Eatdrink #42 July/August 2013

26 www.eatdrink.ca
№ 42 | July/August 2013
restaurants
From Kimchee to “Soup to Get Sober”
Korean Restaurant and Manna Grill, in London
By bryan lavery
The flavours and textures of Korean
food are exhilarating. In London,
Manna Grill has been a local
Korean hot-spot in its present
incarnation for over a decade. The owner
recently told me cheerfully, “I am good for
another ten.” She had been sitting behind
us partaking in a celebratory meal and
was now smiling, modelling and tapping
her toes in pair of silver sparkly sandals
that she had just “borrowed” from a guest
celebrating her birthday when I inquired
about the availability of a take-out menu.
(I often like to have these on hand as a
reference). We love the casual service,
friendly repartee and are devotees of the
fiery kimchee, kalbi (barbequed beef short
ribs) and bulgolgi at Manna Grill.
Now there is a newer kid on the block
serving delicious versions of bimim bap
(bap meaning rice) and bulgogi. Lee Chul
Wha’s Korean Restaurant at Adelaide
Street and Hamilton Road seems to have
more upscale aspirations and has garnered
great word-of-mouth in its first year.
This past spring, a gentleman who I met
while having lunch at the River Room told
me he had just moved to London from
Toronto. He asked for a recommendation for
good Korean food. I suggested the Korean
Restaurant. He later e-mailed me to say that
he and his son had ordered “the traditional
bulgolgi and kalbi which came with brown
rice and all the side
dishes … kimchee etc. It is the best
Korean food I’ve had since my adventures in
Korea. Cost was very reasonable. The other
patrons were all Korean so that speaks to
the quality of the food and service. “Gam
sa hamida” (thank you, in Korean) for your
heads up on this restaurant.”
I have been told that the most authentic
expression of Asian cuisine is often withheld
from the inexperienced non-Asian palate.
I have visited the Korean Restaurant
many times and this does not appear to
be the case. The Korean Restaurant is very
welcoming and we have had many pleasant
experiences, and the service for the most
part is deferential and accommodating.
Don’t expect your plates to be cleared
away after a meal, as this does not appear
to be part of the custom. This has provoked
a long uncomfortable silence on more than
one occasion. On other occasions we have
had fresh fruit served to us after dinner —
last summer it was delicious fresh slices of
sweet, refreshing, in-season watermelon.
Utensils for a typical Korean place
setting consist of a pair of chopsticks and a
long- handled spoon. Chopsticks are used
to pick up meat, noodles and side dishes.
Spoons are meant to eat undemanding
foods and rice, and to sip broths and soups.
At the Korean Restaurant, meals are
accompanied with banchan, a half a dozen or