Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon is such a delightful surprise. In the heart of grungy Chinatown on Spadina south of Bloor is a really really pretty spot. The seating is well spaced. You are greeted by friendly staff and this continues through the meal. The food is very creative and delicious. It is a must to save room for dessert so order wisely! Cocktails are creative and the wine list is growing. Enjoy some super fresh and creative eats.

We decided to visit Bitter Melon on Friday right as they opened so it was completely empty and we got the whole restaurant basically to ourselves. The server was good and very professional with some explanations on each dish. The food was really tasty and delivers looking beautiful and garnished nice. The crockery was beautiful as well and accented the food perfectly. Portion sizes were large and I was happy with everything we had. The pork belly for me was the star of the show. Definately would return

Went here for an impromptu date night and we were pleasantly surprised. Our server was excellent, and as first time customers, helped us navigate the menu with their recommendations. Started off with drinks (cocktails) which were delicious and alcohol forward (which was appreciated!) The food was excellent as well, and the standouts were: -Gochugang Beef Tartare w/ Taro Chips -Braised Pork Belly (one of the best I have had) -Kalbi Beef Ribs (Must try and star of the show!) Overall an excellent night and will be coming back again to try the terracotta chicken!!

A bit of a late review but I came here for a birthday dinner and had a great time. We tried the beef tartare, octopus crudo, tea smoked duck breast, fritto misto, terracotta Cornish hen (pre-ordered), and beef heart topokki. The dishes were all pretty creative with a theme of modern Asian fusion flavours and ingredients. My favourites were the smoked duck breast, fritto misto, and beef tartare. The terra cotta Cornish hen which we pre-ordered was quite fun and interactive as well we got to break open the clay and they served it up table side. Some of the dishes seemed a bit incomplete, mostly missing some kind of carb to tie everything together. They have mantou which you can order on the side but it didn't seem quite right for the dishes we got. Service was very good and the ambience was very cool.

Great food, drinks and service. Our server explained the dishes as they came out and gave us recommendations as well. The food was delicious and the drinks were some of the most unique we’ve had. The bill definitely added up quickly with the drinks but it’s nice for a date night or to go with friends and share. Our favourite dishes were the pork belly and the sea bream crudo. Would recommend and will be returning!

Some creative menu items that are a fusion of Chinese, Korean and Japanese flavours. Service here is really attentive. We had several people ask us if we needed help or recommendations, and they always filled your water glass. Even servers who weren’t responsible for your table helped out. New napkins and utensils were constantly brought to your table. The highlight of everything we had were the fried maitake mushrooms. Coating the mushrooms with rice flour and tapioca starch really gave it a satisfying crunch. The batter was a really solid choice. Corn dog was also quite good, with a soft breading and tasty sausage/mozzarella combo inside. Jasmine crème brule was a hit as well; can’t go wrong with any creme brule

Honestly great vibes and decor but that was about it. Server was friendly as well. However the food was not good at all. Some of the food felt under seasoned and just generally bland. Or also a lot very one dimensional flavors without depth or having weird texture. Also the duck breast was dry and super bland. I would rather go next door get some bbq duck from traditional canto restaurant then pay for that again. Sooooo disappointed. No wonder there were no customers on a 730 on a Saturday!!! Basically 3-4 tables max no line up. Food looked great but because it just wasn’t good it felt so pretentious with no nuance.

I booked a reservation for a Thursday evening for a group of 5. Approximately an hour before the reservation we had to change our reservation and add a few more people. Fortunately we were able to call and the change was made immediately. The service is very good here, the servers and the owner made sure that all the guests were having a good experience. We ordered the deep fried maitake, beef tartare, seafood shujiao, braised pork belly, tea smoked duck breast, and sake steamed clams all to share. We did not order any drinks. I was under the impression that this is a fusion restaurant, but we agreed that the flavours were all quite different although the dish names came from various east Asian cuisines. The food is good here, but the outstanding dishes to me were the braised pork belly, and seafood shujiao (both not cooked in any way I've had them) The deep fried maitake was light but had great meaty texture and was served with a sweet sauce. The beef tartare had a strong gochujang sauce which covered a lot of the beef taste. The tea smoked duck breast was well presented, and lean (but not too dry) with a subtle smokey flavour. The sake steamed clams were quite small, but had a comforting taste. I like the decor of this place, but tables were a little bit cramped and the server had trouble getting through and pouring our water. Prices for food are reasonable, we spent around 30 per person for a light dinner. There are accessible washrooms on the ground floor, with additional ones downstairs which is a nice touch.

I booked a reservation for a Thursday evening for a group of 5. Approximately an hour before the reservation we had to change our reservation and add a few more people. Fortunately we were able to call and the change was made immediately. The service is very good here, the servers and the owner made sure that all the guests were having a good experience. We ordered the deep fried maitake, beef tartare, seafood shujiao, braised pork belly, tea smoked duck breast, and sake steamed clams all to share. We did not order any drinks. I was under the impression that this is a fusion restaurant, but we agreed that the flavours were all quite different although the dish names came from various east Asian cuisines. The food is good here, but the outstanding dishes to me were the braised pork belly, and seafood shujiao (both not cooked in any way I've had them) The deep fried maitake was light but had great meaty texture and was served with a sweet sauce. The beef tartare had a strong gochujang sauce which covered a lot of the beef taste. The tea smoked duck breast was well presented, and lean (but not too dry) with a subtle smokey flavour. The sake steamed clams were quite small, but had a comforting taste. I like the decor of this place, but tables were a little bit cramped and the server had trouble getting through and pouring our water. Prices for food are reasonable, we spent around 30 per person for a light dinner. There are accessible washrooms on the ground floor, with additional ones downstairs which is a nice touch.

Really great food and vibes! I have never been to a cocktail inspired Asian restaurant which was a lot of fun. The corn dog was delicious as well as the potato chips! The desserts were two different types of crème brûlée I especially enjoyed the hojicha flavor. Service was on point. They were constantly checking in on us. And of course the drinks!! Not only aesthetically pleasing but very tasty!!

We decided to give Bitter Melon a visit since a lot of the neighbourhood bars were already booked and busy on a Thursday night. First impressions are that the space is well decorated with Asian inspired decor and the staff was friendly. FOOD (2.5/5) We ordered the Pork Belly, Beef Tartare, and my friend got the Corndog. The portions were quite small for the pricetags and we were expecting to be blown away by the food but unfortunately we weren't. The pork belly dish came with 6 small pieces of pork belly over the sauce with some spicy pineapple salsa. The flavours were nice and added character to the pork belly. The pineapple salsa provided a light kick but there was so little it might as well not have been there. The beef tartare was seasoned well and actually packed some heat. However there were not enough chips served with it to eat together. The corndog was hilariously small and flavours fell short compared to other Korean corndog places (eg. Chungchun, Myungrang). DRINKS (3.5/5) The server was kind enough to walk us through the drink menu in detail and we ordered the Ho Lee Fook (if I recall the name correctly) and the Lay Zi Fizz. The Lay Zi Fizz was a take on a spritz with some interesting Asian inspired flavours like jackfruit, yuzu and coconut. I would recommend if you're looking for a light sweet cocktail. The Ho Lee Fook was much more spirit forward and didn't leave as strong of an impression on us. AMBIENCE (5/5) The restaurant looks fantastic with the grand waiting area by the front with chinese lanterns and a big couch. The dining area was also nicely decorated however was evidently a grillhouse in a prior life since the holes where the grills would be was covered with a MDF board. The plating and dishware was solid and I think added to the overall look and feel. SERVICE (5/5) Staff was super friendly and helpful with the menu. No complaints on how service went! ACCESSIBILITY (5/5) Bitter Melon is located pretty much at the corner of College and Spadina so easily accessible by streetcar. PRICE (0.5/5) By far my BIGGEST qualm of this place is the price. Yes the ambience and service was great, but the food and drinks did NOT warrant the pricetags they were at. Our group collectively agreed it felt like we needed to ratione our food with nibbles due to how insatiafactory and disappointing the portion sizes were. OVERALL (1.5/5) I really wanted to love this place as it would be a nice hotspot for a nice night out at a bar but even factoring all the positives, I think the pricetags and the value (or lack thereof) is a huge turn off. I likely will not be back anytime soon, however I think their drinks are nice and I would lightly recommend just for the bar.

Happy to recommend Bitter Melon for a date night with it's romantic ambiance, friendly and thoughtful service, as well as delicious takes on different types of Asian food. The 3 standouts were: (1) the pork belly, with its crispy skin and arrangement of different flavours (pine apple, char siu sauce, jalepeno, bechamel, gcohugaru, cilantro) which balanced together well; (2) the beef heart tteokbokki: this is like Korean-Italian fusion and is a must order item. The rice cakes are super crispy and pair wellw ith the slightly spicy, umami tomato from the sauce, which is then pushed to the next level with a generous dusting of parmesan cheese; and (3) the beef tartare, which had elements of Yukhoe with the pear, but also other asian influences like a salted choy. This paired well with the taro chips.

Cool new place in Chinatown with asian-inspired unique drinks and tapas-style food. Drinks were great and not overly sweet. Bartender was friendly as well and check up on us. Food (notable items) - Salad was nice and light. The sesame crispy things were a nice contrast - Tofu + Century egg... first time having century egg and honestly it wasn't bad at all! Very mild flavour, mostly dependent on the sauce. Great light dish. - All the dishes were great for snacking Service was great! All the staff were friendly. Only thing I wasn't a fan of were the cubby seats... it might have been a kbbq place before so where your legs are under the table, there's not that much space. Overall I'd return!

Went here for a late night snack and tried the Gaufrette Potato ($9). Really well fried and seasoned - it is a little spicy though. Seems like the food that my friends ordered were pretty good as well. The food is a bit expensive though and portions are small. However, this is probably a place to go for snacks/drinks and not an actual meal. Service was really great (additional service charge + no split bill for 6+ people however). The interior is really nice and vibey.

The food, the service. Everything was absolutely incredible. I never write reviews but felt compelled. The flavour, the plating... the attention to detail here was a breath of fresh air in this city. Thank you Ty and Godfried for an amazing meal!