Review Damso Modern Korean Cuisine - Vancouver

One of the best Korean Restaurants in town🙌🏻The atmosphere is cozy and relaxing. The staff were very nice and friendly! We ordered their signature 48hr slow cook short ribs, Pork Belly Korean BBQ,Spicy Tofu Soup and Chestnut Makguli~I love the juicy ribs and the pork belly was paired with fresh lettuces that took away the oily feeling of the pork. It was our first time trying Makguli in an unique chestnut flavour: nutty and delicious, which balanced well with the food😊

Very disappointed with their takeouts, the portion is fairly small for one person, they do give rice on the side, but the amount of ribs I get for what I pay, I will not order it again. Flavour wise, its on the sweeter side with a lot of greasiness. The meat is not tender enough as described braised for 48hours, it’s quite chewy. I am amazed with all the good reviews, but if a restaurant can’t even do good for takeaways, how worthy can they be for a dine in.

This place is quite busy so I had to wait ~30mins to get a table for 4. The food was really great. It was worth waiting. Pork belly: very tender and juicy. You must try this menu! Seafood rice: lots of seefood and veggies, the mixed in sauce was delicious. Soybean soup: it’s a beef soybean soup in a stone pot. It was hot and delicous. This is my personal favorite. Galbi: the meat was tender and not spicy. I liked the combination with ricecakes and potatoes.

The pork belly and slow cooked short ribs are must tries! The pork belly is tender, with sauce made in-house. The Slow cooked short rib is full of flavor and melts in my mouth. This dish goes great with rice. Pair all of this with chestnut flavored makguli and you have a perfect korean meal.

Had all you can eat pork belly which was a good deal and not too bad food wise. Service was friendly except when asking for more food. Each time we asked for things like lettuce or meat, they would tell us to finish first. But it takes them time to cook so you end up sitting for 5mins without food. Even lettuce had to be completely empty before they brought anything to us. Note the remaining piece of lettuce was a tiny piece. And when asked for multiple things eg sauce, lettuce, meat and onion, they only bring one item. So it felt like we had to beg for our food when we ordered all you can eat (ayce). I suggest if the restaurant feels like they are making a loss offering ayce, then stop offering. Making us feel like we are begging for food when we ordered and paid for is not appreciated.

Another good Korean Fried Chicken place in Vancouver. The portion size, however, is huge so you won't be able to dine alone. There is also no sauced option like other Korean Fried Chicken restaurants. Would come back again.

Really great service, and the pork belly was SO delicious! The music made for a great vibe as well. We were sad to see so many delicious looking items crossed off an already pretty small menu, but apparently they might be introducing some new things. As well, the space could use a little sprucing up (could look a little fancier to match the price), and it gets very chilly when customers come and go. Overall though it was so tasty and friendly so we will be back!

Didn't think I'd like it but was pleasantly surprised. They have an all you can eat menu as well as individual items. The Korean Tacos were amazing.

One of my favorite restaurant.... all you can eat is the best �

The best Korean BBQ in Van!

The food was incredible. We will definitely be back!

$15.99 All You Can Eat Pork Belly �Thanks For the delicous time!

Good :)

Very tasty Korean BBQ. We got the all you can eat menu for $17.99. Endless food. The miso was delish and the pork was seasoned so well. I went with my Korean friend who gave it the tick of approval. Good value if you go hungry! Would recommend.

came here during lunch, for the price and korean food around the area, and in comparison to this, i think it's definitely on the cheap side. Then, ordered gam ja tang, and the one over here is slightly more sweeter, and the rest of the food is definitely okay, it's a good spot to satisfy your craving at a cheaper price. taste wise it's different but it's not as good as other korean restaurant. i think it lacks the kick of korean spice.

I have been missing Korean food so much so why not write a post about it and just miss it some more right?. Damso was one of the restaurants that I always wanted to try and I was finally able to go try it out! As always, banchan is always a must. Spicy tofu soup: Definitely one of the spiciest tofu soups I’ve ever tried! I mean I’m sure you can tell it was tomato red! I liked that there were so many chopped veggies in it too and there was actually flavor to it instead of tasting like kimchi water. There was definitely a block of tofu in there as well.

What I ate: Gamjatang (24 hour broth of pork, pork on the bone, potato, wild sesame, served with rice). For a short little while, I was obsessed with Gamjatang. I would get it at every Korean restaurant that I went to. I’ve been going to Damso since they opened and this was the first time that I got their Gamjatang. This was a really good version! I would definitely put it up there as one of my top 5 gamjatangs.

Very small shop on the Westend. Reasonable price for lunch special and surprisingly big portion with rice and kimchi. The beef Bulgogi tastes very good. Will recommend to others. And wouldn't mind trying again for dinner.

My first choice for Korean food tonight was swamped. I couldn't even get noticed at the door. There was no wait here, I was starving so why not? I've eaten here a few times and find food and service to be pretty consistent.<br/><br/>Awwww...too much of a good thing. Today we ordered the Korean fried chicken. It was a big plate of crispy, tender, boneless chicken with a spicy, sweet sauce that packs a garlic punch. So good, but too much for two people. It got boring after awhile. Wish they offered a half order.<br/><br/>Also had the bibimbop with pork. Loved the crispy, crunchy rice when it comes off the stone pot. The egg that topped the rice was nicely soft poached so it added a nice richness once it's all mixed together. The portion could've been larger...I wanted more!<br/><br/>The restaurant does get full quickly. The clientele mostly consists of students who are looking for a great meal and alcohol at a reasonable price. They could improve on the banchan though - it's very small.

Ordered seafood waffles, which were mediocre, and fried chicken, which were pretty good. Wanted pork bone soup and korean tacos instead but were not available so pretty disappointed. KFC had spicy sauce and crispy boneless skin.

I went there last weekend. Quite crowded during lunch time. Definitely recommand!! I ordered hot stone bibimbop of spicy pork. It was so tasty, which has a lot of healthy vegs and provides korean hot sauce( you can add according to your preferrence). I wanna go there again with some friends, and then we can share some big meat dishes😁😁

My friend and I tried this place for the first time and we loved it!! We got the gamjatang and kalbee osso buco and they were both fantastic with the osso buco being slightly better. The flavor was robust and authentic. The meat in both the dishes were tender and fall-of-the-bones delicious! The place is tiny so we recommend going right when it opens. The only thing that could be improved was the service - there is only one waitress and it was difficult for her to be attentive to everybody needs. I always have to ask for my water to be refilled. Aside from that - everything was fantastic and I can't wait to come back with my husband.

If you are looking for a good Korean restaurant in Downtown Vancouver, Denman and Robson is the area to be. Ma Dang Goul is one that I have been to, and recently I tried Damso Modern Korean Cuisine. Damso has two locations (one on Denman and one on Bute) and has generally received favourable reviews. I visited Damso on Denman twice recently and in this post I will review my experiences.

Was ok.. Not great value (quality vs price)...just ok. They were a little cheap with the side dishes. However the service was very good and the Korean girls were cute 😉. This location is better than the one off of Robson St. <br/>

Loved their pork belly lettuce wraps! Such a refreshing taste to the palette. The sauce in their topokki was very well done and flavorful. It added a nice compliment to the bimbimbap! It was sad they weren't serving the korean tacos went we went but it's a reason to go back!

I have only tried 2 things here: the pork bulgogi and the ttokbokki&chicken. The ttokbokki (if I'm even spelling this somewhat correctly) was BOMB. the sauce was spicy enough with just the right amount of sweet and tangy flavour to awaken mah senses. However, the pork bulgogi disappointed me cause the sauce tasted watered down and cheaply flavoured.. I would come back to try some other things..

PROS<br/>+ Soybean paste soup was pretty good<br/>+ Friendly service<br/>+ Decent price<br/><br/>CONS<br/>- Friendly service yet slow<br/>- Wish they used better quality meat<br/><br/>RATING<br/>Food 3.0/5.0<br/>Ambience 2.0/5.0<br/>Service 3.0/5.0<br/>Price $, $$<br/>My parents and I came here for Samgyupsal but we originally didn't plan to have AYCE. I actually didn't know they had a such thing but then the waitress asked us if we wanted AYCE which was $19.19 per person including AYCE Samgyupsal, soybean paste soup, rice, side dish and lettuce. It seemed not too bad as I could eat a lot although my parents barely eat.  <br/>Side dishes included kimchi, pickled radish and onion salad with vinegary sweet sauce. Lettuce and Ssamjang (the sauce for samgyupsal) came along too. Obviously not the best side dishes but bearable.<br/><br/>For the first round, they gave us 6 chunks of samgyupsal and for the second round we got 4. The samgyupsal didn't taste very good as the meat part didn't have any fat marbling, but only had chunks of pure fat attached to the meat. The meat was rather dry and tough, not juicy at all. My parents didn't like it at all saying the meat quality is too low. <br/><br/>I guess they enjoyed the soup more than the samgyupsal. It had some sliced beef, tofu, zucchini and mushrooms. It was pretty good. Overall, it was satisfying meal in terms of quantity but not quality. If I come back I wouldn't order AYCE samgyupsal as it seems like they have more creative modern Korean cuisine.

Very good and waiters very nice :) <br/>we took the seafood and spicy pork hot stones : excellent with fresh ingredients<br/>The korean taco with beef was also delicious

There are so many restaurants on Denman St. that Sara and I would love to try. After an afternoon walk in the area, the list of places we want to try grew exponentially. From the list of many, we picked Damso as our first adventure. Damso doesn’t have a whole lot of floor space and, when busy, seating can be very snug. Apparently, Damso had “all you can eat” on their menu when the first opened but no longer have this available. I can only imagine how crazy and packed the place would be if there were several tables doing all you can eat. The seating is not spacious enough for food gorging – not for me anyways. Damso serves what they identify as “modern Korean cuisine”. Judging by their menu, Damso serves up some fusion items which do sound very interesting. We were at Damso prior to our FAT days and we had a Seafood Waffle, which is their version of the more traditional seafood pancake (hae mual pa jun). We were tempted to order the waffle again but we decided to try some new things.. Well sort of because Sara ordered her usual Gamjatang. Damso’s Gamjatang is slightly different from the ones we are used to at other places. The broth appears to be lighter in flavor. For most Gamjatangs, there is a noticeable soy bean taste. The Gamjatang came packed with potatoes, vegetables and pork bone, which was more than enough food to fill up Sara. We shared a Beef Tartar which was very good. The Beef Tartar is raw beef mixed with sesame oil, raw egg and apple slices. The entire mixture makes for a great appetizer; however, the Beef Tartar is expensive. I went for one of their fusion items in the Bulgogi Beef Burger. The beef slices were marinated well and had lots of flavor. While the burger was tasty, eating it was very messy as everything fell apart pretty easily. Also, the burger was greasy as there was quite a bit of mayo and the hot beef slices didn’t help by reducing the mayo to oil. The Bottom Line Damso Modern Korean Cuisine is a great place for a snack or light meal. T

Busy little Korean restaurant, with about 8 or 9 tables - get there early on a weekend or expect to wait. We ordered the Hot Plate Biminbap with spicy pork and the Kimchi Sirloin Burger - both really tasty! Our friends also tried the Spicy Pork Bulgogi which was really good. We'll definitely be back to try the Korean Tacos and for the $5 bottles of beer!

Korean Taco. Yummy at a great price!

Good value lunch special, especially on Denman!!. Went to Damso for Gam Ja Tang ($9.99) and Miso Beef Stew ($7.99) for lunch this past weekend and enjoyed the food! Service was a bit slow as there was only 1 waitress at the front and the restaurant was full. I liked the Gam Ja Tang as the pork bone portion was very generous but the soup can be more flavorful and strong (comparatively to that of Norboo). The miso beef stew was actually saltier but exhibits a good flavor. Both orders came with a bowl of rice and side dishes. The experience would have been better if there were more variety of side dishes (only pickled cubed radish and kimchi were served) but I would definitely return to try other things on the menu!!

Great Food unlike its Robson St Cousin. I don't know how 2 restaurants that are part of the same "chain"could be so different. Case in point, I went to the other Damso on Bute and Robson several months ago and hated it, so when my friend wanted to come here for lunch, i decided to grin and bear it. Turns out I didn't need to. This is everything the other location wasn't. Juicy, flavourful, all around good. Special mention to the Korean tacos that sound like ass but are really the highlight of the menu. This place deserves a spot among the other stars of the area...<br/><br/>...If only they could do something about their poor cousin.

Whenever I pass Damso Modern Cuisine on either their Bute or Denman Street location, I always think "meh". But at the same time, I always look back because of their advertised $9.99 gamjatang. The gamjatang in the photo looks pretty good too, showing a large chunk of potato and plenty of perilla seeds. So I decided to make a visit with a friend on her lunch break and made sure to check out their menu online beforehand. Damso on Denman Street is a three men operated restaurant, where there are two in the kitchen and one at the front. The man at the front was friendly and a professional. Since the tables are fairly small at Damso, we asked if the food can come out slower and not all once, and he brought over new plates when we moved onto the next dish. He was also patient when answering questions and it turns out the menu I found was from a couple of years ago, so the bossam along with the galbi steak I was looking forward to having were no longer available :(. The restaurant is small so there are only ten tables, but the seating arrangements are properly maximized. The high ceiling promotes a better air circulation and the restaurant is fairly clean too. KOREAN TACO WRAPS, "Hand stretched tortilla, beef, lettuce, onion, gochujang chilli sauce" ($2.50). Rating: 3.5/5. Korean tacos? Pfft. These were my exact thoughts, but boy did Damso prove me wrong. The taco is made to order (in our case), easy to chew, holds the ingredients well and has a light crisp. I especially like how the tortilla is pan fried without oil, just because I prefer that taste and texture more. The beef bulgolgi in the taco is not clumped up and ta

Love this place for one thing: their tacos. Korean tacos that are super tasty and only $1.99. Service is not very good but I keep on coming back for that.

Good food, horrible service. I went with my boyfriend to this restaurant by a friend's recommendation. They had a very nice Dine out menu. We loved it even though it was not specified the main was spicy. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the service. The girl with glasses who looks to be in charge was not nice at all. She only smiled when taking the payment. I had not finished my main and this girl brought us the ice cream. I had to ask her to bring it later as I was still finishing my main and I could see she did not really understand why I asked her to remove the dessert. She left the ice cream to my boyfriend without removing the plates of the main dish. Afterwards, I had to ask for the ice cream to be brought even though I could see she saw I finished my main. Afterwards, I said we would paid separately. Unfortunately I did the wrong calculations and she thought the tip was included, When I came back to ask her to have my money back she told me usually people leaves 15% tips. Well I would leave 15% or more when I am happy with the service. I did left 15% but I do not find polite a waitress tells you how much tip you should leave when the service was terrible. I would have left maybe a tip only for the chef, as the only good thing it was the food.

Lots of work needed for thier 2nd store on Robson & Bute. I have not been to Denman location.. but the 2nd new store on Bute and Robson.. their menu is very limited. Food is mediocre.. definitely over-priced for anything you get here its almost really ridiculous.. They DO NOT HAVE ANY side dishes!!! NO kimchi...NO nothing! unless you ask for kimchi they charge $3 for! KImchi comes in a small glass jar.. which was okay..until you asked them to pack it to go and it turns out they put some ugly part and also 1/3 of it only into a very pretty paper box package that was not even asked for. (This almost made me suspicious of them re-using it!?) <br/>Service was okay.. But Absolutely no way for me to go back to this place on Bute and Robson street.

Tacos ftw. Oh yes those korean spicy tacos. soy glazed meatballs are not that bad either.

Horrible. Served a SPOILED chicken and a day old rice. Lots and lots of problem in this restaurant. Horrible customer service. I am making an account to urbanspoon just to write this review. Group of us went for dinner and the rice felt a bit hard. We asked the waitress that the rice is somehow weird. What she says is "That's strange.. we cooked it last night." Umm.. we don't want to go to Korean restaurant and eat a day old rice. That wasn't all the problem. We ordered "Chicken Kalbee Ddok Bbokki." The rice cake tasted okay, but the CHICKEN TASTED SOUR and had this really strong chicken flavour!! I spit it out immediately. We were hesitating becausewe already complained about the rice, but we had to complain. The waitress didn't bother to say anything and called the chef. The chef took a bite of chicken, had this perplexing face expression, went into the kitchen. I am pretty sure he spit it out. Do you know what he said? "This is what it tastes like. There is nothing wrong with this chicken." Umm... okay... so a day old rice and a sour tasting chicken? I am Korean too. I know what chicken kalbee is supposed to taste like. It's not sour, it's supposed to be spicy and sweet. I asked him back that this dish is supposed to be sour or if he added a vinegar. He said no and took a dish away. We never received any apology. The chef just took it off the bill and that was it. Damso is so HORRIBLE. Please don't go to Damso and eat spoiled chicken and a day old rice.

Delicious food and cozy restaurant. I am a frequent patron of this establishment as they serve delicious home-grown "korean tacos". These amazing small soft tacos are topped with pieces of beef, onions and lettuce and a special sauce. Aside from the delicious tacos, if you're travelling here for some Korean food, do try the pork toro BBQ. Its where you're given pork toro slices to wrap in a romaine lettuce, with red onion bits and a special sauce. Delicious non the less. Price for the quality and quantity of food is on point, each dish (lunch time) around $7-10 dollars. Nice cozy environment with a somewhat open kitchen where there is upwards of two cooks, manager (owner) and two waitresses. Would highly recommend if you're in the Vancouver west-end neighborhood and looking for a delicious meal!

Delish and Delicious!. You can feel the passion of the chef. It's a small cozy place. It is a place where you feel like at home. The Korean taco is soooooo good! Everything is well done. :)

Last night was my first visit to damso. I was with a group of 5 people. The food was fantastic. I hat the spicy tofu soup with seafood and it was delicious. I also tried the scallops and Korean tacos. Both dishes were great. It was a small restaurant with only five tables but the service was great and the vibe was fun. We made reservations and our server was very friendly and helpful. I will be going back again.

Fantastic!!!. I've lurked on urban spoon for a long time, but registered just to leave this review.<br/><br/>I had the $7 lunch special -- which is cheap in the west end. There were a variety of items to choose from. I had the spicy tofu soup (comes with your choice of beef or shrimp). It was fantastic and came piping hot in a stone bowl with a side of rice, delicious kimchi, bean sprouts, and potato salad. Service was fast and friendly. Servings are large and satisfying.<br/><br/>It was hot but not super-spicy so I suspect it's dialed back a little for NA tastebuds...or as a westerner they added less spice for me. Next time I'll order more spice.<br/><br/>The place is clean, relaxing, and even though it's tiny I didn't feel cramped.<br/><br/>I highly recommend it and will definitely be back! If you're in the west end and you don't visit this spot you're definitely missing out.

Kalbee osso bucco is the best

Their Korean "Osso Buco" makes me want to move in.<br/><br/>It is. So. So. Good.

Horrible. Pricy.. Make no mistake, I have a cultured tongue, but I am not extremely picky. I have been to almost every Korean restaurant DT and Burnaby, and this place was amazingly mediocre.<br/><br/>The food quality was not so bad actually. It was nothing spectacular, but at least the dishes tasted okay. The portion was drastically small, however. 12 pieces of BoSsam for 20 dollars? Are they high? Sura had nearly double or triple the pieces cooked much better.<br/><br/>7 dollars for entrees was, by no means, any good, but was bearable. <br/><br/>The draft beer was not horrible. It was filthy. They put so much water in the beer that it tasted like a ridiculous amalgam of alcohol, malt, and slime. To be fair, the price was cheap, but I'd rather pay that extra three dollars for a better version of the same beer.<br/><br/>60 dollars came out for an inkling of what I would usually call dinner, and I was more than disappointed, and so was my friend.

I am skeptical about giving thumbs up. Tried this restaurant twice. Clean & well prepared food will bring you back. Unfortunately, I had a major allergic reaction to one of the dishes... my friends have agreed that the dish wasn't good either. Seafood udon? Too much spice and flavourless. I do give kudos for other dishes.... might have to try again to decide but def top modern Korean bistro in Vancouver.

Thumbs up for food and service!. Love this place! Both food and are very good! I had Kalbi Jjim (limited to 20 perday) for lunch. Beef briskets were very tender and extremely tasty! Just wish there were more veggies to balance out the meaty-ness. Our server (also the owner) was attentive, friendly and polite even though he looked so tired. Will go back for dinner next time! :)

Amazing food and service. Highly recommended. Their specials are a bargain, and their beers are cheaper than most, if not all, similar places. The ambience is nice and the staff is super friendly. Try their meat dishes, yum fries, etc. You won't be disappointed!

Yam fries were THE BEST Iv ever had! I'd go back just to have those again :) Had 2 lunch specials, both under $10 and tasted delicious! Spicy pork burger and beef rice in stone pot tasted amazing and server was pretty nice. Cant wait to come again! Ps did I mention the yam fries r to die for? ;)

Had the kalbi jjim. Slightly spicy, tender meat and overall really tasty! Husband enjoyed the "hot stone bo ssam bibimbap". Portions weren't exactly "generous" but definitely made up for it with quality!

Probably my girlfriend's and my favorite restaurant best lunch deal ever two for one. Excellent food I allways get the kalbee osso buso. Friendly staff too.

Delicious and Cozy!. Came into this lovely little restaurant on a typical meek/grey Saturday afternoon in Vancouver. It sure brightened our day! <br/><br/>"2 for 1 Lunch Special" - That was what caught our eye and led us through the door. Glad it did. <br/><br/>Enjoyed a beef bugolgi, spicy chicken bibimbap and yam fries (korean style). Everything tasted to perfection, in the cutest little korean dish set-ups. LOVED IT. Would definitely suggest them to friends next time ;) <br/><br/>Highly recommend!

Finest Korean Cuisine in Vancouver So Far. I'm Korean, and this one is the First and the only Korean restaurant in this town that i didn't regret after I saw the bills. I've been this place like more than ten times now, and every visit was more than satisfying. <br/><br/>If you're a fan of Korean Url Keun(means spicy) taste, Mae-oon Kalbi Chim would be the best choice. <br/><br/>If you' re not good with those hot ans spicy things, everything with bulgogi is going to be nice. <br/><br/>If you got sick of those fake authentic Korean Restaurants in Robson and Cardero ish.. This should be the first place to check. <br/><br/>Seriously, there isn't any single Korean restaurant(including those Korean pubs around there) serves food which deserve what you pay. <br/><br/>But this place make you tip generously.

A lovely place to dine in the Denman area!. We came on a Saturday night and only had to wait about 5 minutes for our table, which I was surprised considering the place is quite small, probably fits about 25-30 people. Service was very friendly - our server gave us great suggestions. <br/><br/>I've been to many korean places before and expected this place to be just like any other, but I was impressed with the food - it was like korean food with a twist. Portion size was just perfect and seemed to have more 'healthier' options (like multigrain rice with hot stone bowl) than other places. My only negative comment is that the dishes the food items come in are large in size. It's hard to fit them all (even just 2 dishes) on a small table. <br/><br/>I would definitely come back if I was in the area and was craving for good korean food

Must Try!!!. I've only been there once so far but wow was it impressive. Traditional korean taste with a twist!! Definitely going back to try the whole menu soon. Highly recommend it to everyone that has walked passed it and went to kingyo.

Great restaurant!. Decent food, reasonably priced, and very polite service!

Simple, yet good. Great tasting food & excellent service!! The one thing that everyone should try is their yuza soju! It's an amazing cocktail!! Great for light-drinkers. This place is a small, cozy, and clean restaurant. Servers are nice and well-trained. Will definitely return to try more dishes!

Highly recommend!!. This is a first time I tried some modern Korean cuisine. I love their healthy and tasty dishes and the place is friendly and comfprtable. I'm sure I will definetely go again with my friends : D

For health conscious diners. I went to Damso several times and the food were not only great taste but health conscious too!<br/>Also they had good chice of vegetaian menus.<br/>Server was very kind and friendly <br/>I'll definetely go there again and again!!

Overall, my friends and I really enjoyed the creative dishes served by Damso. The chef achieved to give Western twist to Korean recipes and made his menu more accommodating for beginners of Korean Cuisine. Damso is not for those who are wanting to taste authentic Korean food but it is definitely are a good place to go and have exciting fusion style Korean food in Downtwon Vancouver.

Korean restaurants have always been some of my favourite places to visit. They usually have delicious and often spicy, meat-based dishes that can typically be found in Korean cuisine. We had previously come across Damso Modern Korean Cuisine, as it is located next to Kingyo Izakaya (another one of our favourite spots).

Date of visit: June 8, 2014 Damso is a very tiny Korean restaurant located on Denman St. I have come here once with a big group of people, and our experience with the food was very positive. My boyfriend and I have been wanting to come back again because the food was so delicious here. We also felt that the portion was quite tiny, so it's better to come as a small group rather than with a large group of people. On my second visit, I was unfortunately not feeling well, so I only ordered one of their "Korean Taco" . While I feel the food here is quite overpriced for the small portion, the Korean Taco offers a very good value. For $1.99 per taco, I would say there's plenty of beef and great amount of onion and lettuce. I love the sauce that they put on the taco as well; it gave you a hint of spiciness and sweet. One thing I realized on my second visit was that the Korean Taco was actually very oily. I took my first bite and then immediately felt the the greasiness. I believe the oil was f

Read that Damso was an overlooked and underrated korean restaurant on Denman on followmefoodie.com, I dragged my friend to try this restaurant out. In fact, Damso was nominated as one of the best Korean on Van Mag 2014. Featured a semi-open kitchen, I saw a few young adults working together to bring these modern-looking, bistro-flair korean cuisine to the table. The dishes were presented in a western, delicate way that they emphasized more on quality over quantity. So men, be prepared for a second meal after dining here!

If you like Korean food, you'll love Damso. Much of the time, when traditional cuisines are fused, the results are a dire melange of tastes. Not so at Damso. Here, Korean food is nudged to another level. Luckily, traditional flavors are left in tact while the preparations are slightly askew. One of the best things you will ever eat in Vancouver is their seafood waffle. It's a modernist take on the classic Korean seafood pancake, and delivers all of the flavor and texture you'd expect. Available in limited quantities, the pork osso buco is a must. This modern Korean take on a classic Italian dish is a revelation. The meat falls off the bone and is immersed in a sweet and tangy sauce that is decidedly Korean. © 2014 Try My Mom's Sauce

... very creamy foie that just melted onto the baguette that was warm, soft yet crispy; would have been better w just a tad more foie...

Over reading week my friend Curtis from Foodobyte.com  invited me as his 1 to media tasting event for a new type of pork being sold in Canada for the first. Akakuro-buta pork is bred and raised on free range farms in Alberta and the techniques used to raise these pigs mirrors those used by the Japanese to raise their ‘kuro-buta’ pork (known as the Kobe beef of pork). The hogs are fed on a diet of barley, which results in a lot of marbling of a high quality fat. Until recently, the pork was exclusively exported to Japan but for the first time it is being sold to Canadian consumers (only available at T&T Supermarkets through Wingtat Game Bird Packers ). Kingyo Izakaya  Tomato Kimchi Slightly acidic and spicy like kimchi but also a lot ‘meatier’ because of it being tomato. Delicious way to start off the afternoon! Marinated Tuna Tataki Lightly seared albacore tuna marinated served with a ponzu jelly. The ponzu jelly added a nice citrus flavour to the dish and it was overall very well done

This place has now become one of my favorite spots in Vancouver!!!! Food is great and very decently priced. Service is very unstable, really depends one who is working that day, but it is very bad service.  My favorite at the restaurant is the BEEF DRY RIBS it is not on their lunch menu, but if you ask them, the sometimes still have it. These ribs are just so so so GOOD!!! They fall right off the bone, literally  since some of them detach from the bone already when it is on the plate. They are a mixture of the savory fatty taste with a dash of salt and pepper mixed with a nice dry slightly crispy texture. I am actually getting hungry just writing this post right now! Their Beef tongue is also amazing!!! It is perfectly tender and seasoned and with that extra kick of jalapeno it is heaven. The Burger at the bottom is also to die for and also a nice change since it uses the Korean Marinated Beef instead of a patty and their yam fries are the best I have tried so FAR. I will come back aga

There are lots of Korean restaurants in Vancouver but one that we tried recently is a bit special because it serves mainly modern Korean cuisine. It’s like an Izakaya but in Korean way. Its name is Damso........

Damso doesn't serve traditional Korean food but more fusion type which made all the menu items sound so fun and enticing. Beef tongue: We tried the beef tongue which was labeled as a Damso Signature . The meat was tender with an appetizing sauce and green onions sprinkled on top. Must try! Beef Tongue Bulgogi Burger with Sweet Potato Fries : I love sweet potato fries so I had to order this dish. The bulgogi was marinated well and was juicy but when holding the burger upright to eat, the juice did not spill down my hand which I appreciated. The sweet potato fries weren't the crunchy type but on the softer side. There was some light sweet sauce drizzled on top with some sesame seeds and a side of chipot

No matter what you call this thing, it was one damn fine combination of meat and vegetables between two sesame buns. The spicy pork bulgogi was jam packed with flavours. It was at the same time spicy, slightly sweet, salty, acidic, aromatic, and generally delicious in every way.

The bowl wasn't hot enough to give that nice crust that bibimbop usually does. With the previous places I've been where they've served this dish, the server would then mix it tableside for you so you get that nice crispy rice but alas, not here at DMK. Before I even noticed that it wasn't done, the bowl had already lost some of that crucial sizzling heat. It's a good bibimbop but I've had better elsewhere.

Of course, we had to order a crowd favourite, the Beef Taco. It’s a playful mixup of spicy and sweet. Careful though, a shimmering stream of sauce will likely slip and slide down your wrist upon shipment to your mouth.

I was lured to try this place by talk of good Korean tacos...This was actually really good. Slight burnt-by-the-grill flavour really enhanced the tender beef. Looks like they didn't over-toast the tortillas since Vanbrosia was there last, so no worry here of them breaking. At $1.99, you are probably better off getting five of these rather than one Bulgogi Burger.

Damso managed to cleverly extract the best of Korean flavors and ingredients and infused them with Western techniques. Or the other way around. Simply because, screw traditions.

The kimchi jim, which was really quite soft, was also good. It was definitely flavourful, having been marinated and cooked with kimchi.

The restaurant was quite busy when we arrived so it was a good thing that J made reservations. The server sat us down quickly and handed us the menus and immediately what caught my eye was their Korean Tacos. I adore tacos of any kind so of course it was a must-order and J said they were pretty good (he was right! I could of ate like 6 more).<br/>

  On one hectic Monday evening, we arrived Ma Dang Coul , a popular Korean restaurant on Denman, for a huge dinner feast.  As we were the first few to arrive, half an hour deemed too long to be waiting around with no food.  So, we decided to head over to Damso , a Korean fusion restaurant nearby known for their modern spin on traditional Korean dishes.   There were so many appealing dishes on the menu.  Like always, we put our brains together but ended up using our gut instinct to pick out words that stood out best for each of us.  They included my preference for beef tongue, B's usual craving for dok-bokki, and P's carnivorous appetite for beef ribs.  We were really tempted to order Kalbee Osso Bucco, which seemed to be a popular item amongst the diners there.  It was visible at almost every table.  Just watching the guy next table sucking on the juicy looking meat off the bone on an empty stomach proved almost too much to bear.  However, we resisted the temptation as a bigger feast w

At Damso, the Korean taco was a great and flavourful fusion dish with tons of appeal.

Damso Modern Korean Cuisine is located on Denman street and they serve up some delicious Korean dishes with a modern twist. Jay of Coma Food Truck invited a few of his loyal customers that supported his food truck to Damso to say thank you. It's sad to see Coma Food Truck go, but I see a great future for Jay and in his future ventures. You start off with a trio of little items - spinach, bean sprouts and radish kimchi. Seafood Waffle ($8.25) has prawns, scallop, squid, bacon, and scallion. This was so good! Imagine the traditional Korean Seafood pancake, but in pancake form. It was really good and probably the best I've had so far. Yum! It's a must order! Ddok-Kalbee ($6.85) are beef meatballs with king oyster mushroom, scallion salad and jalapeno pickles. The meatballs were really delicious with great flavour and a slightly sweet sauce. I could definitely eat these all day. Chicken Gizzard contains stir-fried chicken gizzard, roasted garlic, scallion salad, with mustard vinaigrette. S

they are trying really hard; to be cool, and modern, and upscale, and to be liked.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a media tasting for Akakurobuta, a pork product that until now, has been raised solely for export to Japan, until now. Kurobuta from Koshima is a world-renown pork product,due to its tenderness, juiciness and marbling. It's aiming to be a twin to the Kurobuta, the berkshire black hog found in Japan. Akakurobuta, from Alberta farms, comes very close to the way the Kurobuta is raised, but enhanced by the Alberta's gorgeous grasslands, glacier water and unpolluted air. The hogs receive individual attention with their farmers, resulting in stress-free and happy hogs. They are fed on a diet of barley (resulting in a firm and white fat) versus other North American hogs which are corn fed (giving it a yellow and greasier fat). We were set to visit three restaurants where each chef were tasked to created new dishes with Akakurobuta. Our first stop was at Kingo Izakaya, where Chef Chikayoshi Kittaka served up Tonteki. It's rare for me to get a personalized menu