Hello, AccessWinnipeg! My name is Gazel and I will be doing a brief restaurant review on restaurants around Winnipeg. I will try to suit everyone’s tastes from quick and tasty, low budget and fine dining. This first review is featuring one of my personal favourite restaurants No Eul Tor. It’s a restaurant name that people might not be able to remember; but it is the only Korean restaurant in the Sargent area. It now resides where former Filipino restaurant, Pasalubong used to be.

Winnipeg is such a diverse city. It is a melting pot of immigrants, and Koreans are no exception. There are lots of Koreans in Winnipeg, but very few actual Korean restaurants that actually serve traditional Korean food (meaning, no sushi!). This place was one of the first Korean restaurants I’ve been to, and it’s certainly one of my favourites for quick and cheap Korean meal.

The menu is pretty small, to be quite honest. When it’s small, it means a few things: they’re done well, and they know what they are doing.

As many Korean restaurants, they provide an array of banchan (side dishes) ranging from kimchi, pickled radish, seaweed and bean sprout salad. It is pretty seasonal, their selection, and it changes all the time. There has been moments when I got sweetened potatoes, fish cake, steamed egg, cucumber salad and pickled zucchini. With that being said, all of it was delicious.

Not only do they serve you those, but they give you complimentary tea and jook, which is a Korean congee (rice porridge).

Upon my many trips here, I would recommend a lot of things on the menu for different people. If you are impartial to spicy foods; I recommend you try the samgyeopsal; which is a meal that you cook on the table. They bring you a grill, and about 8 thick generous slices of pork belly. (They resemble bacon, without the smokiness.) You grill the pork belly, cut it into pieces and when it is done, you dip it in sesame seed oil, bean paste and wrap it in lettuce along with the banchan and rice. It is really heaven in your mouth.

But, if you don’t want to do work on your food, I suggest you get some bulgogi, a sweet marinated beef dish. For the sushi lovers, there is a Korean maki roll called Kimbap. It is a sesame-seed oil-laced roll with ground beef, egg and many vegetables, cut like sushi rolls. There are mandu as well, which is a Korean gyoza dumpling. Whatever it is, the people who are not fans of spicy foods will enjoy the vast selection of food. They also serve rice cake soup, japchae (clear noodles) and bibimbap.

For the adventurous and the masochistic diners who love spicy food, I would highly recommend gamjatang, a spicy pork neck bone stew with potatoes and vegetables. It sounds unappetizing, but it is really the best bang for your buck here; and it is very delicious at only $5.99! They have kimchi stews, spicy soups and more!

All the meals come with side dishes and rice, mostly with a few exceptions. The food comes out fast as soon as you order it, too! Some days are empty, some are filled. The food is filling and doesn’t disappoint at all. The service is friendly and quick, despite the fact the only waitress in the restaurant doesn’t speak very good English. Best of all, for the frugal, it is very cheap. No meal here costs over $12. In fact, the average amount for a dish is about $7.99; with some even at $5.99. They also promote lunch specials during the weekdays!

So, on a Friday night, bring your friends to a unique culinary adventure. Have fun grilling your food and until next Friday, ciao!

Image Gazel Originally uploaded by AccessWinnipeg