Ido Gomtang • 이도곰탕 계동 직영점

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점) is a Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean beef soup (한우곰탕). If you’re not familiar with this particular Korean dish, gomtang (곰탕)—or beef bone soup—is a Korean hearty soup made by slowly simmering various beef parts on a low flame. The result is clear beef broth with a rich and hearty taste and served with thinly sliced beef and rice. Gomtang is commonly eaten with kimchi and kkakdugi (깍두기 or cubed radish kimchi).

The secret recipe that Ido Gomtang uses is supposedly made by a Doctor of Oriental Medicine who was the 18th grandchild of King Sejong and has been passed on through three generations (at least that’s what’s written on the ‘About Page’ of the restaurant on Naver). As a result, the soup of their signature Hanwoo Gomtang (한우 곰탕) is a clean and rich broth with deep flavors.

Located 175 meters away from the famous Cafe Onion Anguk, Ido Gomtang’s entrance is quite hidden from the main Gye-dong street. But after you turn left on the alleyway where it’s located, you’ll immediately see the entrance to the restaurant in front of you (see the last photo of this post).

The interior of the restaurant is pretty simple and modern. The kind of place that office workers frequent for a quick, no frills, healthy lunch where they can just come, get their food quickly and go back to their busy day. And I’ve actually encountered many people from this certain group during the multiple times I was there. 

Their menu is pretty straight forward too. There are only 3 items on the board:

1. Gomtang (곰탕) :  Thinly sliced beef served in clear beef broth with chopped onions.
   Regular Gomtang with Rice (곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice (특곰탕) ₩16,000
   Regular Gomtang with Rice Noodles (쌀면곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice Noodles (특쌀면곰탕) ₩16,000
   

2. Beef Suyuk (수육) ₩49,000 — Thin boiled beef slices served with mushrooms, chives, and Napa cabbage in a pot of broth. Served with a side of the Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침).

3. Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침) ₩9,000

*There has been a ₩1,000 increase in price for each menu since I took the photo below.

Gomtang (곰탕) ₩13,000 | 9/10

The menu that I always order is the regular gomtang. The regular portion is pretty generous and enough to fill my stomach for one meal. The broth of the gomtang is light yet savory with that deep beef flavor you get from boiling beef for a long period of time. It’s very comforting with subtle hints of the chopped onions mixed in the soup. 

Unlike seolleongtang (설렁탕 Korean Ox Bone Soup) which you have to seasoned the soup yourself before eating it, gomtang’s soup is already seasoned when served. It’s more like galbitang (갈비탕 Beef Short Ribs Soup) but without the hassle of taking the meat off of the bones. And Ido Gomtang’s soup is always nicely seasoned and served pipping hot with soft and tender sliced meat and well-cooked rice. They also provide you with dipping sauce and wasabi on the side for you to dip your meat into (and yes, you should dip it if you want to add another layer of flavor into the dish).

Also, a little bit of disclaimer, if you came from Southeast Asian countries, the flavor of gomtang might not be as strong or bold as soups in your country since Southeast Asian food tend to have bolder seasoning and flavor profile in my opinion.

Their kimchi and kkakdugi are also really good. They are on the spicier side for my personal taste, but the flavors are wonderful and they give a nice acidity to the bite when eaten with the gomtang.

Ido Gomtang Gyedong is probably one of the restaurant I visit quite often every time I’m in Seoul. Due to its location, I usually ended up frequenting this place when I have to meet up with family or friends who are visiting Seoul for the first time since it’s close to Anguk Station (안국역) and Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을, a popular tourist spot for first-time visitors in Seoul). This restaurant has also become one of my go to place every time anybody ask me for a restaurant recommendation around Bukchon Hanok Village. And pretty much everybody—both adults and kids—who I’ve taken or recommended this place to said they like the gomtang. If you go with a big group, I would also recommend the suyuk since it’s also delicious.

If you’re looking for a simple, hearty and comforting meal around Anguk Station, Cafe Onion Anguk or Bukchon Hanok Village, I would definitely recommend you to check this place out. 

 

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 33-8
Telephone: 02-762-0524
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00 | Sat & Sun 10:00-21:00

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Gooderham Flatiron Building

Gooderham Building (or Gooderham “Flatiron” Building) is a wedge-like shaped structure occupying the same triangular land as the Berczy Park. The unique design of the building earned it the nickname of Toronto’s Flatiron Building, reminiscent of the famous Flatiron Building in New York. But compared to New York’s 22-story structure, Gooderham Building only comprised of 5-story made out of redbrick. The building was actually built in 1892—10 years earlier than the New York’s Flatiron Building—by architect David Roberts Jr. for the office of Gooderham & Worts, the largest manufacturer of distilled spirits in Canada during the 1830s. 

Other than its unique shape, Gooderham Building is also well-known for its trompe l’oeil Flatiron Mural on the back wall by renowned Canadian artist Derek Michael Besant. The mural facing the Berczy Park was commissioned by the city in 1980 and depicts a canvas with windows façade of a building painted on it. There are four nails painted on the fluttering edges of the the canvas, creating an illusion that the canvas is being nailed to the façade of the Gooderham building.

Today, Gooderham “Flatiron” Building is one of Toronto’s most well-known structure with the skyscrapers of the Financial District and CN Tower (from certain angles) towering in the background.

 

Gooderham "Flatiron" Building

Address: 49 Wellington St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C9, Canada

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Berczy Park

Berczy Park is a small triangular park in downtown Toronto located between Wellington, Front and Scott streets. The park is named after Willam Berczy, a German-born architect, surveyor and writer who’s often considered as one of the founder of modern Toronto. 

In 2015, the park was renovated for the first time after its opening in 1980. The $7.2 million renovation was commissioned to landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés of Montreal and the process took two years before the park was reopened again in Spring 2017.

Adopting a more playful theme, in the center of the park, you can find a large two-tiered fountain with dog sculptures around and on it that are sprouting water from their mouths towards center of the fountain. Surrounding the fountain are grassy berms, garden beds and park benches where you can sit, relax and enjoy the view. There’s also a total of 27 dog and one cat sculptures that are placed around the park. And if it’s not obvious by now, the park is dog friendly. They even have a ground level trough that provide drinking water for real dogs. Berczy Park is perfect place for dog owners, Torontonians and tourists alike to enjoy a little bit of green oasis in the middle of the city. 

 

Berczy Park

Address: 35 Wellington St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C6, Canada

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Tam Tam • 북촌 탐탐

Tam Tam (탐탐) is small dessert shop near Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) neighborhood that specializes in handmade Korean desserts that are made daily using fresh ingredients. Their menu ranges from their best-selling rice cake, ice cream, cream pancake and lattes with traditional Korean flavors.

I visited this cafe during my last Seoul trip in May, four months after its opening. I was browsing for new places to try around Bukchon Hanok Village area and stumbled across this cafe’s listing and their interesting menu. If you don’t know already, I am a big fan of all things black sesame. And so when I saw that they have Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte on the menu, that became the sole reason for me to go visit this cafe.

Other than two other patrons in the cafe occupying one of the table on the first floor, me and my friend were the only ones there when we visited the place around 5:30 pm on a Monday. The weather was nice that day and they had the glass windows opened. So we opted to seat at one of the table on the first floor that’s perfect for people watching (or for people watching us too I guess since we’re right by the side of the street). 

Despite occupying a two-story building, the cafe is actually pretty small. There are three tables on the first floor and four tables on the second floor that accommodate seven people and twelve people respectively. The space is definitely pretty tight in-between tables, but I guess on the upside, if you come here during colder days, it’ll be warm and cozy.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte (흑임자 경단 라떼) ₩6,000 | 9/10

Black sesame latte served with rice cake ball with red bean paste filling.

Of course the first thing I ordered was the one thing I wanted to try since I first saw their menu online, the Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte. This drink was really good. The ground black sesame flavor was light and not too overwhelming, making the drink a little bit on the milkier side. On top of the black sesame latte was sweet and salty cream which paired really well with the latte. 

The rice cake balls on the skewers were soft and chewy. They were covered in ground black sesame seed and there’s actually red bean paste filling inside the rice cake balls. The filling wasn’t too sweet either and the amount was just right to compliment the rice cake. Overall, I really enjoyed both the latte and the rice cake balls. 

We also ordered the top three best sellers of their rice cake ball to try—the Black Sesame, Yakwa, and Dried Persimmon. Overall their rice cake balls were really good. The texture was nice and chewy (also, a little bit of a disclaimer if you never had rice cake before, the texture is not as soft as and different from mochi’s texture). It’s not too soft, but not too tough either. They had just the right amount of chewiness making eating these enjoyable. And everything we had was not too sweet with a hint of saltiness to the flavors.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball (흑임자) ₩3,500 | 9/10

Black Sesame Mousse & Fried Sesame Seeds
흑임자무스, 볶은통깨

The black sesame rice cake ball has black sesame filling and it had a nice earthy, nutty flavors. Since I’m a sucker for black sesame, I enjoyed this one the most.

Yakwa Rice Cake Ball (약과) ₩3,500 | 8/10

Sweet Rice Honey Yakgwa & Ricotta
찹쌀꿀약과, 리코타

The yakwa (a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is made with ginger and honey) was pretty good as well. The filling kind of reminded me of sweet potato for some reason. 

Dried Persimmon Rice Cake Ball (곶감) ₩3,500 | 5/10

Dried Persimmon, Mascarpone, Natural Honey
곶, 마스카포네, 천연꿀

This one was just okay for me. The rice cake ball was good but I didn’t really enjoy the filling (might also be because I’m just not too into dried persimmon in general). But it was definitely interesting and reminded me of Korean flavors.  

Other than the ones that we ordered, they also have other interesting menus such as Truffle Rice Cake Ball, Basil Rice Cake Ball, Citron Red Bean Paste Rice Cake Ball, Mugwort Rice Cake Ball Latte (쑥 경단라떼), Sikhye Bingsu (식혜빙수), and Egg Cream Espresso (에그 크림프레소). If you’re visiting or exploring Bukchon Hanok Village and want to have some great Korean traditional rice cakes (or Black Sesame Latte) instead of regular bread and pastries, would definitely recommend this place to try. 

 

Tam Tam (카페 탐탐)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 82 흰색건물
Telephone: 0507-1304-9165
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00 | Sat & Sun 11:00-21:30

Instagram: @tamtam_seoul

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PAI Uptown

PAI is a Thai restaurant chain in Toronto that serves menu which focuses on authentic northern Thai cuisine with international influence. The chain is run by Thai-born chef Nuit Regular and her husband chef Jeff Regular who own multiple Thai restaurants in the city. The duo are considered as the pioneers who popularized Thai cuisines in Toronto. Following the success of their first eat-in downtown location, they opened PAI Uptown in late 2020 at Yonge St.

When you enter through the unassuming door on the street level, walk up the stairs to the second floor and you’ll find yourself inside the spacious PAI Uptown restaurant. You’ll then be greeted by the host who will lead you to the dining area where yellow lantern-like lamps that are hanging from the high ceiling, giving the restaurant a warm glow and a somewhat intimate atmosphere. The restaurant is decorated with wooden floorings and furnitures with colorful walls and faux facade of buildings decoration surrounding the space. The setup makes you feel like you’re dining at a busy festive outdoor night market, especially with the live band playing on the stage at one corner of the room. The casual, laid-back and quirky vibe of the place makes it a great hang out spot to catch up with friends over some Thai food and a drink or two.

Spring Rolls $14 | 8/10

Three deep-fried vegetarian wheat paper wraps filed with mushrooms, glass noodles, and carrots, served with a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce.

Crispy thin wraps with generous fillings. The fillings were nicely seasoned as well and tasted pretty authentic. Really enjoyed this appetizer as the opening of our meal.

Shrimp Pad See Ew $25.5 | 7/10

Stir-fried hand-cut rice noodles with sweet soy sauce, Chinese broccoli, egg and shrimp.

The dish is nicely cooked but the flavor profile was a bit different from what I usually have back in Asia. I think the flavor is on the lighter side and not as bold for my personal preference. But the individual ingredients were fresh and it still tasted good. Plus the portion was pretty generous.

Chef Nuit Shrimp Pad Thai $25 | 7/10

Red-flame stir-fried rice noodles in a house-made tamarind-palm sugar sauce with shrimp, beansprouts, tofu egg chives, long leaf coriander, shredded cabbage, fresh lime, and house-roasted peanuts.

Same comments as the Pad See Ew for the Pad Thai as well. Nicely cooked dish with fresh ingredients, flavor twist and generous portion.

Chicken Gaeng Massaman $22.5

Chicken in peanut and tamarind curry with coconut milk potatoes and white onions and topped with deep-fried crispy shallots. Served with steamed jasmine nice.

This was actually my friend’s order and I didn’t get to try it. But it is his favorite menu to order every time he came to visit. Their curry is supposedly good according to my friends who frequent this place. 

Overall, the food tasted good but you can definitely taste the international influence on these northern Thai cuisines. I’m by no means an expert on Thai food, but I’ve had my fair share of Thai food in Asia and the flavors are a bit different. And not necessarily in a bad way, it’s just different. But if you’re like my friend who’s missing a little taste of home, PAI Uptown can definitely satisfy your cravings.

 

PAI Uptown

Address: 2335 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4P 2E6, Canada
Telephone: +16479465226

Hours:
Monday 4:00 pm–9:30 pm
Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 am–9:30 pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30 am–10 pm

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