This week we have a real treat for you, dear reader. We present to you: Momo Kimbap, a wonderful Japanese noodle and donburi spot nestled away at 140 University Ave. W., right near Mel’s Infamous Diner.
A quaint, inviting and incredibly delicious place to go eat, it stands as the type of small yet delicious restaurant that this column is meant to shine a well-deserved light on.
For appetizers, we jumped right in with two superb plates. The first was the veggie croquettes, a crunchy starter that packed nice flavour and was paired with a scrumptious dipping sauce.
The sausage and rice cake skewers on the other hand stole the show, with a mix of savoury flavours and some sweet and spicy elements. Overall, a great starter that we recommend to anyone trying this place for the first time.
For the main, Andrew got the curry chicken don. It was a simple meal, but don’t let that fool you, the combination of rice, a crispy chicken cutlet and of course, curry, showed that looks can be quite deceiving.
The rice served as a great base for the chicken, which was rich and provided a great crunch. Of course, then there was the curry, the star of the show: Piquant, creamy and aromatic perfectly pairing with the chicken. The only complaint Andrew had was that it wasn’t spicy enough (a bold take coming from a noted spice intolerant person).
Lizzie opted for a classic soup dish, shoyu pork ramen, which was accompanied by a Japanese style bulgogi rice ball — onigiri. The broth itself was full of warm hugs with each bite. The vegetables were fresh and the meat was tender. The noodles were every ‘slurp-ers’ dream and Lizzie is a nut for textures in a dish, and the crunchiness of the vegetables, especially the bean sprouts, gave it a gold star in her book.
With such a huge serving of food, no seriously, there was so much food, she couldn’t possibly finish it all — even though she very much tried.
The overall aesthetics of the place are super cute. It has little figurines and decorations from a plethora of different tv shows and movies (if you are a Studio Ghibli fan like Lizzie, this is the place to be). The wall art was gorgeous and definitely hand painted. The owner was kind and made us feel welcomed right away. It was so nice to see the restaurant become filled with friends and family who wanted to have a nice sit-down meal with plenty of chances to chat and catch up.
Overall, Momo Kimbap is a place that we can’t recommend enough. It pairs a welcoming atmosphere, cute aesthetic and great food to create the type of family-owned restaurant experience that is sorely missed in today’s age of chains and franchises. A great spot that we’re sure anyone who reads this column would love. If you do end up going, tell them LizzDrew sent you.
Ratings
Ambiance: 8 out of 10
Drinks: 9 out of 10
Food: 9 out of 10
Affordability: 7.5 out of 10
Photo by Sangjun Han.
