restaurant review

Korea has seriously injected some kind of drugs into my blood vessels. I crave Korean foods everyday ever since I came back from my trip. My mother probably knew about my withdrawal due to my loss of appetite from “normal” food so she suggested going to a Korean restaurant in Montreal Island. Usually, I would oppose to the idea because everyone knows how much I hate finding parking in Montreal. However this time, I jumped right away to the idea.
So I researched online to see which restaurant offers the most traditional Korean food ( I didn’t want any BBQ, or fried chicken. I just want some good old stews and pajeon). Maison de Seoul appeared to be the most assuring choice. Off we go!

We arrived shortly after 6pm on a Saturday evening and there was already a couple waiting for a table. Fortunately, there were exactly 2 tables left – One for them – One for us. Mental note: make reservation. Not too long after, there were people continuously coming in adding to the length of the waiting line. I felt so lucky that we managed to find a table! (Another mental note: BYOB.)

The restaurant is not modernly decorated, which is the way I preferred. Restaurants that serve traditional food in Korea are minimally designed. I rather have them focused on the food than the décor. The main dishes are priced on average $14, which is very reasonable.

This seafood pajeon (large) was served first. It was very thick, crisp on the outside but moist in the inside. My mother was not too fond of the burnt areas, but other than that, she loved it. This pajeon is really one of the best I had. I would name this as squid pajeon instead of seafood pajeon because squid was the only seafood in it.

I’ve noticed that soups/stews in Montreal are served in a smaller cast iron than in Korea. I wonder why? This stew was made with beef, but sure if it’s beef bone though as the menu did not specify that. It also came with a bowl of rice lightly tinted in purple. The soup has the perfect level of spice. Not suited for anyone who could only handle a hint of spice. It heated up my body right away. I was immersed in my memories of Korea. A scoop of rice and dive it into the soup. That’s the way I like to eat it. Although it satisfied my craving for stews, it was not particularly extraordinary. So if I was to look for the best stew, I might not come to this restaurant.

I’ve heard great things about Maison de Seoul’s bimbibap, especially the kimchi with mozzarella cheese. Actually, I’ve noticed that Koreans love to add cheese into their dishes so don’t treat this as an americanized version! This bimbibap was served in a hot stone bowl and has meat options such as beef, shrimp, and scallop. There was so much cheese action in the hot bowl. After mixing everything, I had cheese in every spoonful. The kimchi in the bowl might be too spicy for some people – my mother could not tolerate it. Other than that, I really enjoyed this bimbibap. I think the cheese was the highlight of the dish and really tied well all the flavors together.

I had such a wonderful experience at Maison de Seoul. I would like to believe it is a family run restaurant and the staffs were extremely kind. They were extremely busy and still attended to our needs. I’ll come back again and want to try their giant hot pot!

I’m totally out of the loop in the night life scene of Old Port (or any night life in general). I never heard of Joverse until a recent invitation for a birthday celebration. It turns to a club after 11pm, a supper club.

Glancing at their online menu, prices seemed fairly reasonable for a restaurant located at the heart of Old Port. Yay to no overpriced meal! Or so I thought…

I was getting a series of flashbacks when I entered the premise – days where I loved the “happening” places. The settings and decors were typical. Nothing stood out.

The staffs were great, attentive. However, once 11pm hits, they started to remove tables and asked if we are staying at the table (obviously, that would cost more). If you are down for dancing and partying, this is perfect. But for someone like me that prefers to chill and talk, this is not the place to be.

I cringed when I saw the price of cocktails. I forgot how expensive cocktails are in Montreal. But the drinks of this place are even a bit higher –$14 on average. Freshly back from my Korea trip, I realized how Montreal restaurants delusionally overprice food.

While I understand that the concept is meant to be tapas (where you share the meals with others), it is ridiculous that they offer the whole menu at $225 and state that it could be shared with 4 to 6 people. I had the shrimp tacos and I could not possibly think of a way to share it with 6. Everyone would only have a tiny bite off from the 2 tacos – some would not even taste the shrimp. Not to mention, no side dish was included. Not even fries! The shrimp tacos were decent, but maybe stretching it for $14. Please eat beforehand.

Mr.Butter had the Joverse poutine, where there were goat cheese and pulled duck confit. I agree those are expensive ingredients, but at $16, I expect a bigger portion.

Yes, this is a tapa restaurant, but the price does not reflect that, only the portion does. Unless you are ready to pay a $50 bill on not so gourmet food or have a small appetite, I would highly suggest eating a bit before coming.