The OddSeoul for the Odd Soul

Toronto is a haven for feature foods from far and wide. I try my best not to take for granted my ability to dine at a different country from the comfort of my couch (because of COVID lockdown and y'know, general laziness). But prior to the pandemic pandemonium, I loved to frequent the holes-in-the-wall and the family-run joints because I always found they had the best food when you want to go authentic. Because this city has many blogs that list "top 10's" and "must-eats" (cue BlogTO, Narcity, The NOW, etc.), I wanted to talk about a lesser mentioned place and why it is one of my local eats of choice.

OddSeoul

OddSeoul, as the name may oh so subtly hint, serves up Korean meals and tapas as well as cocktails. It is a small place with no outward signage; I literally found it by walking in the Ossington area, looking into the storefront window, realizing there's a whole restaurant in it, and thinking "Wow, how does anyone find this place? There's no name."! When you walk inside, you are greeted by the jovial staff and their classic dive-bar setup.

Me, I've always been a fan of the unpretentious places. I prefer to not have to dress like a Met Gala attendee just for the chance to make a Jackson Pollock-inspired sauce stain on myself. I like that this place boasts that old-school bar and hang vibe with the bar stools and the communal tables. The music is just loud enough to get that cool, casual ambience but not too loud that you're losing your voice just to have a conversation. The décor is what I'll describe as urban industrial where you can see the exposed brick wall, the neon lights glowing in the back and sides, and the classic wooden shelves and paneling. It is the place to go after work with your friends, to have a night out (they are usually open until 2am), or to introduce someone to Korean taste without being overwhelmed by Korean food names/terms. After you sit, a menu of delectable, savoury bites comes your way and when I say savoury, I damn well mean it. We're talking pork belly, we're talking torched mackerel, and we're also talking poutines. They make it a point to put Seoul in soul food (let's see how many more Seoul puns I can acceptably make)! Over time, I've managed to go through the pork belly, the kimchi, the short ribs, the mackerel, and copious alcoholic drinks to wash it down.

Everything on the menu is a modest 20 dollars or less which is fantastic because my broke ass wants to try everything. If becoming dehydrated from drooling was something I ever measured, I may have actually reached that point after the first few pieces of rich, juicy pork belly along with the unctuous taste of kimchi made contact with my palate. I felt like Fred Astaire, I could hear him singing in my mind!

Heaven... I'm in heaven,

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak.

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

At the time, my friends and I wanted to have it as a sharing plate, but I had somehow (it's a mystery to me) eaten all of it so of course, I had to order two more for the table (oops, sorry not sorry!). Everything after that was just as good, not just good for a bar-style place, but for a food spot in general. They make a tableside performance out of some of the dishes which adds to the appeal of eating here; one of which was the torching of the thinly sliced, cured mackerel which made for a pyromaniac's visual delight as well as a delicious munch.

I have to take a second to talk about the drinks here for two reasons: one, they make pretty cool classic mixed drinks as well as some of their own originals, and two, this place makes for some post-drinking meals. This is the epitome of drunk food and my criteria of drunk food is the three F's: filling, fried, and fun. If you sit at the bar, you can have the bartender fix you up a boozy bevvy or, as they call it, prescriptions. I will always be one to try the house originals, so I opted for a Bulleit Smashed Cocktail, Liberace and the Spanish Harlem (definitely not all in the same night...heh...).

My favourite is the one above, the Bulleit Smashed Cocktail, a mix of Bulleit bourbon, minty honey, lemon and topped with pepper, though I also have to give a shoutout to the Spanish Harlem, which is a drink infused with a chili syrup and I love me some spice! The Bulleit has a nice a tinge of spice from the pepper that hits you right away and a warm aftertaste from the bourbon. The honey and mint help to soften the bourbon so if you're not one to shoot neat bourbon shots, then this one may still be a choice for you. Whoever thought of this concoction is a genius with the liquor!

Overall, I have to say that if you're ever in Toronto, you should try OddSeoul and if you live in Toronto in this very moment, then delivery and takeout are options and, if it were up to me, a necessity to the Toronto food institution. OddSeoul has the ability to really showcase that Korean flavour in an approachable way for any person, has a variety of eats for any foodie and diet preference, and is a great place for the casual social get-together. Come join me in being another odd soul for OddSeoul!