Jason K.
Yelp
This review only reflects a to-go order on a bibimbap. I always prefer hot-stone style but due to the pandemic circumstances, I just to-go'd a regular one.
Service and other, I wouldn't know because I was in and out. Person who gave me my food / transaction was nice enough though.
The bibambap is WEAK. Since the pandemic I've just been frequenting places around my area and I was disappointed. Consists of bean sprouts (not mung mean; vs ), sauteed carrots, steamed(?) or sauteed zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, ground beef and the sauce. It's the amalgamation of the ingredients that give bibimbap its unique harmony of flavors. Unfortunately, it lacked depth of flavor pretty harshly. What makes bibimbap, is pretty much the red-sauce condiment that goes with it. It is what makes or breaks the dish! and sadly, I prefer other places for the taste of the sauce (unfortunately it tastes worse than the H-mart one i bought couple weeks ago D: )
If you were to spend some cash and can get around to areas I cannot, I prefer the Tofu-Soup places on N. Road. They include more variety of vegetables + a soup (Koreans need soup for meals); usually a soft tofu- lightly spiced soup, better side dishes. At this location of zzussam, I only got a 2oz container of okay-kimchi.
Other Korea places offer usually 3~4 different varieties of side dishes (not limited to but in general: marinated seaweed, marinated thin fish-cakes, steamed broccoli with cho-jang, black beans reduced in soy-based sauce, soy-based picked veggies, Kgah-dugi - a cubed radish kimchi dish, baek-kimchi aka white Kimchi, marinated bean sprouts/mung bean sprouts, mayonnaise-based salad, marinated squid and in some really fancy (but not price-wise... since it costed the same for bbb) places, even marinated raw-crab. Comparing to the same price and quality (even less so in my case...) I would return but would never order any of their bibimbaps. I would go for what they're known for... their octopus/meat pot thing with crispy fried-rice at the end. I just hope it lives up to the ones I had in Korea... but then again, never hopeful in Canada. Fauck the pandemic, yeah?
I can't wait for the pandemic to be over so I can try their specialties (which is what makes the shop run - literally the name of the shop). I'm not a huge fan of jjuggumi but there are other options I would try. In Korea this is a popular drink-menu/ meal option. Goes well with alcohol and good company.