One of my best friends was visiting from the UK (she of course has lived in Toronto) but I got to take her around the city so she could see it through my eyes. It was an unnecessarily cold and rainy Monday in March but we made the most of it with a boozy lunch, shopping and then a little bar hopping down Queen West. We ended up at Odd Seoul on Ossington for dinner which if you ask a few people at my office it is their ABSOLUTE favorite spot serving up American/Korean style tapas. I had only been there once before and it was nothing overtly memorable but remembered that the vibe was super warm and cozy and in all honesty was one of the few places open on this night. I had no idea almost everything was closed on Mondays.
There were already quite a few people there and we were seated right away at one of their bar height communal tables. It’s a small dimly lit environment with tons of reclaimed wood, hip hop running on the speaker system and décor elements that were apparently sourced from a friend’s dad’s junk yard, the likes of ‘90s boom boxes and an old Olympic diving board cut down to a bar shelf. I ordered my 2nd old fashioned of the evening while my bestie had one of their classic cocktails called the Snow White – Gin + sake + yuzu lemon syrup.
Photo Credit: blogTO
On the chopping block for food was the:
– The Loosey
– Steamed Bun
– Buffalo fried Tofu
– Spicy scallion & Avocado Slaw
Overall the food was good, nothing that I would be craving on the regular but nothing awful either. The Loosey is probably one of their most popular dishes which could be described as a breakfast slider made of short rib and brisket cooked with onions and then topped with Kimchi hollandaise and served on toast.
My favorite was probably the steamed pork bun filled with tender pork tossed in a sweet/spicy sauce with lettuce and onions and a creamy sauce. One of my besties who joined us for dinner is a vegetarian and I have to say that the two dishes she ordered were pretty damn good. I often feel that restaurants make their veggie dishes half hazardly and without much thought but both dishes were flavorful and fresh. I would 100% order the Buffalo fried tofu again.
So would I come here again, sure I would. I have however heard about some insane waits to get a table, not worth it for me.
Discover Odd Seoul:
Twitter: @TO_Oddseouls
Instagram: @TO_Oddseouls
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OddSeoul
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Mili in the City 