Wednesday, February 20, 2013
GALIT RODAN / FOR THE TORONTO STAR
The dining vibe at A-Ok. "Picture a cheery roadside stand with 34 seats at green picnic tables, cedar shingles and dance music."
I do. It’s a disservice to diners as well as bad business. Restaurants traditionally make good profits on rice pudding and ice cream. This question is spawned by two of Toronto’s hottest new downtown eateries. OddSeoul and A-Ok Foods are practically neighbours along the Queen West/Ossington axis. Both are deliberately casual outgrowths of popular restaurants. Both serve Asian snacks and shareable entrées on plastic Chinese plates. Both are enjoyable in their own way. Yet once the last sticky chicken wing finger is licked and draft glass drained, the meal comes screeching to a halt, at least for now. Other bar-restaurant hybrids, such as 416 Snack Bar on Bathurst St., serve dessert . “We are saving our pennies for a soft-serve ice cream machine,” says A-Ok co-owner Matt Cherkas of the $5,000 piece of equipment. “We will make black sesame variations and build the dessert menu around those.” The Han brothers behind OddSeoul were also planning to buy a soft-serve machine but lost out to a higher bidder. “I’m thinking of making homestyle pies starting soon,” says Leemo Han. There are many similarities between the separated-at-birth spots. Here’s a sampling. OddSeoul Three Stars out of 4 Address: 90 Ossington Ave., Chef: Leemo Han Hours: Monday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Reservations: No Wheelchair access: No Price: Dinner for two with beer, tax and tip: $50 Opened: Dec. 3, by brothers Leemo and Leeto Han (Swish by Han) Vibe: Loud funk and restaurant-industry types fill the 40-seat room tricked out like a badass rec room with vintage ghetto blasters, barber chairs and World War II ammunition on the beer taps. Menus: Clipboard Drinks: Cucumber-infused soju ($15) is like high-proof spa water. Three draft beers ($7), plastic glasses for water and $11 cocktails without written description. Service: Good eye contact, solid menu explanation, laidback but competent. Wings: Excellent and enormous, approaching turkey size (three for $7). Super crunchy from the fryer and slick with gochujang-spiked barbecue sauce, with sneaky heat from sliced jalapeños. Ssam: Roll-your-own creamy pork belly platter ($25) using three kinds of lettuce leaves (buttery Boston, crisp iceberg and frilly loose leaf). Vary each package by adding firm charcoal-grilled shrimp, napa kimchi and sesame-chili relish. on the side, mild kimchi fried rice. Bulgogi: Bland, greasy cheesesteak ($5) is more banh mi baguette and mayo than rib-eye. Salad: Sesame-scented avocado slaw ($5) breaks the dominant mayo-kimchi-gojuchang flavour profile. Best: Big Mac homage “The Loosey” ($5) is a tiny gem of smashed rib-eye/short-rib hamburger slid between toasted challah with shredded lettuce, white American cheese, dill pickles and “special sauce” — kimchi hollandaise. Poutine ($7) is a nice surprise of crisp buttercup squash cubes covered in Japanese curry sauce with cheese curds. Worst: Greasy steamed bun ($5). Conclusion: Gooey, filling and sometimes monotonous on the palate, but just the trick for a night on the town. A-Ok Foods 2.5 stars out of 4 Address: 930 Queen St. W. (at Shaw St.), second floor, 647-352-2243, aokfoods.ca Chef: Chris Jang Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Reservations: No Wheelchair access: No Price: Dinner for two with beer, tax and tip: $50 Opened: Nov. 26, by Matt Cherkas, Dan Hawkins and Aleem Jamal-Kabani (Yours Truly) Vibe: Picture a cheery roadside stand with 34 seats at green picnic tables, cedar shingles and dance music. Menus: Blackboard Drinks: Two wines ($7), Creemore Pilsner ($6) and cooling horchata ($3.50), a Mexican spiced rice drink. Service: Flighty and inattentive Wings: So-called Chino wings (eight for $8.50) are small, dry and mildly numbing due to Szechuan pepper. Ssam: Bodacious preassembled packages ($7) of firm pork belly in Boston lettuce, with soy bean paste lightly pickled daikon and carrot, coriander kimchi, sunflower seeds and walnuts under a chiffonade of coriander. Bulgogi: Shaved beef “torta” ($7.50) successfully fuses Italian (melted provolone), Mexican (guacamole) and Japanese (shiso) in a squishy white hamburger bun. Homemade fuego hot sauce (“fire” in Spanish) is only for those with asbestos palates. Salad: Tender ox tongue salad ($7) goes deliciously Middle Eastern with chopped romaine, cucumber, tomato, za’atar and sumac. Best: Ramen ($10.50) in profound chicken broth balanced by yuzu; tart goji berries lighten richly gorgeous grilled pork garnish. Worst: Too much vinegar kills brussels sprouts ($7) with bacon and smoked bonito flakes. Dan dan noodles ($10.50) glom together in their peanut-ground pork sauce. Conclusion: Better food but shakier on hospitality; a good spot for a quick lunch or early dinner. CORRECTION: This article was edited from a previous version that included am incorrect phone number for OddSeoul.PhotosView gallery
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