Their freshly-made kimchi came in a ceramic pot, with a generous portion inside. Due to it being made that morning, the garlic is quite strong, and can sometimes veer into the unpleasant territory.
The large shabu shabu pot came stuffed with vegetables, rice cakes, mandu, and topped with some slices of beef. Noodles or rice are included with this item, and they usually offer it after you have finished the pot, so you can mix it in with the remaining soup.
If the king-sized dumplings ($10.99) are what attracts you to Myungdong Kalkuksu Noodle and Shabu Shabu, they're worth a try but don’t get too excited. For me, there's a reason the dumplings didn't make it into the restaurant's name (after all, they're highlighting "noodles" and "shabu shabu"); sure the gigantic tennis ball sized look impressive, but they merely taste passable.
The pork filling is combined with a filler, which could be egg white, so there's a crumbly texture to the dumpling with little actual meat flavour. What stands out the most is the chives peppered throughout creating a rather bland dumpling that really requires kimchi, hot sauce, or ponzu for flavour. Moreover, what I love most about dumplings is the juices that collect within the wrapper… at Myungdong Kalkuksu there is none.
Luckily, you’ll get plenty of kimchi and having heard the compliments from reviewers about this complimentary side dish, I can see why it’s so well regarded. The cabbage is fresh and crispy and the spicy sauce spiked with tons of garlic for an aromatic heat. Our table of two almost finished the entire jar.
Their shabu shabu ($15.99 a person for a minimum of 2 people) is a fair size, especially if you add on dumplings, and has a sufficient amount of thinly
Despite being a restaurant that advertises Noodles & Shabu Shabu in their name, interestingly enough, it's their myeongdong dumplings that keep me coming back for more. The dumplings are gigantic and really yummy! They have the perfect combination of thin wrapper, lots of tasty meat and veggies and they've trapped all this flavourful soup inside when they're steamed. The restaurant gets super busy, so be prepared to wait in line (even though the service is usually pretty fast).
This place is a korean staple. I always get the dumpling soup!! Their dumplings are all made in house are are huge!!! And super delicious!! I can barely finish 4! This place is famous for their kimchi and they make it so good!! That is the one and only side dish that comes out and trust me if you love kimchi you will fall in love. Be careful, your breath will be atrocious for the remainder of the day!
We checked out what other tables were having and decided we weren’t up to cooking (shabu shabu) so we opted for dumplings and noodle soup. Some of the servers understood English but it was limited, so pictures on the menu did help a lot. Instead of the usual ban chan with kimchi and beansprouts, they served the most delicious kimchi I’ve ever had-- in a pot. It was sweet and spicy and had me reaching for my tissue with sniffles. I loved it!
We ordered handmade noodles prepared in a few ways. I shared with DD#2 the regular Myungdong Mandoogok soup while Grandma had this same one with mixed dumpling and rice cake.
Hubby shared with DD#1 noodles with hot spice. He claims it is the spiciest soup he has ever had in his life—and we both have had some very spicy Thai food in Bangkok!
Needless to say, DD#1 could not finish her meal and opted to eat more of the other dish we ordered—the Myungdong king-sized dumpling. The dumplings came in a steamer container. They were about the size of a small fist and were packed with meat and leek. They were perfect with the sweet-sour soy sauce mix. Don’t ask me how many I had! If you haven’t tried Korean-style dumplings, this is a great place to try it out!
We arrived and there were many seats available and got seated quickly at a table. Each of the tables have a burner element but we rarely do hot pot at this restaurant for lunch time. The servers were quick and very attentive to our tea requests. The restaurant serves a default kimchi dish to everyone. This is one of the best tasting kimchi across Toronto in my opinion.
Lucky, the menu is similar to costco - limited choices especially lunch! I ordered mega dumplings - size of hand fist (which is well known at this restaurant) and my other colleague got manduguk (dumpling soup). It took about 10 minutes for the order to come and was well worth the wait.
Very authentic and delicious soup. The meat dumplings are huge and tasty. You get a big clay bowl of kimchi. The portions are a good size and we slurped every drop of soup.
Really good kimchee, noodle soup, best dumplings in town and shabu shabu. They are very consistent in their taste and quality they use high quality ingredients. I would definitely be back when Im craving dumplings and noodle soup.
Best kimchi I've had in the GTA! Their dumplings are amazing and made with fresh ingredients. This Korean is impressed.
Their kimchi is amazing. Every time we go the food is good and the taste is consistent.
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