A Korean restaurant named Piggy’s

Banchan

Piggy’s is a Korean restaurant? We wondered as we searched the Thornhill complex for some new place to eat. We were hesitant at first as the place wasn’t too full (we were pretty early). By the end of our dinner, though, it was packed. And it had good reason to be!

First, the Banchan (appetizers/side dishes) had a few additions to what we usually get. They had sweet roasted seaweed with sesame seeds, which we all enjoyed. They also had some sort of apple/pasta salad which was a bit unusual for us, but the girls liked it. They also included Korean pancakes, yum!

We figured it was time to try Korean dishes we had not ordered before. So, we got some Mul Naeung Meyon which is sweet potato vermicelli in an icy cold broth. This would be the Korean version of gazpacho. There were some spicy versions but we ordered the mild one. It was quite a refreshing dish. The soup had crushed ice and tasted of cucumbers. DD#1 really enjoyed this! It was a good palate cleanser to the other new dish we ordered, Bbeo Jjim—a hot and sweet pork bone stew. It was very spicy and had us sniffling after a few spoonfuls. The dish was hearty and very flavorful. It had a lot of rice cake and potatoes which were very effective fillers.

Pork Stew

Mul Naeung Meyon and Dumplings

The girls and grandma shared some meat and vegetable dumplings and our usual Bul go gi (marinated beef). The dumplings were tasty but a bit on the dry side. I particularly liked the sweet-sour chili soy sauce which went with it, though.  The Bul go gi beef was tender and the marinade was delicious. It also came with hot pot rice.



Bulgogi

The servings were big. We overestimated our appetites so we got “to-go” boxes at the end of our meal. I was quite impressed with the thought taken to use heat-sealed containers for the soup! Awesome! Other restaurants would just let you figure out how to get the leftovers home without spilling half of it.

With rice cake and potatoes expanding in our tummies and our leftover boxes in tow, we headed home slightly smelling of bbq and hotpot. Quite an interesting discovery! And the candies they gave out were really good! Now, if I can only understand what type they were and how to find them in the Korean grocery store…

Happy Hour--a seafood feast at The Fish House/Shuckers Seafood Bar

I searched for a seafood place (that is not Chinese) at the North end of Toronto. I discovered The Fish House over at Markham.  When I found out that the place had a Happy Hour for appetizers, it was enough to convince me to check it out! The place was divided into the main dining room of The Fish House and Shuckers seafood bar.

It had a good number of patrons, not quite what I expected for a week night. The atmosphere seemed more lively at Shuckers (and this is where they have the Happy Hour as well!) so we decided to go into this side of the restaurant. They shared the same menu, but at Shuckers there were TV screens and a lot more drinking going on.

We started off with some crab cakes while the girls had crispy fried calamari. The crab cakes were served with dill sauce. It was okay, but it left a bit of a greasy after taste.

Crab cakes

The calamari was served with a ginger cilantro sauce, which was a nice change from the usual tartar sauce. The girls, ever the calamari-lovers, enjoyed their dish while coloring their activity sheets.

Crispy Calamari

Hubby had Butter-Poached Lobster & Cod. A good-sized cod was pan-seared and topped with butter-poached lobster meat. Gnocchi and sautéed rapini complemented the rich, buttery dish—which was served like a very chunky soup. It wasn’t something hubby quite expected, but he enjoyed his meal.

Butter-poached Lobster and Cod

I had the Seafood Grill with crab-stuffed salmon and Mediterranean salsa, grilled jumbo shrimp & grilled calamari with chimichurri sauce. On the side were mashed sweet potato and steamed asparagus. It was a nice, light dish. I liked the grilled calamari—a dish we don’t often find in other restaurants. The mashed sweet potato was so filling that I had to share a good portion with DD#2, convincing her that “it’s healthy, honey!”

 Seafood Grill

Grandma, the birthday girl, had the Crusted Fresh Fish Platter. It consisted of Macadamia-crusted tilapia, crab-crusted rainbow trout, chili-coconut-crusted cod with white rice, steamed asparagus. Chimichurri was drizzled on top. Again, the dish was nice. I tried a bit of this as well. The fish was tender and not chewy, and the flavours were light and not overwhelming.

Crusted Fresh Fish Platter

Prices for each meal are around $20. Not very cheap, but then again, we expected seafood to be on the pricey side. We were told that the fish they serve is flown in from around the world and the dishes we had were fresh (or should we say, fresh-frozen?). But I’ve had better and fresher seafood.

I’m not raring to return anytime soon to The Fish House/Shuckers Seafood Bar. But you wouldn’t have to drag me to go back, either--especially for Happy Hour!