourite K-BBQ restaurant, Daldongnae, where we feasted on pork belly, beef short ribs, beef rib finger meat, and seafood pajeon, and MY GOD, IT HIT THE SPOT.

K-BBQ grill and banchan

Pork belly, beef short ribs, and beef rib finger meat

Pork belly

Pork belly

Beef short ribs and beef rib finger meat

Seafood pajeon

For some reason, the first meal I eat out when I come back home from traveling anywhere is Korean food, and it is always particularly satisfying.

Daldongnae

135 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4

(905) 707-0683

Dining Out: The Banatella at Croffle House

The Banatella

Went to Croffle House with Minji and Daniel for a little dessert. In honour of Jungkook's birthday, I got the Banatella Croffle (banana and Nutella, if you couldn't tell by the name), dedicated to his love of banana milk. (Also because I just like the combination of banana and Nutella. But I'm sure he likes Nutella, right? Who doesn't like Nutella?) I said before, croffle > waffle > pancake, and this has only solidified my opinion. (I'm sure Jungkook would agree.)

Croffle House

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Unit 83

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-1615

Dining Out: So-tteok So-tteok, Cheese Corn, "Gangnam Style" Wings Combo, and Padak Fried Chicken at Bb.q Chicken

Starting the long weekend off right with Minji and Daniel at bb.q Chicken:

So-tteok so-tteok

Cheese corn

"Gangnam Style" Wings Combo

Padak fried chicken

BBQ Chicken revamped their menu recently, so when we saw so-tteok so-tteok and cheese corn, we knew we had to get them alongside our fried chicken. Of course, the chicken here never disappoints (today's choices were the "Gangnam Style" wings with fries, which is an ultra-tasty combination of black pepper sauce with garlic and onions, and the Padak fried chicken, a classic crowd-pleaser and my personal favourite), and cheese corn is always a reliable side dish, but this is the first time I tried deep-fried tteok and it's pretty goddamn revolutionary. Easily a must-order here. Now, I'm not going to say it replaces tteokbokki because that would be blasphemous, but if you're in the mood for tteok but want something less saucy, the so-tteok so-tteok here (which is served deconstructed rather than on skewers) is fucking glorious.

bb.q Chicken

8110 Birchmount Rd., Unit 1 and 2

Markham, ON L6G 0E3

(905) 305-8110

Dining Out: A Reunion Korean BBQ Dinner at Daldongnae

My friend Hannan is in town this weekend and called me up to see if I was free to meet up. I haven't seen him since his wedding in 2019 so, of course, we had to have a reunion dinner. He wanted Asian food so I suggested Korean BBQ and he very enthusiastically agreed (they do not have many Asian food options where he lives). So off to Daldongnae we went:

Beef boneless short rib and beef tenderloin

Beef boneless short rib

Beef tenderloin

Kimchi fried rice with cheese

Seafood pajeon

Since he doesn't eat pork, it was all beef tonight, which was actually a really nice change (I love samgyeopsal, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you just need some short rib), and the kimchi fried rice and seafood pajeon were the perfect accompaniments. It was his first time trying both, and he was absolutely DELIGHTED. (I mean, that's fair.) He's only been to Korean BBQ once before and it was an AYCE place, which basically doesn't count, so I'm so glad I could introduce him to an authentic experience. Only problem now is, he loved it so much that I think he may develop an addiction to K-BBQ.

Daldongnae

135 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4

(905) 707-0683

Dining Out: Padak Fried Chicken, Gangjeong Fried Chicken, and Rose Tteokbokki at Bb.q Chicken

Dinner at bb.q Chicken with Daniel and Minji because there's nothing like fried chicken after two days of eating hot pot:

Padak fried chicken
Gangjeong fried chicken
Rose tteokbokki

I asked Daniel and Minji to make the flavour decisions, so they ended up ordering two that I'd never tried before and I inadvertently found my new fave flavour in the padak chicken. I didn't even think I liked green onion that much, but the flavour and texture of it works supremely well with sweet, tangy fried chicken. Anyway, the new goal is to make my way through the entire BBQ Chicken menu now. (Except for maybe the ultra-spicy variants. I do value my tastebuds.)

bb.q Chicken

8110 Birchmount Rd., Unit 1 and 2

Markham, ON L6G 0E3

(905) 305-8110

Dining Out: Galbi Q Fried Chicken Combo, Crispy Shrimp Menbosha, and Rose Tteokbokki at Bb.q Chicken

What's the perfect meal to eat after watching the Agust D Tour movie? Korean fried chicken, of course.

Galbi Q fried chicken combo
Crispy shrimp menbosha
Rose tteokbokki

I don't know if it's because I haven't had fried chicken in over half a year or because I just haven't had Korean food in months, but this meal was, like, extra satisfying? The shrimp menbosha is still revolutionary, of course, and the rose tteokbokki is reliably delicious, but as someone who usually prefers non-sauced fried chicken, I thought the Galbi Q flavour fried chicken was incredible. It's sweet like honey garlic, but it has a deeper, smokier, more savoury flavour. Would absolutely order again. (Oh, and best tip: Dip the fries into the rose sauce from the tteokbokki. It's SO FREAKING GOOD.) Bb.q Chicken, you remain my favourite Korean fried chicken restaurant. "Best of the best quality," indeed. 

bb.q Chicken

8110 Birchmount Rd., Unit 1 and 2

Markham, ON L6G 0E3

(905) 305-8110