There is not much Korean options in the area but we’ve been a few times to eat at Midam Cafe. They have a second location out in Coquitlam. This one is located nearby Sahel Market & Restaurant.
Sign outside.
Hours.
The inside is heavy on the basketball theme; basketball net, jersey art and hats.
Service was okay but they disappear once you get your food. At least they drop off a large pitcher of water for the table.
The menu consists of appetizer, signature, soup, noodles, soul food of Seoul, KFC, rice bowl, vegetarian, pasta and dessert.
They also offer a hansang lunch special.
$23.00/set (limit of 15 sets per day) from 11:30am to 3:00pm.
Trip #1
We dropped in on a Sunday evening (around 7:15pm)
Banchan
Kimchi, sliced fish cakes and seaweed. The kimchi was the best of the three; fresh and crunchy.
The other two were run of the mill.
Kimchi bacon yaki udon (#23) ($14.00)
My favourite dish of the night. The udon had a chewy bite. Bacon and kimchi were tasty but didn’t overwhelm the dish. Well balanced.
BBQ pork bulgogi stone pot bibimbap (#39) ($16.00)
Bibimbap was light on the gochujang sauce. Everyone thought it needed more sauce. The BBQ pork was flavourful and tender.
Winner winner chicken dinner ($43.00)
Rice cakes, fish cakes, egg, ramen, Korean fried roll, dumplings and fried chicken.
All the fried items were excellent.
Never had a Korean fried roll but it reminded me of tempura, Korean style. The inside had glass noodles in it and egg. Yum.
The mandu was crunchy, not too greasy and with a generous filling.
The fried chicken was juicy but reminded us more of Taiwanese chicken than KFC. The hotpot itself was fairly standard. A lot of ttekboki but lacked a bouncy bite and clumped together. The fish cakes were better. For the price, it should come with a bowl or two of rice but nada.
Trip #2
We dropped in on a fairly busy Monday at noon.
Sapporo ($6.00)
Citron makgeolli ($9.00 500mL)
A light, slightly sweet citrus note. Went down nice and smooth.
Cute how they come in these tiny little bowls/pails.
Banchan
Glazed potato, cubed radish and seaweed.
Bulgogi set with spicy kimchi pork tofu soup ($23.00/set)
The lunch special set also comes with rice, cabbage, pickled radish, steamed egg with prawn, karaage, tofu and soybeans. Nothing stands out but everything was decent.
Bulgogi was tender.
The tofu soup had plenty of tofu (not much depth or heat to the broth). The cabbage was literally boiled cabbage.
Honey mustard fried chicken (#34) ($16.00 half)
Everyone enjoyed the honey mustard KFC over the sweet and spicy. The chicken is tender but didn’t have much of a crispy texture.
Sweet & spicy fried chicken (#36) ($16.00 half)
Nothing really memorable about the sauce. Didn’t find these spicy at all.
BBQ pork bulgogi stone pot bibimbap (#39) ($16.00)
Similar to the first time we had it. Rice didn’t get very crispy at the bottom and needed more sauce.
Vegetarian truffle japchae (#48) ($22.00)
This was my favourite dish that we ordered. Good variety of vegetables (zucchini, peppers, onion, mushrooms, carrots) and the japchae had a great chew. Truffle added a nice subtle note.
Decent eats at MC but slightly overpriced for what you get.
Midam Cafe
https://midam.godaddysites.com/
3211 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 714-0233
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 